Microsoft creates Forum, a trendy Tinder-like app to boost company communication

Vaughn Highfield November 23, 2015

Microsoft’s trendy alternative to Google X-Labs has released a new iPhone app for company employees to ask and answer questions.

Microsoft creates Forum, a trendy Tinder-like app to boost company communication

Known as Forum, presumably because that’s all Microsoft Garage has actually built, it allows employees to use Tinder-like swiping to up or down vote questions. This means that not only can employees pose questions to others, but what gets a response is decided by all, instead of a ballot box.

Interestingly, from the screenshots uploaded to the US App Store, Forum seems to allow for live Q&A sessions in-app. Currently, it’s not clear if submissions can only be made via the app, or if someone can chime in via desktop or web apps too.

microsoft_forum_iphone_app

As you can tell, this is quite the departure from what Microsoft usually spends its time doing. This app is more of a startup idea for workplace communication than part of a big Windows 10 picture for the workplace. Perhaps the Redmond-based company feels it needs to diversify to keep up with the likes of workplace-dominating Slack, but whatever the reason, it seems incredibly unlikely you’ll ever find yourself using Forum.

Not only is it currently limited to the US, but it’s also largely skewed towards answering the questions nobody really cares about. One question seen in screenshots is “What keeps you here? (Other than the pay check)” – that’s a HR manager’s nightmare if voted up and commented upon. It’s essentially bringing Glassdoor into the workplace, instead of keeping it outside.

Call me pessimistic, but I just don’t see Microsoft Garage’s Forum going anywhere fast.

If you’re stuck for better apps to download, take a look at our pick of the best iPhone and iPad apps of 2015.

Image:Bert Kaufmann – Flickr