Quote:
Originally Posted by latepaul
And the question is - does Amazon, Kobo, Sony etc, want these people as customers? Are they willing to make things look and feel a little simpler in order to woo them?
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I don't know. If you make it simpler, then there will just be a new group of people for which the device will still be too difficult. There *are* people that get scared out of their mind if something has a screen and/or more than one button, you know. I know several of them.
You know those newer printers, that only "show you the buttons you need for any given task"? Worst thing that could ever happen. I supported them while at a help desk. Many of the people who called couldn't make heads or tails of them because the touch display kept changing.
People don't seem to think: "I want to copy a document, and enlarge it, and make the text blacker. So, I'll need to put it into the printer, then press ENLARGE (action: find the "enlarge" button or menu item), enter 150% and hit ENTER (always need to confirm), then press CONTRAST (find the "Contrast" button or menu item..."
They think like this: "I put the document into the printer. Then I press the second button on the third row. Then I enter 1, 5, 0, and press the green button in the bottom right corner. Then I press the fourth button on the third row...."
You could actually remove all the markings from the front of the printer, and they'll still be able to use it... as long as you don't move the buttons.
In short, these people don't UNDERSTAND. For some reason, you can explain such a device once, five times, or 250 times, but it'll bever improve. It does not make a difference. As soon as there's a new printer at the office, they'll have to start all over again because some buttons moved.
These same people will never be able to use an e-reader. As soon as there's a firmware update that adds some new functions and changes the menu a bit here and there, their brain explodes.
Maybe there are just some people that are not cut out to handle technology, in the same way as I'm not able to handle woodworking. If I tried, I'd probably kill myself, or burn down the house at the very least.