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> Not for everyone. There are no small number of people who will simply shut down when they see a very technical error message, even if it’s prefaced with the s
by tablespoon 6y ago
> Not for everyone. There are no small number of people who will simply shut down when they see a very technical error message, even if it’s prefaced with the simplified version.
Honestly, I think those people can't be helped. They're technically helpless and catering to them makes everyone else as helpless as they are, which is a net loss.
- macintux 6y agoOr we could recognize that not everyone can cope with it and instead supply an error code instead of a string of technobabble. We don't say "those people can't be helped" about people who are blind or deaf. Well, we shouldn't. Many web designers seem to feel that way, though.
- swiley 6y agoWe do say it about people who are too lazy to tie their shoes though.
- tablespoon 6y ago> Or we could recognize that not everyone can cope with it and instead supply an error code instead of a string of technobabble. How is an impenetrable technical error code less scary than a pithy description of the actual problem? Eg. "Wifi connection failed: dhcp timed out. Try reconnecting or checking the router's configuration." vs "Wifi connection failed: Code -49291994. Try reconnecting or checking the router's configuration." For a real world example: https://www.flickr.com/photos/daveward/69888365 https://www.flickr.com/photos/daveward/69888365 I'm not talking about dumping a stacktrace or dropping them into a debugger. > We don't say "those people can't be helped" about people who are blind or deaf. We also don't gouge out the eyes of sighted people because blind people exist, either.
- etripe 6y agoI don't think they're so much technically helpless as they self-identify as technological victims. They don't see the I in solution. As such, there is no catering to them.