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The Distribution of Users’ Computer Skills: Worse Than You Think (2016)

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Re: The Distribution of Users’ Computer Skills: Worse Than You Think (2016)

#21

Post by bob1029 »

> You are not the user

This is where you will find your true 10x'ers. The developer who is so intelligent and experienced that they can accurately emulate an entire "level 1" user in their own brain for purposes of testing a UX/UI concept. Putting both a really clever design and a really stupid user into your head at the same time is very challenging. But, if you can figure out how to pull this off, you can rapidly arrive at designs that are intuitive for all without a bunch of painful iterations.

I've definitely seen the 10x that can't do this. Their UI design concepts usually turn out to look like something from a 4x game (and not a 'casual' one like CIV5). A user interface that exactly 1 person could enjoy using. About as clever as it gets and equally as worthless.

Try constraining the hell out of yourself next time you build something that a typical person would use (i.e. any B2C product). Ask things like "If I didn't know how to read, could I still find my way around this interface?". Clearly, this is too low a bar to effectively use some applications, but simply trying to aim in that direction over and over can help evaporate the more "clever" concepts in favor of your less skilled users.

Re: The Distribution of Users’ Computer Skills: Worse Than You Think (2016)

#22

Post by falcolas »

eldaisfish wrote: post #16
falcolas wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When you don't have to struggle to learn the basics of how to use something, you won't develop the mental model of operation you can carry forward. We (Late X, millenials) did have to struggle just to operate a computer. We had to build a mental model to work around inadequate tools in the OS and beyond. Younger people have had adequate tools to interact with computers, so they've never been forced to build that ment…

this is an interesting angle. on the topic of tools, i want to add something i rue - the loss of printed instruction manuals. My iphone can do a lot and has many features but most are useless to me because one - there is no printed manual i can use (a screen is a sub-par replacement) and.. two - the discoverability is terrible. With more things moving mobile-first, the discoverability of features is just gone. there’…

> the loss of printed instruction manuals

Even digital `man` pages would be nice sometimes. Not the watered down "Help" pages.

> With more things moving mobile-first, the discoverability of features is just gone.

I'm on the fence about this one. Curiosity will drive a lot of discoverability, but the "locations" of features changes so quickly that all your prior discovery is rendered moot.

"I know this feature exists but can't find it," is little different from "This feature doesn't exist."

Re: The Distribution of Users’ Computer Skills: Worse Than You Think (2016)

#23

Post by falcolas »

mikewarot wrote: post #9

It's the tools that suck, not the users. If you have two folders open in Microsoft Windows, and drag an item from one to the other... there are 3 possible actions (as of a decade ago) that might happen according to an set of rules the user can't be expected to know.... It might copy the file it might create a shortcut to the file it might move the file This is just a tiny example of the inconsistency of one of the ol…

> there are 3 possible actions (as of a decade ago) that might happen according to an set of rules the user can't be expected to know....

At least the icon changed based on which action was going to happen. Knowing to look for that icon change, on the other hand...

Re: The Distribution of Users’ Computer Skills: Worse Than You Think (2016)

#24

Post by ofrzeta »

One of the biggest problems of people using computers is fear. It impedes any exploratory activity and therefore learning how to use a computer. The first thing everyone has to be taught (again and again), try stuff out and don't be afraid to break things. It's just software. (taking care of your data and backups are the topic of another lesson :-)

Re: The Distribution of Users’ Computer Skills: Worse Than You Think (2016)

#25

Post by Wowfunhappy »

bob1029 wrote: post #21

> You are not the user This is where you will find your true 10x'ers. The developer who is so intelligent and experienced that they can accurately emulate an entire "level 1" user in their own brain for purposes of testing a UX/UI concept. Putting both a really clever design and a really stupid user into your head at the same time is very challenging. But, if you can figure out how to pull this off, you can rapidly a…

Why is the developer responsible for UI design?

I certainly think developers should be involved in UI design, but I don't think they should be the main decision makers in most cases, precisely because "putting both a really clever design and a really stupid user into your head at the same time is very challenging," and I wouldn't expect it to necessarily correlate with programming skill.

Re: The Distribution of Users’ Computer Skills: Worse Than You Think (2016)

#26

Post by salawat »

agloe_dreams wrote: post #18
eldaisfish wrote: post #2

A related anecdote - i’ve observed that computer skills in successive generation cohorts is dropping and dramatically. I’m a millennial but was fortunate enough to have grown up with parents who had no idea about tech but gave me tools and manuals to learn. Most of the books i read before the age of ten were computer manuals. they were in the trash and easy to access. Tech was also fragile in the 90s and 2000s so the…

I think this is interesting and come from a like background as you. Building machines and discovering our router had wifi on a Sony PSP. Some thoughts: 1: Boomers and Gen X kinda screwed later generations with incredibly awful computer education in schools. Most schools are basically marketing firms for Google and Microsoft Office. Kids are just not taught the basics at all and instead are handed endless document tas…

>Startup sequences are unneeded to be known because their modern hardware solves it's own problems when things go wrong (ChromeOS for example can just re-image and restore files/settings automatically upon boot failure)

Yes, because nothing ever goes wrong or needs to be changed to fit your own process Silly user, just do it my way.

