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General discussion

Why are computers still so difficult to use?

Feb 11, 2011 6:14AM PST
Question:

Why are computers still so difficult to use?


Hi, Lee, I know this is not the technical question you normally receive, but I was hoping you can have your community members help me out in a big way.

As a final year college student I need to carry out an independent project looking at an issue in the domain of my subject. I chose the question, "Why are computers still so difficult to use?" To start my project I compiled several questions to explore experiences of computer users (see below). A summary of what I am wanting to look at are competency levels of users with computers, how they got into using them, the time they'll spend on them in a day, their challenges and how they manage them, their happiness in using them, their thoughts on the increasing functionality/pervasiveness of computers, and their opinions as to whether computing is any easier now. It would be great if you could give me some pointers as to suitable themes you think would make a good project--even if you were to challenge the title! Could you also tell me of the context in which you use computers (e.g., as a software developer, moderate user, etc.)? Thanks in advance for everyone's help. Here are the questions I would like to ask the community:
Thanks in advance for everyone's help.

Here are the questions I would like to ask the community:

-- Can you remember when you started using computers?

-- Would you say this was an easy process to get to grips with?

-- Since then, has your journey been straightforward, and if not, can you remember what some of your challenges were?

-- Do you have any challenges even now?

-- Did you/do you have any coping strategies?

-- Looking back, do you think the challenges you faced are any easier to tackle now?

-- On a typical day, how long will you be interacting with computer devices?

-- Do you appreciate the extended functionality/increasing pervasiveness of computing now?

--Submitted by Ronald G. of Warwick University in UK


If you would like to help out Ronald with his college project and answer his survey, click the link below and click the "reply" to submit your answers:

Discussion is locked

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Excellent Distraction - thanks:-)
Mar 3, 2011 10:27AM PST

Okay, here's an answer from someone you can consider "slightly higher than a total computer dunce" just to make sure you're getting an even cross-section!

- Can you remember when you started using computers?
My brother had one in the 80's which he did basic programming on. The test was greeeen and we used to play a cool game called "Bandito". Gee I loved that game! In school, in the early 90's is when I really started to use them - Word for assignments.

-- Would you say this was an easy process to get to grips with?
Well, the typing was pretty simple. The saving was complicated. I remember not understanding terms like "formatting" etc. It was never explained clearly. Like the difference between deleting and formatting. I'm still not really sure... is there a difference?

-- Since then, has your journey been straightforward, and if not, can you remember what some of your challenges were?

Straightforward! hahahaha! Nice one! My whole life there was a big block b/w me and the computer. I didn't even start to get a grip of it until our XP computer died and my husband brought home Vista Home Premium. Then I started a very steep learning curve. I had to survive because of the raft of Vista issues. First thing I learnt was system restore from safe mode about 3 months into the new ownership(after updates caused my monitor to crash and I was told the only fix was to lose everything and start again from scratch) . It was VERY liberating. From there I learnt to find patches and fixes for all manner of things, and started to learn how spastically designed computers really are. It wasn't me after all - they're just built by people who don't use common sense!

-- Do you have any challenges even now?
Is the Pope a Catholic? Don't suppose you know which degree one should obtain if one wants to get their webpage up online?! Seriously, though, the problems are endless. From incompatible programs crashing everything right down to settings strangely changing themselves, it would seem, just to make your day that little bit more annoying. Oh, and don't forget the stuff that just "stops working". Like the calendar that no longer pops up with reminders, or the Quicktime that won't open the video at half size even though you've ticked the box twenty times already, uninstalled, reinstalled, uninstalled, reinstalled again, and eventually just removed the program totally off the computer and installed an inferior program because at least it opens the files at the size you ask...

-- Did you/do you have any coping strategies?
Screaming at the monitor is sometimes good. It never solves the problem, but it sometimes makes me feel better. I also like to write a lecture to Bill Gates when one of those stupid pop ups comes up asking me to give feedback on whether their "solution" helped solve my problem (which it never has - but sometimes it feels good to send them an almighty rant that, even though it doesn't get read, makes me feel better!) Alternatively I find alcohol very effective. After alcohol consumption, I can often find a fix for my problem on forums online. Usually it'll take upwards of 10 hours online to find a solution, though. It's time consuming. Which brings us back to the alcohol consumption bit...

There's also avoidance, which is what I am practising now. I do that WAY too much!

-- Looking back, do you think the challenges you faced are any easier to tackle now?

That's an odd question. If I acquired a solution to the challenge I faced, then yes, now I could tackle it easier. For the problems I didn't find a solution for, they're still just as much of a challenge. With regard to right back at the start of learning computers, it sure would have helped to have a good teacher. Someone who could cross the abyss between computer jargon and the real world, and explain it so it actually made sense. Funny, but I could have used a maths teacher like that, too!

-- On a typical day, how long will you be interacting with computer devices?

