Strike 1, You're Out : Increasing Learnability

Miscellaneous November 24, 2007

When it comes to technology, I think the main difference between the young and older generations is the amount of patience.

Older people, who have lead most of their lives in the absence of technology, are much quicker to denounce the advantages of the computer when something doesn't work. Conversely, those of us who have grown up amidst the silicon chips are much more lenient when problems arise.

The baby-boomers and their parents are far less likely to "try it and see what happens." If they press a button on the computer and it doesn't work, they won't try other options. They'll just stop. If an error message pops up, they won't click "OK"; they'll worry and call someone younger. For me and others in my age group, problems with the computer is just part of the learning experience. Seeing an error message doesn't cause panic; getting the wrong search results doesn't cause anger towards Google.

Yes, more and more people are like us in their interaction with technology, nevertheless it is still imperative that the learning curve on any new product be very small. Learnability is your first step at using a technological product and if it's too confusing, you're going to lose the impatient members of your audience.

So if you're designing a website or desktop application, make sure your mother and grandmother can use the basics before you go marketing it.

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