Survey Results - How do you prefer to evaluate a product?

I'm just not good at reading documents, downloading/installing things, getting them set up, etc, etc.

I prefer to let somebody else do the evaluation, then get an overview from them on how stuff basically works, then take off with experimenting/pushing the boundaries from there.

I know very few who don't use a multi-step evaluation process. Mine generally is:

1. Read advertisements and magazine articles, what is the product supposed to do?

2. Read "professional" detailed reviews (e.g. sites that review products). What is the consensus across multiple reviews?

3. Read reviews from people who like to go first -- do they think it does what it is supposed to do? Again, multiple reviews help form a better picture, good and bad.

If the product is hardware, I make a buy/no-buy decision here. If it's software, I add step #4:

4. Download a demo, limited version, or full version (if possible) and play with it.

Makes it easy to "uninstall". Nothing left over.
Well, I am trying out Blazor on my Pi 4. Smile | :)

If you can keep your head while those about you are losing theirs, perhaps you don't understand the situation.

the usual manic presentations with unreadable screen-shots, surfeited with unnecessary animations, video effects, distracting music tracks ...

i'd be voting for that.

«One day it will have to be officially admitted that what we have christened reality is an even greater illusion than the world of dreams.» Salvador Dali

#1 For the first contact.
#2 To have the first date.
#3 If I decide to have a longer relationship.
#4 If I have the need, I can do it my own.

M.D.V.

If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.

I do a decent online search/eval and will (by way of example) even check the evaluations where possible with things like this: ReviewMeta.com - Amazon Review Checker[^]

Same as price checking (even when it's not my money).

Ravings en masse^
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein
"If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010

Option	Votes	%
Cut to the chase: A video or animation that shows me what it does.	300	39.58
A guided walkthrough of the product showing me features on the way	295	38.92
Give me the full docs so I can dig in at my own pace and depth	321	42.35
Let me do a lab with a sandbox system where I can try things out for myself	308	40.63
Just give me a login or download and let me loose	337	44.46
I prefer just to read what others have said about the product	235	31.00
Other	67	8.84
Responses	758
Respondents were allowed to choose more than one answer; totals may not add up to 100%