Why the Digital Revolution is Missing the Big Picture

[Superlucky]

Originally Posted by Crowl

... the worst version of it being when people seem to almost delight in their ignorance about something as if not knowing nor wanting to know something is actually a badge of honour to them.

I think it's a defense mechanism. I've had people (especially older people) confide in me that they didn't think they could learn how to operate a computer/cell phone/DVD player/etc. if they tried for a million years. To these people (my grandmother included), the technology is so alien that they can't get their heads around the broad concepts needed to feel confident in attempting to learn how to use it. For some of them, saying that they don't want to learn is their way of suppressing their feelings of inferiority borne of their intuition that they would be incapable of learning even if they tried.

[Juliette]

Originally Posted by Superlucky

It has been conjectured that this is the reason why erotic fiction is the most popular genre on Smashwords. Ebook devices have finally made it possible to consume socially unacceptable material in public. Yay!

I agree. And you can cackle on whatever text is taking you to the cacking point, without people looking at your book and making faces. Usually good when you're engrossed into "serious"/professional books, too

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by Superlucky

I've had people (especially older people) confide in me that they didn't think they could learn how to operate a computer/cell phone/DVD player/etc. if they tried for a million years. To these people (my grandmother included), the technology is so alien that they can't get their heads around the broad concepts needed to feel confident in attempting to learn how to use it. For some of them, saying that they don't want to learn is their way of suppressing their feelings of inferiority borne of their intuition that they would be incapable of learning even if they tried.

I wouldn't feel bad if I were them. Between middle adults demonstrating the same trouble with many home electronics devices (you should hear my wife whine when she hits the wrong button on the TV remote), and kids who simply toss it aside when it takes them more than a minute to figure it out, it's pretty clear that design and usability needs to play a bigger role in consumer devices for all ages. (This is actually another area where e-book marketing misses the big picture, failing to demonstrate how simple it is.)

If anything, people should emphasize to them that it's not just them, it's often the design of the devices, which is just plain bad... and you don't blame them for not wanting to figure out how to deal with a bad design.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

I wouldn't feel bad if I were them. Between middle adults demonstrating the same trouble with many home electronics devices (you should hear my wife whine when she hits the wrong button on the TV remote), and kids who simply toss it aside when it takes them more than a minute to figure it out, it's pretty clear that design and usability needs to play a bigger role in consumer devices for all ages. (This is actually another area where e-book marketing misses the big picture, failing to demonstrate how simple it is.)

If anything, people should emphasize to them that it's not just them, it's often the design of the devices, which is just plain bad... and you don't blame them for not wanting to figure out how to deal with a bad design.

Yep. I'm actually pretty impressed with the Sony Reader UI -- simple intuitive and really no need for a manual. Of course they have been doing this consumer oriented interface stuff for decades.

Love the new sig Steve.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by kennyc

Love the new sig Steve.

Thanks. Came to me in a moment of absolute clarity.

Then I thought of the Darwin thing.

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by Superlucky

I think it's a defense mechanism. I've had people (especially older people) confide in me that they didn't think they could learn how to operate a computer/cell phone/DVD player/etc. if they tried for a million years. To these people (my grandmother included), the technology is so alien that they can't get their heads around the broad concepts needed to feel confident in attempting to learn how to use it. For some of them, saying that they don't want to learn is their way of suppressing their feelings of inferiority borne of their intuition that they would be incapable of learning even if they tried.

To further clarify my earlier points.

ALL I was trying to say was those type of cases are more common the further you go up the age demographics. And that's part of why marketing for them focuses on younger demographics--along with younger demographics having more disposable income.

Not that all older people are like that. But the old farts here are touchy!

And I do agree with Steve that a lot of it is that a lot of technology is complicated to use (compared to a Kindle or GPS and other very easy to use things). Which was my other point as I was talking about a Tablet designed for business use, which would inherently need to be reasonably complex to use due to all the tasks it would have to be able to do.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

Not that all older people are like that. But the old farts here are touchy!