An easy 60-70% If they were more efficient, and consistent, that would be more like 40-50% I'm sure!

-- Do you appreciate the extended functionality/increasing pervasiveness of computing now?

Yeah, sure! I can barely remember life without computers. I couldn't live without my computer (work tool, social tool, media tool - it's everything). But it is also one of the greatest sources of frustration in my life. And I'm pretty sure that's because computers don't have common sense. I remember when there was all this talk about computers saving all the trees and all our time. They've done a lot, but neither of those things. I'm amazed by the apparently limitless things they can do while being so limited. Computers can send a man to the moon and bring him back safely. But they can't manage to store and keep stored a basic setting - a click of a box. Go figure(insert cheesy rocket science pun here...) ! Though I think that's just me trying to apply common sense again. And as we all know, common sense is not compatible with Vista Wink

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man to moon was done on manual control
Nov 21, 2011 8:55AM PST

Supremely excellent post. However I believe while on decent to the moon's surface the computer controlling the lunar module crashed and the decent had to be done manually.

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Difficult plus EZ
Mar 4, 2011 8:52AM PST

Over time "easy" has been redefined, so it SEEMS that computers are only "difficult to use." In some cases they are also easy.

-- Can you remember when you started using computers? Late 1960's, working short-term temp jobs as computer operator, registration desk help, secretarial functions.

-- Would you say this was an easy process to get to grips with? Yes and no. I love to learn tech and always enjoyed the challenge of handling a new system to the point where I could get the day's work done. The more I learned, the easier it got to learn another system/platform/application. However, overall it was stressful and time-consuming.

-- Since then, has your journey been straightforward, and if not, can you remember what some of your challenges were? Imagine that, what a concept. No, not straightforward - more like zigzag or spiral. I learned to model previous work to achieve results that appeared to be correct (until I could learn more). As I went along, I learned filing techniques and documentation tricks. I always hung out when the tech fix-it guy showed up, learning a lot & getting practical advice. In 1970s one of my jobs was in a documentation/help dept for a small software co., and that organized my brain for subsequent trainings. My many temp jobs required me to learn, e.g., TRS-80, PCs, Wang, Displaywriter, mainframe backup and restore functions, Macs, & various operating systems. Plus word processing, database and accounting with oddball systems no one ever heard of.

-- Do you have any challenges even now? Major task to keep on the cutting edge in security matters. Teaching family non-techies to do backups, surf safely, recover/restore systems in worst-case scenarios. Have not tackled Win7 yet (altho' have read about the migration problems for some software I still depend upon).

-- Did you/do you have any coping strategies? I keep in good stead with my PC repair guy, barter sec'y services with him. We discuss topics and I follow his advice for reading forums. Search web (with not only Google). Read computer news, esp. security issues. Keep up on some new product innovations. (Some problems can disappear with invention of software or hardware.) As I can afford, I get a new computer every 3 years. Keep main work computer stable, with minimal internet access. Keep multiple email accounts for different uses and for "emergency" access (if a service goes down or can't handle large attachments, etc.).

-- Looking back, do you think the challenges you faced are any easier to tackle now? THOSE challenges may be easier for a beginner. However, there are many more challenges now, esp. security (IMHO). Plus, we EXPECT to do more with the computer - therefore much more software must be kept up to date, & the hardware to support it.

-- On a typical day, how long will you be interacting with computer devices? Varies, 6+ average.

-- Do you appreciate the extended functionality/increasing pervasiveness of computing now? Yes - The extended functionality of using computers is like growing a new limb and we're already dependent upon that. I appreciate it and I also respect the boundaries I have drawn -- e.g., I check email usually 1x/day; I read online 'zines 1x/wk. No computer 2 hrs before bed.

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Who says they are?
Apr 1, 2011 4:22PM PDT

I started with computers and programming in 1968 on a CDC 3300 mainframe. Over the years I discovered that either you have an aptitude for them or you don't!

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Computer hard to use
Apr 30, 2011 1:22AM PDT

The reason that computers are so hard to use is that they are (particularly when connected to the Internet) the most complex thing that mankind has as yet devised. In order to use a computer effectively, that is, to have it achieve YOUR objectives, and not put you in a position where your behaviour is tracked, analyzed, and used to exploit you, you have to understand how the whole thing works. In this way you will b able to get what you want from your computer, not what others want, to confuse you and get you to do and buy things for their benefit and profit.

Along with millions of others, I use Linux, exclusively, and have done so for more than 10 years. It is made by people who want only to provide a tool for you to use, and it is the result of the efforts of hundreds of thousands of people who have freely given their work to you, with no thought of gain for themselves, other than the community recognition they naturally receive from their good work.

I never use Windows. I am appalled to think of (and often, unfortunately, to share in) the suffering of the hundreds of millions who use this horrible disaster. Get rid of Windows on your computer, install Linux, and never look back. You will not regret it.

