Comment Re:Abstractions, the "dumbing down" of the end use (Score 1) 182
The way I see it, there are many problems in why most people have difficulties in using computers.
1. Adults aren't used to being confused. Children are used to not understanding things, adults aren't used to learning, or being in new and unusual situations.
2. Applications are written by programmers, who have a very different experience with computers to users. programmers try to make stuff that's cool rather than solve the usability problems. The number of options for doing `this, that and the other' is bewildering to all except the development team. More and more `features' are added, but the inherent problem isn't solved. The number of things we've had to make an option on my current project is ridiculous, all due to the fact that we have no access to actual end users!
3. Punters get screwed by salesman with bleached teeth and gelled hair. They are told that this machine will do everything and anything. Most people aren't interested in how a PC works, they expect it to be similar to a TV or video.
Most people have no concept of the difference between software/hardware/etc.
When I did PC support a few years ago I had a call from someone who wanted a Fax machine and was sold a PC! Support people do what they can, but it's an unbelievably frustrating job.
The typical phone call would start with:
customer: My computer doesn't work!
me: What happens?
customer: It just doesn't work, send someone around to repair it.
Most of the time it was 'The grey bar with the start button has disappeared'(get them to drag it back up) or 'my sound card is faulty!' (change the leads around). Admittedly, putting a laptop under a running tap to get rid of the spilt coffee, wasn't one of the brightest moves I heard, but then I had a friend who was advising users to place a plant (preferably a cactus) next to the keyboard to solve dodgy ps/2 port problems! There was even a company who were using win95, had no backups of their accounts, and had literally lost everything. They were out for blood but they had never read their Microsoft Licence Agreement.
IMHO, PCs aren't what the majority of people want.
Most people want to type an email, surf a bit and play games. There are others who need to do much more, but then learning stuff usually goes with the job. There have been many discussions about Linux vs. Windows and basically it boils down is that most people take the path of least resistance. If their neigbour has Windows installed, and knows how to write a basic Word document, then that neighbour knows all about computers, pure and simple.
anyway, enough ranting.
Vad
1. Adults aren't used to being confused. Children are used to not understanding things, adults aren't used to learning, or being in new and unusual situations.
2. Applications are written by programmers, who have a very different experience with computers to users. programmers try to make stuff that's cool rather than solve the usability problems. The number of options for doing `this, that and the other' is bewildering to all except the development team. More and more `features' are added, but the inherent problem isn't solved. The number of things we've had to make an option on my current project is ridiculous, all due to the fact that we have no access to actual end users!
3. Punters get screwed by salesman with bleached teeth and gelled hair. They are told that this machine will do everything and anything. Most people aren't interested in how a PC works, they expect it to be similar to a TV or video.
Most people have no concept of the difference between software/hardware/etc.
When I did PC support a few years ago I had a call from someone who wanted a Fax machine and was sold a PC! Support people do what they can, but it's an unbelievably frustrating job.
The typical phone call would start with:
customer: My computer doesn't work!
me: What happens?
customer: It just doesn't work, send someone around to repair it.
Most of the time it was 'The grey bar with the start button has disappeared'(get them to drag it back up) or 'my sound card is faulty!' (change the leads around). Admittedly, putting a laptop under a running tap to get rid of the spilt coffee, wasn't one of the brightest moves I heard, but then I had a friend who was advising users to place a plant (preferably a cactus) next to the keyboard to solve dodgy ps/2 port problems! There was even a company who were using win95, had no backups of their accounts, and had literally lost everything. They were out for blood but they had never read their Microsoft Licence Agreement.
IMHO, PCs aren't what the majority of people want.
Most people want to type an email, surf a bit and play games. There are others who need to do much more, but then learning stuff usually goes with the job. There have been many discussions about Linux vs. Windows and basically it boils down is that most people take the path of least resistance. If their neigbour has Windows installed, and knows how to write a basic Word document, then that neighbour knows all about computers, pure and simple.
anyway, enough ranting.
Vad
