Users, the bane of our existence
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Maybe a few screenshots in written instructions would help?
emartinho wrote:
When the mechanic tells them to check their oil in their car, do they say "well I'm not a mechanic/car expert"?
Yes, many people would answer that way. The key is to know your audience/users. IMHO, users are not the bane of our existence, they're the reason we have jobs. :) /ravi
My new year resolution: 2048 x 1536 Home | Articles | My .NET bits | Freeware ravib(at)ravib(dot)com
Best answer my friend. :cool:
It was broke, so I fixed it.
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< rant > Can someone tell me why, when you tell users to do things like: - open windows Explorer - in the screen the appears, navigate to folder "x" - Run Word, click on "Open" and navigate to your document. and then they act like deer in headlights, they almost always say "well I'm not a techie/compter expert, etc..." in a sarcastic tone?? When the mechanic tells them to check their oil in their car, do they say "well I'm not a mechanic/car expert"? Sheesh. Is it too much to expect someone who uses a computer/car/appliance on a regular basis, to actually know something about what they're using? < /rant > Thank you for your time. We now return you to your regularly scheduled hell..... -EM
And then there are the ones who blithely assure you they have done what you asked. Case in point, just yesterday user calls and says they've got a particular error (which we know is a sound card driver issue which requires a reboot to clear). Me: "You'll need to restart your PC." User: "I've logged out and in again already." Me: "No, log off AND RESTART YOUR PC. Then log in again." User: "Oh, OK." User: Calls back 2 minutes later. "OK, I did that and it still gives that error." Me: "Right, I'll come and sort it out." Go to user's PC, check event log. No the PC has not been restarted. Restart, error resolved. :mad: Moron.
If your neighbours don't listen to The Ramones, turn it up real loud so they can. “We didn't have a positive song until we wrote 'Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue!'” ― Dee Dee Ramone "The Democrats want my guns and the Republicans want my porno mags and I ain't giving up either" - Joey Ramone
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Best answer my friend. :cool:
It was broke, so I fixed it.
Thank you, Mr Les Paul. :) /ravi
My new year resolution: 2048 x 1536 Home | Articles | My .NET bits | Freeware ravib(at)ravib(dot)com
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And then there are the ones who blithely assure you they have done what you asked. Case in point, just yesterday user calls and says they've got a particular error (which we know is a sound card driver issue which requires a reboot to clear). Me: "You'll need to restart your PC." User: "I've logged out and in again already." Me: "No, log off AND RESTART YOUR PC. Then log in again." User: "Oh, OK." User: Calls back 2 minutes later. "OK, I did that and it still gives that error." Me: "Right, I'll come and sort it out." Go to user's PC, check event log. No the PC has not been restarted. Restart, error resolved. :mad: Moron.
If your neighbours don't listen to The Ramones, turn it up real loud so they can. “We didn't have a positive song until we wrote 'Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue!'” ― Dee Dee Ramone "The Democrats want my guns and the Republicans want my porno mags and I ain't giving up either" - Joey Ramone
Mark H2 wrote:
Moron.
more likely a user who is used to being told to restart the PC only to find the error hasn't gone away at all and that the help desk is just doing the standard 'try restarting it' schtick
MVVM # - I did it My Way ___________________________________________ Man, you're a god. - walterhevedeich 26/05/2011 .\\axxx (That's an 'M')
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Mark H2 wrote:
Moron.
more likely a user who is used to being told to restart the PC only to find the error hasn't gone away at all and that the help desk is just doing the standard 'try restarting it' schtick
MVVM # - I did it My Way ___________________________________________ Man, you're a god. - walterhevedeich 26/05/2011 .\\axxx (That's an 'M')
I know them well, but this particular error is in the app's documentation. My workplace is staffed wall to wall with people who seem unable to follow simple instructions or accurately report what is visible on the screen before their eyes. :doh: Although I have to give it to my example, he did report the error accurately. :^)
If your neighbours don't listen to The Ramones, turn it up real loud so they can. “We didn't have a positive song until we wrote 'Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue!'” ― Dee Dee Ramone "The Democrats want my guns and the Republicans want my porno mags and I ain't giving up either" - Joey Ramone
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< rant > Can someone tell me why, when you tell users to do things like: - open windows Explorer - in the screen the appears, navigate to folder "x" - Run Word, click on "Open" and navigate to your document. and then they act like deer in headlights, they almost always say "well I'm not a techie/compter expert, etc..." in a sarcastic tone?? When the mechanic tells them to check their oil in their car, do they say "well I'm not a mechanic/car expert"? Sheesh. Is it too much to expect someone who uses a computer/car/appliance on a regular basis, to actually know something about what they're using? < /rant > Thank you for your time. We now return you to your regularly scheduled hell..... -EM
emartinho wrote:
When the mechanic tells them to check their oil in their car, do they say "well I'm not a mechanic/car expert"?
