" although participating in the DDF was an interesting experience."
It is good that they include lower ranked members of staff at such important functions. What a great company it must be to work for
" the Guild member would not necessarily suffer as badly financially in the event of a ship loss"
Well that is unfortunate, but then that is hardly a game breaker. What if two players gang up on someone, they are twice as likely to win. Should that not be balanced, or is that not just the danger of space. Besides, this "feature" you discuss has nothing to do with groups of players making their alliance known.
"Regarding the wider player base - how do we know what they want?"
Using polls, like the one above, and the one on reddit. Or market research, like FD must have spent many pounds on this kind of activity.