This type of thinking os anathema to developing computer skills. Computer skills are the knowledge to decompose work processes into logical sets of instructions such that you can utilize artfully arranged sand to do the work for you. That still requires knowing how that sand works at some level, and the thought that went into the tools for you to use.

I will never use an Android/IOS phone to the level I will my linux systems. Why? Because the people who architected Android specifically did so with their own and not my interests in mind.

When you need to read an asinine amount of literature to realize mofos did everything possible to keep you away from the hardware, to keep them from having to have a "support division" because they weren't interested in empowering you beyond in the capacity as a consumer of their service, it gets to point I reject anything going on under that paradigm as legitimate computing tbqh.

Re: The Distribution of Users’ Computer Skills: Worse Than You Think (2016)

#27

Post by throwaway3618 »

pedro_hab wrote: post #13
soulmerge wrote: post #4

I was quite surprised to read that about a quarter of the participants weren't able to delete an email in their email app (the "Can't Use Computers" group). This was 2016, though, so maybe things have changed drastically since then. Does anyone know of a related, but more recent study?

I wouldn't be surprised if it got worse. Most people are on phones now, who uses computers if not for work? But I guess one could argue using phones would be the same, but even then my personal experience is that most people don't know much about phones either.

Phones are pretty bad for the group who are scared of breaking something and so don't just try the first thing they guess.

Delete: maybe tap and hold, then three dots or an (i), maybe swipe right/left/either.

Close an image: probably pull down from the top but not always.

Undo: Shake the phone like an etch-a-sketch???

Whereas Outlook Express, for example, looking at screenshots, had a big red X with Delete written underneath it in the toolbar. And your mouse had a physical button dedicated to stuff that's now hidden away behind long-press or swipe or the (i) or whatever.

Re: The Distribution of Users’ Computer Skills: Worse Than You Think (2016)

#28

Post by zzbzq »

falcolas wrote: post #19
notaustinpowers wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's interesting the differences between gen z and older generations when it comes to computers. I'm a cusper (millenial/gen z) so I grew up with computers, just like my parents who are gen x, so we all understand it just fine. But I'll help out someone who can't be any older than their late 40's with a $2,500 laptop, who almost started crying when I opened a new tab in her browser because she thought I deleted it. S…

As someone on the cusp from X to Millenial, I get mobile fine, but the loss of screen space is why I'll never prefer it. And this is made worse by the natural degradation of eyesight as I get older. I did have to make an intentional effort to become comfortable on a mobile device, though.

I find I'm almost mad when I have to actually do something on a mobile device. I can scroll through feeds just fine but if I need to start finding answers to questions, or editing text, it's just obnoxious and I'm mad the whole time.

Re: The Distribution of Users’ Computer Skills: Worse Than You Think (2016)

#29

Post by bckr »

soulmerge wrote: post #4

I was quite surprised to read that about a quarter of the participants weren't able to delete an email in their email app (the "Can't Use Computers" group). This was 2016, though, so maybe things have changed drastically since then. Does anyone know of a related, but more recent study?

I had the same perception, but if you read the paragraph closely it says that folks at “Below Level 1” can delete an email, and that’s about as complicated a thing as they can do.

Re: The Distribution of Users’ Computer Skills: Worse Than You Think (2016)

#30

Post by plastic3169 »

falcolas wrote: post #15
eldaisfish wrote: post #2

A related anecdote - i’ve observed that computer skills in successive generation cohorts is dropping and dramatically. I’m a millennial but was fortunate enough to have grown up with parents who had no idea about tech but gave me tools and manuals to learn. Most of the books i read before the age of ten were computer manuals. they were in the trash and easy to access. Tech was also fragile in the 90s and 2000s so the…

When you don't have to struggle to learn the basics of how to use something, you won't develop the mental model of operation you can carry forward. We (Late X, millenials) did have to struggle just to operate a computer. We had to build a mental model to work around inadequate tools in the OS and beyond. Younger people have had adequate tools to interact with computers, so they've never been forced to build that ment…

Fixing houses, crafts of different sorts, knitting, cooking etc. have always been old peoples game. Computers will be the same. There was a moment in history young people were on top, but in the future if you have trouble with tech your best bet is to find the oldest computer person you know and ask for help.
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