I certainly would! In fact I already had my license when I found out a car had oil even though it drives on something else! Only because a rented car was leaking oil... Luckily I was not the one who had to do anything about it! And whenever I need to do something around the house involving screws, planks, nails, hammers, etc. I just don't. Luckily we have experts for those kind of things so I don't have to know everything myself. Imagine calling a doctor and him saying "Now stick your finger up your prostate and feel around. What's a prostate and how do you feel it? Sheesh! Is it too much to expect someone who uses his body on a regular basis to actually know something about it!?" ;)
It's an OO world.
public class Sander : Lazy<Person>{
public void DoWork(){ throw new NotImplementedException(); }
} -
< rant > Can someone tell me why, when you tell users to do things like: - open windows Explorer - in the screen the appears, navigate to folder "x" - Run Word, click on "Open" and navigate to your document. and then they act like deer in headlights, they almost always say "well I'm not a techie/compter expert, etc..." in a sarcastic tone?? When the mechanic tells them to check their oil in their car, do they say "well I'm not a mechanic/car expert"? Sheesh. Is it too much to expect someone who uses a computer/car/appliance on a regular basis, to actually know something about what they're using? < /rant > Thank you for your time. We now return you to your regularly scheduled hell..... -EM
I teach my grandma to turn off the computer,open a browser ( yeah a browser, not the IE :laugh: ) and some other few things! Now I am the top expert of computers, I can solve anything, that is what she thinks about me :laugh:
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< /Pulls out a shotgun and fires > Fixed :suss: Edit: the closing tag disappeared the first time, ist really broke
if(this.signature != "") { MessageBox.Show("This is my signature: " + Environment.NewLine + signature); } else { MessageBox.Show("404-Signature not found"); }
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Absolutely! If they don't understand what you are telling them to do, you are saying it wrong.
Never underestimate the power of stupid things in large numbers --- Serious Sam
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emartinho wrote:
when you tell users to do things like:
- open windows Explorer
- in the screen the appears, navigate to folder "x"
- Run Word, click on "Open" and navigate to your document.The procedure failed on step 2 since the word "the" did not appear. Thus I stood there like a deer looking at headlights thinking I was reading it wrong. Nope. Definitely no "the" appeared.
Computers have been intelligent for a long time now. It just so happens that the program writers are about as effective as a room full of monkeys trying to crank out a copy of Hamlet. The interesting thing about software is it can not reproduce, until it can.
He's failed the Turing test. (mandatory Dilbert comic)
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I always explain it thusly:
The User Is The Enemy
After all, we all learn to code defensively - and one need only defend against ones enemies.
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein
"As far as we know, our computer has never had an undetected error." - Weisert
"If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010
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Not usually. Techies are just too fast most of the time. Like when you press anything with WinKey or FX and they turn all deer-faced. :laugh:
That isn't their problem - that's ours! If we don't explain it well enough (and that includes speed of delivery) then it is our fault. If you bought a washing machine and couldn't work out how to set it to "spin only", but the sales droid went so fast you couldn't follow it whose fault would that be? And most software is orders of magnitude more complex than a washing machine... We have a responsibility to users to ensure that we explain things in ways they understand.
Never underestimate the power of stupid things in large numbers --- Serious Sam
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That isn't their problem - that's ours! If we don't explain it well enough (and that includes speed of delivery) then it is our fault. If you bought a washing machine and couldn't work out how to set it to "spin only", but the sales droid went so fast you couldn't follow it whose fault would that be? And most software is orders of magnitude more complex than a washing machine... We have a responsibility to users to ensure that we explain things in ways they understand.
Never underestimate the power of stupid things in large numbers --- Serious Sam
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emartinho wrote:
When the mechanic tells them to check their oil in their car, do they say "well I'm not a mechanic/car expert"?
I certainly would! In fact I already had my license when I found out a car had oil even though it drives on something else! Only because a rented car was leaking oil... Luckily I was not the one who had to do anything about it! And whenever I need to do something around the house involving screws, planks, nails, hammers, etc. I just don't. Luckily we have experts for those kind of things so I don't have to know everything myself. Imagine calling a doctor and him saying "Now stick your finger up your prostate and feel around. What's a prostate and how do you feel it? Sheesh! Is it too much to expect someone who uses his body on a regular basis to actually know something about it!?" ;)
It's an OO world.
public class Sander : Lazy<Person>{
public void DoWork(){ throw new NotImplementedException(); }
}Lucky you. The beater I learned to drive on needed weekly topup's of oil (almost a quart the thirsty POS), coolant, and power steering fluid (although my dad used transmission fluid for the latter because it was cheaper). Other beaters I drove before I could afford better needed break fluid checked weekly (to make sure it wasn't getting worse) and topped off at least once a month because of a hairline crack in the master cylinder, and a can of AC coolant every other month because of a slow leak that was too slow for leak finding dye and/or somewhere the dye wouldn't stick/show. Now the only maintenance I do is to top up the oil and tire pressure and to replace a few tail light bulbs (I refuse to pay someone $20 to spend 5 minutes turning giant wing nuts to pop in a $2 bulb).
