The
‘zen’ in ‘senior citizens’ needs to be taken more seriously when you configure
the internet for them, avers an old-timer.
AD: Does familiarity breed contempt or
comfort?
BC: Neither. It creates conflict, if you
take the two of us…
AD: You don’t know what I’m talking about,
do you?
BC: No, but I will, in a minute. I can’t
see you walking away without lecturing me on some aspect of technology each
time you see me.
AD: It’s just my way of trying to making
you see the merits of technology. But then, as they say, we live in hope.
BC: And why this metaphysical analysis on familiarity?
AD: A friend of mine was telling me how his
Mom was having a problem with the way websites were frequently changing their
look. Her mail service provider had replaced the trash button with an icon of a
trash can and she was pretty confused by the new layout.
BC: I know that feeling. For most senior
citizens, the computer is as alien as musical notations are to someone who has
never studied music. We tend to forget the fact that most of them have not used
computers or the internet in their education or at work.
AD: But it’s so easy to learn to use a
computer…
BC: Well, the simplest operation or command
can be so complicated for those who are not familiar with a computer. Do you
realize that almost every word – like mouse, shift, cookie, cursor, menu, icon,
browser, folder, file or scroll – has a different meaning in the cyber world?
Actions like download, upload, right-click and double-click could leave a beginner
all at sea…
AD: Never thought that these terms would be
so difficult to understand…
BC: Imagine their reaction when they
receive a message asking them if they wanted to ‘kill’ unresponsive pages...
AD: It would probably send a shockwave
through them.
BC: These things happen in a flash, you
see.
AD: What about GUI? They should find it
easier to handle, right?
BC: Small icons, buttons spaced faraway,
subtle colour variations – all of these could confuse senior citizens.
AD: What about the convenience factor?
Websites offer a lot of valuable medical information and health tips. Most paperwork
and payments can be done online now.
BC: In an age where everyone is wary of
phishing and internet security, how do you expect the older generation to be
comfortable with online accounts?
AD: But the speed at which you can get work
done…
BC: The internet can alternate between
being really fast and painfully slow. And this affects the behavior of websites.
AD: I still don’t understand it… What’s so
complicated about these websites?
BC: The pop-ups and annoying ads that
explode on your screen and cover the web page… Can you imagine an 80-year old
looking for the tiny x in a corner of the pop-up to close it?
AD: I’ll have to admit, they are pretty
irritating…
BC: Even useful features like the auto-fill
facility and Google's auto-complete feature that completes your search entry
before you do, can confuse first-timers. I know a few senior citizens who were spooked
because words appeared before they typed them.
AD: Can I never get you to look at the internet
as a boon?
BC: The internet also brings with it lots of
trouble - spam, malware, spyware, virus, trojans and other unfavourable
by-products of modern technology…
AD: Are you not going to trust anything
new?
BC: Why not? I'll give 2012 the thumbs up.
After all, be it a New Year or new technology, don't we all live in hope?
`BC: Why not? I'll give 2012 the thumbs up. After all, be it a New Year or new technology, don't we all live in hope?'... Yes, unless they make an app for hope. :)
ReplyDeleteGood read, as always!