Making Technology Approachable
Posted Sep 20th 2007 11:24AM by Marc
I recently attended the AARP annual convention in Boston -- and yeah, I know, I'm only 34. I was there to show off AOL Good Life, a new Web site we've developed for the over-50 crowd.
Our display had several fancy plasma TVs, comfy couches and a collection of laptops with different AOL programming and products. The day we arrived, the laptops were arranged on small, circular tables right next to one another. As attendees entered the booth and approached the laptops, the first thing they asked was, "Where's the mouse?"
Uh-oh.
It's easy for Gen-Xers like me to forget how new the Internet is, how new the concept of a personal, portable computer is. We're really talking only one generation here -- a decade, maybe two. As an AOL employee, it's easy to forget that we have millions of members whose ways of using a computer are vastly different from mine. I approach a laptop and naturally begin using the touchpad mouse. If I gave that laptop to my mother, she'd be lost at Step One.
I take for it granted that I approach technology without fear; that I can pick up a new device and, generally speaking, figure it out without being intimidated. How do we make technology approachable for everyone? Apple seems to try, but try giving an iPod or iPhone to someone who's never used one before.
We strive to make AOL powerful enough for advanced users but simple enough that anyone could figure it out. Striking the balance is impossible; techies decry us as "the Internet on training wheels" and newbies complain the instant we make any change, no matter how small. The convention was a useful reminder that the barrier to entry for technology is still steep for most people. The trick is not to make techier tech toys, but to make them work for everyone.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1. Thank you for a timely article.
My daughter blessed me with a Dell desktop in March. I worked over 30 years as an Executive Secretary w/word processing. That seems like a life time ago. I had never even used a mouse. The internet was just becoming popular when I retired.
AOL was my introduction into this new era of computing. Had it not been for the ease of the 9.0 VR suite, it would have taken much longer to learn the little I now know. I was particularly impressed with the ease of the email.
I have since learned other applications. However, I continue to prefer AOL suite and AOL web is my homepage. My primary email also is AOL.
Thank you for remembering us "old timers".
Thank you for considering us "old timers".
Posted at 7:12PM on Oct 10th 2007 by Nissi1