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> The guy giving the talk said that their average employee is already confused if some icons on the desktop change and they are very reluctant to accept changes
by sspiff 12y ago
> The guy giving the talk said that their average employee is already confused if some icons on the desktop change and they are very reluctant to accept changes.
This accurately describes my dealings with non-technical people over 50. My parents - now in their late 50s and early 60s - have both worked with computers since the 80s. They worked in the administration of the government and a major bank. Yet they are having a really hard time switching from their previous computer (Windows Vista) to their new one (Windows 7 - I specifically avoided 8 because of the bigger UI changes).
Things like icons being organized differently, bookmarks being missing (how else would you navigate to Facebook or Gmail - the services they use most?) or their homepage changing. Things that seem beyond trivial for us, can pose a significant roadblock for people who didn't grow up with computers all around them.
Forget making fun of people Googling for "facebook" or "gmail" instead of using the simple URLs. A lot of people have a hard time even figuring out they can search for these terms.
- Goronmon 12y agoForget making fun of people Googling for "facebook" or "gmail" instead of using the simple URLs. I do this all the time actually.
- sspiff 12y agoThat's fine if it works for you. I won't judge. I just mentioned it because I've had several people, both on- and offline, mention it as a symptom of poor technical understanding of how the Internet works. In truth, I think it's more a matter of convenience and habit.
- Argorak 12y ago"wiki <your term here>" ;)
- sspiff 12y agoI did this as well, but only until I discovered DuckDuckGo.
- Filligree 12y agoEvery browser I know can use site-specific search engines (or google searches with site: prefixes, whatever) with keywords, giving you the same experience. To wikipede something, I write "w <something>" into my address bar. As a bonus I also have tv tropes, a forum I frequent, etc. etc. in there.
- heinrich5991 12y agoFirefox, Opera, yes. But how do you do this in Chromium/Chrome?
- slavik81 12y agoAs you type it will often suggest the site specific search engine if you've used their search before. You can also edit the custom search engine list in Chrome's options. I set mine to search Wikipedia on "wiki <term>" and WolframAlpha on "wolf <term>"
- jebus989 12y agoI know a guy, mid-twenties, who if wanting to search for something will type "google" in the chrome address bar, enter, click the top hit, then search from the recognisable google homepage. It drives me insane.
- moheeb 12y agoThat is how the internet is supposed to work.
- delackner 12y agoThis could be a coping strategy actually. Yahoo japan is notorious for throwing up overlays on their web properties that if accidentally tapped, force your default search engine to yahoo. How do you get back to google if you have no idea where to fix this? just type google. first result.
- jebblue 12y agoPlease refrain from making comments about <so and so> people over <so and so> age. If someone is not technical or simply resistant to constant change, that is a reflection of their personality or interest mostly, not their age.
- neverminder 12y agoPrecisely. I have a friend who is 32 and he couldn't create Amazon account on his own. I think certain people actually try hard to block any technical knowledge.
- wyager 12y ago>Please refrain from making comments about <so and so> people over <so and so> age. He said "This accurately describes my dealings with non-technical people over 50.", not "This accurately describes all people over 50." Nothing wrong with detailing your factual experiences.