Touchy, are we? (Hawk... patooey!) Why, I oughtta...

[calvin-c]

Originally Posted by rcuadro

That is because you read eBooks I think that for most people a single book is sufficient for a short trip and I always make sure that I have at least one on my Kindle that I want to read before I leave

For me, this is a problem (and the solution is taking multiple books, which is why I take eBooks). A single book is sufficient for a short trip-if it's one I want to read. Some books grab me from page one. I call those 'great' books and when I find one, if I know a trip is coming up, then I'll save it for the trip.

For most books however, I need to read at least 50 'pages' (depends on so many variables-call it 5000 words?) before I can decide whether or not I really want to read it. (I'm stubborn-my spouse drops a book if it doesn't grab her within 15-20 pages.) If I continue, I usually call those 'good' books, and if it takes me longer to decide (but it still keeps my interest until I finish-there have been cases where I've finished the book before I've been able to decide whether or not it was worth reading) I call it a 'fair' book. If I don't finish it (due to running out of interest) then I call it a 'poor' book.

So many are borderline. Plus, tastes differ. The above is pretty crude but it points out the problem of 'just take one book'. Huh, unless it's a 'great' book I've probably already read far enough into it that it won't last thru the trip-and if I haven't then (again, assuming it isn't a 'great' book, which is more common than not, unfortunately) I don't know whether I want to read it or not. So I end up taking a number of books, even on a short trip.

Something that I believe enhances the reading experience is a better 'user rating service'. Sure, many sites I've seen have them-and when different sites offer the same book they rarely rate it the same and none of them consistently match my ratings.

I don't know-would it help if users had to 'register' to rate a book and part of the registration process was answering a series of questions about their reading tastes? Then people could request a rating that's relevant to them by also answering questions about their tastes. (Better yet, if the requesters registered then relevant ratings could appear in the 'catalog' they're browsing.) Again, I don't know the answer, but if there were some way to know, before reading a book, whether or not I'd like it then I wouldn't have as great a reason for taking eBooks with me. (Problem-such a rating system seems much more likely to be implemented on ebook sites than in brick & mortar stores. Oh well, it's not like I'm against taking ebooks with me, I was just thinking about why I take so *many* with me.)

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

Touchy, are we? (Hawk... patooey!) Why, I oughtta...

You hold him down and I'll get the rag and dry behind his ears.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by kennyc

You hold him down and I'll get the rag and dry behind his ears.

I don't wanna bend down that far, but I kin pin 'im under my walker...

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

I don't wanna bend down that far, but I kin pin 'im under my walker...

That'll do.

[jbjb]

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

Not that all older people are like that. But the old farts here are touchy!

Define "Old Fart". (Careful, now )

There's clearly a bias of techno-comfortableness towards the young, but it's not universal! (This old fart is quite happy with technology.)

/JB

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by jbjb

There's clearly a bias of techno-comfortableness towards the young, but it's not universal!

Again, that's exactly what I was trying say the whole time.

Companies are going to focus on the greater number of "tech-comfortable" in the younger generations (and with their greater disposable incomes) than on older generations who have smaller proportions of tech comfortable folk and less disposable income.

Target you ads at the younger group, the older folks like you who are into tech will buy it anyway.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

Again, that's exactly what I was trying say the whole time.

Companies are going to focus on the greater number of "tech-comfortable" in the younger generations (and with their greater disposable incomes) than on older generations who have smaller proportions of tech comfortable folk and less disposable income.

Target you ads at the younger group, the older folks like you who are into tech will buy it anyway.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.....

[dmaul1114]

Laugh all you want, it's all I said and 100% true. That many older folks are into technology doesn't change the fact that a smaller portion of say 60+ folks are into tech than say the under 40 crowd. And ads get targeted accordingly. The tech savy older folk will see the ads and buy it anyway. Why waste money with ads targeting the older folk? Probably not going to get many extra sales in that demographic. The tech savy 60+ folk will keep up on the industry and buy new gadgets. The luddites won't regardless of ads.