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, waging all things in the balance of reason? Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful? --Zachris Topelius Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies. -- Sarah Hoyt
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< rant > Can someone tell me why, when you tell users to do things like: - open windows Explorer - in the screen the appears, navigate to folder "x" - Run Word, click on "Open" and navigate to your document. and then they act like deer in headlights, they almost always say "well I'm not a techie/compter expert, etc..." in a sarcastic tone?? When the mechanic tells them to check their oil in their car, do they say "well I'm not a mechanic/car expert"? Sheesh. Is it too much to expect someone who uses a computer/car/appliance on a regular basis, to actually know something about what they're using? < /rant > Thank you for your time. We now return you to your regularly scheduled hell..... -EM
The problem is "navigate" ... too many syllables for your user. Syllables are to the brain as cholesterol is to the vein. (I know it makes no medical sense, but it rhymes!)
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< rant > Can someone tell me why, when you tell users to do things like: - open windows Explorer - in the screen the appears, navigate to folder "x" - Run Word, click on "Open" and navigate to your document. and then they act like deer in headlights, they almost always say "well I'm not a techie/compter expert, etc..." in a sarcastic tone?? When the mechanic tells them to check their oil in their car, do they say "well I'm not a mechanic/car expert"? Sheesh. Is it too much to expect someone who uses a computer/car/appliance on a regular basis, to actually know something about what they're using? < /rant > Thank you for your time. We now return you to your regularly scheduled hell..... -EM
I feel your pain! OTOH, what percentage of car owners do you think check their oil levels on anything resembling a regular basis (my guess is substantially less than 50%), and what percentage of the remainder would even know how to do so? Ignorance is not confined to the IT sphere!
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How do you know my wife? Seriously, I STILL haven't gotten her to use Alt-Tab to switch between applications and it's only been a part of Windows since before our 21 year old daughter was born. On the occasion when I remind her, she uses both hands, the right hand on the right Alt key and the left hand for the Tab and it's a simultaneous click and release like it will electrocute her if she keeps her hands on the keyboard, which may or may not be the right application. :mad: (Me, "You have to hold down the Alt key and then press Tab until you get to the one you want.") "Where did it go I can't find it!" A statement said about many different things, application windows, websites when she has multiple tabs open, documents she wants to email(Me, "Where did you save it?" Her, "I don't know I just hit save.") I love my wife, I love my wife, I love my wife. :-D Truly I could not live without her.
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Oh My Goodness. This is soooo my house.
To err is human to really mess up you need a computer
Another common occurrence, she is on her laptop and wants to print. Printer is attached to an old Vista machine (It works and I'm cheap. Don't want to hear about it.) Label1: Her, "Why won't it print?" Me, "Have you attached to the machine?" Her, "Oh yeah. . . How do I do that again?" Me(for the 4358th time), "Start button, Computer, Network, <machine name>, double click. Login" Her, "How do I login in?" Me, "User name, your name. Password, your name, properly capitalized." (Assumed that was something that would be easy to remember, you see what I get for assuming.) Two hours later, GOTO Label1; To be fair, I haven't had to do the login step in a good while. In every other area of life my wife is a very competent person.
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Absolutely! If they don't understand what you are telling them to do, you are saying it wrong.
Never underestimate the power of stupid things in large numbers --- Serious Sam
I can't help but think of niven's 5th law(from stories) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niven's_laws#Niven.27s_Laws_.28stories.29[^] If you have something to tell the user tell them in as idiot-proof language as possible. the user may be why we have a job, that does not mean they are not all royal pains... graphic representation of users (via users http://goo.gl/W7sgGu) http://goo.gl/gyOhSL[^]
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< rant > Can someone tell me why, when you tell users to do things like: - open windows Explorer - in the screen the appears, navigate to folder "x" - Run Word, click on "Open" and navigate to your document. and then they act like deer in headlights, they almost always say "well I'm not a techie/compter expert, etc..." in a sarcastic tone?? When the mechanic tells them to check their oil in their car, do they say "well I'm not a mechanic/car expert"? Sheesh. Is it too much to expect someone who uses a computer/car/appliance on a regular basis, to actually know something about what they're using? < /rant > Thank you for your time. We now return you to your regularly scheduled hell..... -EM
If users knew what they do, I would be out of job... :(
CEO at: - Rafaga Systems - Para Facturas - Modern Components for the moment...
