> 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.
Please 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.
>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.
Precisely. 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.
I 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.
This 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.
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.
Every 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.
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.