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We (geeks) are immersed in technology and have no idea of the disconnect between our perception of the interface and the "farmville" population. Once in a whil
by lucifer 17y ago
We (geeks) are immersed in technology and have no idea of the disconnect between our perception of the interface and the "farmville" population.
Once in a while, specially when I get flustered at family members who can't tell the difference between the browser, email, and what-not ("the internet"), I find it useful to remind myself of my initial encounter with the 'machine' (15 yrs old, few decades ago). The distinction between the OS, command line, and the actual application (the Star Trek game on a terminal system) was entirely lost on me: The paradigm of a layered system simply was not in my conceptual toolkit and it was initially a completely seamless experience.
- steveklabnik 17y agoI wish I was able to properly do that. A lot of times, it's really hard for me, as I started with BASIC when I was 7, and so I can't really remember a time when I didn't code. That whole experience is essentially lost for me. It's like saying, "Try remembering how hard it was to learn to read." So I try to just be extra cognizant of the fact that most people just don't _get it_ like we do.
- lucifer 17y ago> So I try to just be extra cognizant of the fact that most people just don't _get it_ like we do. Your experience actually strikes a hopeful note. The latest generation is born into an information society (unlike yours and mine). As long as we (geeks) do not demand [from] the users to code to interact with the software, it is highly doubtful that this batch will have any problems with intricate UIs, and that the problem highlighted by the OP is transitional.