Computer Illiteracy
 

I have been using computers in my business for almost 25 years. Over the last few years I find that I am way behind the curve in my knowledge of the most basic of computer skills. I have an iphone, ipad, new TV, effis etc and increasingly I am finding set up to be more and more difficult, not less. Somehow I have moved from being an innovator in technology to someone who illicits sighs from those in the know when I express frustration with ?I cannot make it work? comments.
Typically this happens when I am calling a supplier with an install question. I have followed the online instructions but find that I have been stymied by a lack of common herd knowledge. For example, not knowing that there is a lock on an SD card. I hang my head in shame following that brief, but incredulous silence, on the other end of the phone line.
However if I was to tell someone that I wanted to build a metal airplane there are an amazing number of individuals who will bend over backwards, take my hand and teach me not only how to rivet, but the difference in rivets, guns, air pressure, etc etc. All of this is done with not the least bit of distain about my lack of the most basic metal work skills. It is expected that I know nothing about rivets and that is ok, no problem. For some reason it is assumed the everyone knows how to unzip files and move them from one medium to another, or how to make your new glass gadget stop shouting at you when you clearly have enough fuel for the trip.
My name is Tom Martin and I am a computer illiterate. Am I the only one?

I agree although I've caught others on the lock on the SIMM card!

I have somewhat the opposite issue. I wrote my first FORTRAN program in 1972 - on paper punch tape - and went through punch cards and the first editors and debuggers and onto CRTs and then early PCs etc etc.

These days the youngsters think they have to talk really slow and at a very low level to me like I am some kind of idiot when talking about databases or application development.

It's a double edged sword I guess. Perhaps we all need to take a minute and figure out the level of competence of the audience.

I do agree 100% that it is an amazing group we belong too. The helpful attitude and willingness to help anyone at anytime is really impressive, and I have not found it in very many other groups. Perhaps the nature of our hobby attracts people who are inquisitive and appreciate help and give help in return. We want to return the courtesy.

Here is my $.02 on it.
 

The world of rapidly changing technology is something that belongs in most part to youth.

The world of building metal aircraft, is something that belongs in the most part to us older folks.

One group tends to be quite secure in who they are, and to be of a mindset to offer help to those in need, and the other group tends to be less secure in their place in life, and to be of a mindset of needing to prove their abilities.

As I recall, this is known as the "Young Turk" or "young Lion" syndrome.

This is a vast generalization, and of course there are individual exceptions, but ask any father of a teen age son------or better still, a step father.

This site is populated by enthusiasts, and help lines are staffed by employees------draw your own conclusions about this.

For the most part, what has been said is true. But I've seen the same kind of high-tech condescension from people instructing others on avionics systems. However, while I admit it is commonly youth talking down to older people, I have seen plenty of examples going the other way. I pretty much made my niche in network administration and support by being able to communicate with people at all knowledge levels, but I know too many in the industry who divide the world into "those who get it" and "stupider than dirt" regardless of age.

I have to say, though, that I've been guilty of condescension myself, usually toward inexperienced tech support. I just hate when I call for a specific reason, because I have usually done thorough diagnostics myself, and the techie insists upon going through a diagnostic script that has nothing to do with my problem. It's one of the systemic failures of support and training that the people who are good at it seldom stay in it very long; their very success moves them out quickly.

However, a heartening note to everyone out there; there is more emphasis in the art of interface design. We've come a long way from text-based interfaces and real research is being done into the way we interact with technology. This is nothing new really, but the field is beginning to emerge from it's infancy and things are getting better. If you don't agree, imagine using some of our current technology with the interfaces from 20 or 30 years ago. It'd be like driving an Indy racer with a tiller and hand-throttle used by early cars. It always takes utility time to catch up but it happens.

CAD user
 

I am lucky enough in my engineering career to have progressed from slide rules and drafting boards to CAD/CAM on computers. And yet I too find many current forms of communications technology unnecessary, and so am out of step with it. I have an 8 year old cell phone - no camera, good enough.

Strangely, we are building metal aircraft here whose technological roots are in the 1930s and many of us are fitting them with glass cockpits - computer driven displays! Hope I'm up to the care and feeding of my glass cockpit when I get it installed.

I've been doing software development since the earlier '80s and I will state that the rate of change is accelerating. New technologies are appearing much faster than ten or twenty years ago. But in this game it's always been necessary to stay on top of the technology. Now the difference I find is that it's necessary to specialize more and stay proficient on a smaller slice of the overall pie.

you are not dumb
 

Tom, So you just hit on one of my hot buttons.

Most times when the user has adequate background (as it seems you do) AND they cannot figure out how to do something, it is a case of bad design. You are not dumb, the designer or engineer just did not think it through.

There are two different general ?mistakes? I see being made.

1. The interaction has no ties into the historical way of doing something. Sliding a small switch on the side of a rectangular object does not signify locking/unlocking for most of us. So because someone cant ?figure it out? does not make them dumb, it is due to bad design. The ?young? people can easily adapt because they have no history with a particular interaction. Think about how you lock a car door or roll down the window.
2. The second ?mistake? I commonly see happening is; to hold onto an interaction when it does not translate into a new type of interaction. This is harder to explain. If you push, turn, or slide a ?button?, you usually have some expectation of what will happen. When the designer does not intend that action, they should not use that type of control. This is hard because designers/engineers normally try to borrow from what they know. When you move to touch controls, these are not the same as physical buttons and are not constrained by their rules. The designer needs to rethink what they are trying to accomplish, what the user needs to understand, and the environment in which they will be used, in order to design the controls properly.

I see every manufacture of ?glass? making these mistakes. They all want to whip out the newest gadget, but have the constraints of time, money and access to great talent.

I am not sure there is much we can do about this. It is intrinsic in the process. The best we can do is to raise our hands and say ?this does not make since to me?. For example, touch displays (as they are implemented today) have no place in the cockpit. This violates both the 1st and 2nd mistakes of user interaction. Why not implement finger guides and/or gestural control?

Sorry for the long post, but the point of this is that you are not ?dumb?, it is just that the design was not thought through and the implementation is bad user interaction design.

As for the attitude of the ?young lions?, this has been happing throughout history. This will never change. But take comfort in that they too will get old and be treated like they know nothing. :)

I'm about to hit 25 years as being a designer. (product design, graphics, and user interface)

I don't think so
 

I'm a know it all. I know because my wife told me and I trust her implicitly to tell me what she thinks.

However,
I gave up on a late model IPAQ handheld because it did strange things without me telling it to, and did not do the simple things I expected. After months of looking at hardware and software, I moved to the Itouch and found it transparently did some things I wanted. This process took months to recover from backups that looked fine but decided not to work. I find programs and hardware sometimes do not follow their own statements of function. I agree with Tom Martin. My name is Larry and the countless hours I spend each week trying to defend data from computer terrorism makes me feel like a know it all illiterate.

hmmm, are you the only one Tom? Well last night I just figured out how to copy and paste.

Tom,

To me, anyone and I mean anyone who makes me feel inferior because of lack of knowledge is just showing their ignorance and bad manners. The increasing rate of innovation and new developments in the Computer and IT industry means that nobody can stay on top of everything and even an expert in certain IT fields, such as myself has to resort to RTFM or calling a help line occasionally when the manual is found wanting. Help lines are there to provide assistance to users. If an employee working on a Help Desk makes a user feel inferior, then they are in the wrong job and should be removed immediately.

I have also found that a superior attitude complex is one way of hiding a persons lack of knowledge.

Just remember, there is no such thing as a dumb or foolish question. It is the answer that can be dumb.