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Compared to you, most people seem dumb

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Re: Compared to you, most people seem dumb

#21

Post by Encosia »

tgriesser wrote: post #15
jrockway wrote: post #6

The underlying issue is that people are afraid to try and explore. They form a mental model of how to do something, look for something that fits into that model, and then are happy. If they guess the wrong model, though, then they are stuck forever. Skilled computer users, on the other hand, don't let a failing model bother them. They just try something else. Most people will do this for anything but computers, thoug…

I actually recently had a talk with my parents about just that; how, unlike years ago, computers have gotten better to the point where nothing they can do will 'break' them, so they should feel free to click around and try to figure out what they might be looking for. Software tools like CrossLoop have also made my life a hell of a lot easier in maintaining this promise, since anytime anything goes wrong I just tell…

I think that's one of the best things about the iPad that goes relatively unheralded. It's most of a computer, but nearly impossible for a user to accidentally get into an unusable state.

I bought my Dad (74) one this year, as his first "computer", and the first thing I told him was not to worry because he couldn't break it by doing the wrong thing. Now he's sending email and playing Words with Friends. It's been transformative for him, and I believe his acclimation has been made possible mostly by the software's resilience to mistakes.

Re: Compared to you, most people seem dumb

#23

Post by toast76 »

I have above average intelligence, compared to me most people ARE dumb.

Said in jest, obviously....

In all seriousness, this is a very common issue for "isolated" developers and designers. We all work in our little cubicles building what makes sense to us. We never think that we are our own most knowledgeable users. A feature that is obvious to us is most likely obvious because we put it there.

It's also why in any company, the people making the product (whatever it is) should spend some time on the front line dealing with customers. Even better, they should WATCH people use the product they built.

Re: Compared to you, most people seem dumb

#24

Post by pavel_lishin »

golgo13 wrote: post #9

My dad is a Master Electrician but he still asks me questions about his hotmail account and to resend a link to my Picasa albums. He deals with megawatts of electricity on a daily basis. I would hesitate to call him dumb...

Ditto for my stepdad, electrical engineer, holds more patents than I own books, and has put something on fucking Mars.

Still can't get his webcam to work, and keeps every document on his desktop.

It's just a matter of different knowledge domains. If you tossed me into the woods with experienced naturalists, they'd probably laugh every time I wiped with poison oak, too.

Re: Compared to you, most people seem dumb

#25

Post by megablast »

jrockway wrote: post #6

The underlying issue is that people are afraid to try and explore. They form a mental model of how to do something, look for something that fits into that model, and then are happy. If they guess the wrong model, though, then they are stuck forever. Skilled computer users, on the other hand, don't let a failing model bother them. They just try something else. Most people will do this for anything but computers, thoug…

You have just summarised the XKCD tech support cheat sheet:

http://xkcd.com/627/

I think the reason for this is that computers are too easy to stuff up. You see this when you go to fix someones computer, and you have no idea how they got it into that state. They can not describe how they did it.

This is why so many people love the iPad, you can not screw it up (at least, it is a lot harder).

Re: Compared to you, most people seem dumb

#26

Post by boredguy8 »

I've found a fairly useful analogy that helps most tech people. If you're into cars and the analogy doesn't work, just think of something you need to know about at some point, but probably don't know much about at all.

Mostly this helps when a customer feels guilty about needing help, or someone in IT thinks "me > all" because they can enter a command line. I think of my role like this:

Your average non-tech person probably feels about their computer the same way I feel about my car. I know nothing about cars. Usually I get my oil changed, but only because I have a repeating 3 month appointment based on 10 years of not getting it changed regularly. Bt even then, I sometimes forget. I now know I need to check tire pressure, but the place I buy my tires does that for me when I check in every two months. I know NOTHING about cars.

The reality is, your average person is no more stupid for not knowing "technology" than you are for not knowing automobiles, or how an airplane works, or the nuances of ASEAN trade relations. You've specialized, even if it doesn't feel like a specialization because YOU see technology all around you. Guess what: someone specializing in US/China trade relations sees the impact of RMB undervaluation all around, too. And a nutritionist sees daily health decisions all around. And so on.

So don't laugh because someone clicked a link to a pop-up ad when they thought they were closing the ad. Instead, help them fix their problem and, if appropriate, give them a pointer or two so they don't make the same mistake again. And absolutely have the patience with your customers that you'd want someone else to have with you, in your area of weakness. And if you don't think you have a weakness--if you think you're infinitely adaptable--I hope people around you have god-like patience, because you're probably wrong.

But regardless, don't get superior: our skills are valuable, but so are other ones. The sooner you learn that, the better off you'll be.

Re: Compared to you, most people seem dumb

#27

Post by corin_ »

golgo13 wrote: post #9

My dad is a Master Electrician but he still asks me questions about his hotmail account and to resend a link to my Picasa albums. He deals with megawatts of electricity on a daily basis. I would hesitate to call him dumb...

I have no reason to believe your dad is dumb, and I'm not someone who thinks you're dumb if you're not computer savvy (such as your Dad).

That said, I've known and employed electricians whom I would call dumb, despite the fact that they can do their jobs. I'm not having a go at electricians, I can't do what they do, and I'm certainly not trying to make any point along the lines of "electricians are dumb except when it comes to their own area". Hell, I've known more intelligent electricians than dumb ones.

What I am saying, though, is that I don't think "dealing with megawatts of electricity" proves that someone is/isn't dumb. (And again, that's not me saying you're wrong in saying your dad isn't dumb.)

Re: Compared to you, most people seem dumb

#30

Post by dennisgorelik »

tgriesser wrote: post #8

I wish I could wrap my head around the size of the subset in relation to the larger set of users of the internet. I think that those are able to accomplish this have a huge leg up in product design, and this ability is something that is incredibly taken for granted. One time my non-technical partner was attempting to access something I had been working on for a day or so and he told me that it wasn't working at all (…

99th percentile? I'd say HN audience is in 99.9 percentile of the world when it comes to computer knowledge. (0.1% of the world is still 6.6 million people).
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