Greetings,
I have been reading with interest this thread concerning the Xen. I see that Doug has chimed in several times, but I think my post may be interesting, as I was one of the Beta testers of the Xen. I am motivated to write this because I think the Xen is an excellent piece of kit. I have to admit that I initially questioned the “tapping” process of scrolling through menus, etc., but with the latest beta software update, I hardly do this at all, and simply start my stopwatch and reset it a few times during even complex diving. I understand from Doug’s posts that this will be part of the newest software update and that should pretty much address all the concerns I see on this thread. Then you just have to put up with a big OLED display, in a small form factor, that can be bungied to your arm, that is downloadable, that can receive software updates, that has a user replaceable battery….
Bummer….
I don’t know about the specifics about the beta group selection process, but when I saw the names of my fellow testers, I was able to make a few general observations: we are all, without exception, very active divers. We would be able to provide a lot of feedback to LV. The type of diving we regularly engage in is exactly the market for the Xen. We don’t dive with computers; we use bottom timers and depth gauges exclusively. The type of diving we regularly do also encompasses various environments, from caves to deep-ocean technical diving involving significant decompression, to Sunday afternoon recreational scooter diving. We dive in fresh water and salt water, we dive in water of various temperatures and we dive both night and day.
It is important to note that the group of beta testesr for the Xen does all of the things mentioned above. I understand that many people do some of all those things, but it is more unusual to find individuals who do them all. From a simple point of getting the best feedback from a limited group, it stands to reason that you would try to get as much done as you could. Selecting a group who can give the most varied feedback is just smart R&D. Once those requirements had been met, I am sure there were other ancillary requirements to selecting the beta group. I don’t know what they were but I can assure you that being “friends” was not one of them, as I had never met Doug from LV before he passed me over a Xen to test.
Another couple of things to consider about beta testing with something like the Xen: It is more than just strapping on a depth gauge and going for a dive. When you are testing something in an extreme environment, it is important that the tester’s have the additional capacity to monitor the new equipment as sometimes it is difficult to notice when things go non-linear. How do you know that this new equipment is operating correctly? What is your comparison, particularly when it really matters? In this case, I am referring specifically to technical diving and the fact that decompression is a function of depth and time, and whether you are calculating your decompression beforehand with tables, or adjusting it based on changed dive parameters, it is, shall I say, “useful” to know that the measurements your instrument (s) is (are) providing are accurate. Garbage in, garbage out, and this could have significant consequences with respect to decompression. It would be unethical in the extreme to ask someone without demonstrated ability at handling extra task loading to test a piece of equipment in an extreme environment. Sitting here on my sofa, it is easy to suggest “just carry an extra bottom timer and use it if you suspect things aren’t working” and that is partially true. However, every extra piece of equipment results in extra task loading and I have watched divers come completely unglued with something as simple as trying to clip off their SPG…
Long story short, selecting a beta test group is a bit of a balancing act. The plan is to gather useful information from additional sources that don’t necessarily share the same “tunnel vision” that the software and hardware engineers develop from working on a project (why do you think authors get someone else to proofread their manuscripts?) At the same time, you need to select a group that will give you the biggest bang for your buck in terms of limited testing units etc.
Okay, so why even bother being part of a beta test group if the task is so “onerous”?
I believe that I could speak for all the testers when I say that we really just wanted a gauge that did everything that we wanted it to do: Simple as that. I had an opportunity to participate in the testing and provide substantive change to something that I really wanted. In return I just had to dive with the Xen and provide my feedback to LV with requested changes. And kudus to Xen in that many of the changes you are getting from software updates etc., are direct reflections of the beta group’s suggestions. Nothing is foolproof to the sufficiently talented fool and we provided lots of data for LV from that perspective. “Doug, I can’t get the software to update” . “Guy did you make sure your PC was turned on”….. Okay, so maybe it wasn’t that bad but for some of us (maybe only me…
who were a bit PC challenged, Doug from LV would reply to emails at all hours of the day and night.
I have been part of beta test groups before and our suggestions from those groups tended to vanish into hyperspace somewhere. This was definitely not the case with my experience with the Xen. What you have now directly reflects much of the feedback of the beta test group. I am only sorry for you guys in Florida that I was unable to get “hot pink” as the default colour for your OLED screens…..
Maybe I can convince Doug to put that in the next software update as a function of Zip code or email. At least maybe I can get that done to AJ’s unit……
And yes, I have to return my beta test unit after the testing is complete. I expect I will be finished my run of tests sometime in 2023, or sooner if LV sends somebody bigger than me to my house…
Best,
Guy