But, if you use Linux, you have to pay your dues. This means, you have to study it and learn how to apply it to your needs. It would be nice, also if you would give 100 dollars or so annually to the Free Software Foundation, to support their efforts on your behalf.

So why don't you just get rid of Windows, and try Linux? It won't be "easy". Nothing that is easy is worth doing. It will take a few months of effort (say 30 minutes a day), but in the end, you will find that you are the master of your tools, and not the other way around. For instance:

I search Google (via the excellent Firefox browser) in a way that my searches are not personalized and tracked.

I have Firefox plug-ins installed that:
*remove all the advertisements I don't want to see from the web pages I visit.
*allow me to easily and automatically remove all the intrusive "cookies" from web sites I don't want to keep tabs on my behaviour.
*eliminate all the Adobe "Flash" stuff, unless I choose to see it, and also automatically remove the insidious "Flash cookies" I bet you don't even know about.

All this happens, for me, regularly and automatically. I also automatically update 1129 free applications I have installed on my computers to the latest stable versions, without having to do anything or worry about it. I have free applications installed for just about anything you can imagine including, in addition to all the security and virus protection, word processing, spreadsheet, presentation creation, scanning, telephony, etc, that Windows applications offer, video and sound editing, video creation, optically scanning images to editable text, playing and creating DVD's, etc.

All of this is absolutely free, as in free speech, and, more often than not, free beer.

But, you have to learn how to use Linux, like you have to learn how to drive a car or play the cello. If you are unwilling or unable to do so, you have my sympathy. There are thousands of people and forums and publications out there on the net that will gladly help you. Gratis. But, you have to try. And, it won't be "easy" initially.

Otherwise, you will just be stuck there in the "Windows" mud, angry and frustrated, complaining that "computers are so hard to use" forever. And you will remain your computer's servant, and not its master. And all those hucksters out there will be tracking your every move, trying to figure out how to exploit you.


.

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UNIX da, Linux nyet
Apr 30, 2011 4:45AM PDT

I have used windows since NT 3.51 was released. I have developed for it and on it. I have had no significent problems. I am unable to remember the last time I had a BSOD on windows. I do agree the 16 bit windows was a toy. I hardly have ever used Linix, however, I was a UNIX developer and System Administrator for over ten years, and I do have a notebook running Open Solaris 9 at home.

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response to questions
May 27, 2011 2:19AM PDT

1) 1970
2) no
3) no: 22 year gap between IBM 360/65 use in graduate school and PC in work, never learned DOS
4) constantly
5) rely on secretary, internet Help functions, and a little use of various Dummies publications
6) yes
7) 5-6, largely word processing, e-mail, and browsing
Cool yes

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Why difficult?
Jul 5, 2011 12:37AM PDT

-- Can you remember when you started using computers? It was in 1973 on a mainframe, taking a FORTRAN class. Loved it! They didn't offer a computer science degree back then, or I might have made that my major. My first personal computer was an IBM PC-XT. I got it in 1985 and used WordPerfect and Rbase on it. I also used a Mac at a couple jobs, but dealing with problems on them was like doing watch repair while wearing boxing gloves. On the other hand, fixing things or doing upgrades on the PC-XT involved simply reading the manuals, talking to vendors and maybe other users, and following directions. The earliest versions of Windows felt like boxing gloves, too, but XP has been a workhorse. Of course, the hardware is much more powerful than the PC-XT that I started with! I dropped 10K on my first computer/printer/software/cabinet, but nowadays I usually pick up used machines off auction sites for around $200.
-- Would you say this was an easy process to get to grips with? Sure. Computers are more logical than humans. Also, since computer makers have made it their goal to make them usable by practically everyone, you don't have to be a proficient typist or be able to think logically to use them for the most common tasks. If you want to learn more and do more with them, the resources are easier to get to.
-- Since then, has your journey been straightforward, and if not, can you remember what some of your challenges were? I'd say it was more of an adventure than a straightforward path. Every time I changed platforms, there were new bells and whistles to master. But since it was an adventure (in my mind, anyway), the challenges were mostly fun.
-- Do you have any challenges even now? Developers keep changing things that "ain't broke", just to keep their revenue stream flowing.
-- Did you/do you have any coping strategies? I avoid the "bleeding edge" of technology whenever possible. There is much more help available on the Web these days. If I have to learn a new application, I try to also acquire knowledge about how to convert my personal resources from old to new...or back again.
-- Looking back, do you think the challenges you faced are any easier to tackle now? They are only as easy as the developers/vendors will make them for us. The biggest challenge I'm currently facing is dealing with developers who can only program using what I call "black boxes" that they diasy-chain together, passing parameters from one to another. If you ask them for something that is outside the capabilities of their black boxes, they are totally at a loss, yet they have the gall to treat you like some kind of imbecile for asking.
-- On a typical day, how long will you be interacting with computer devices? 10
-- Do you appreciate the extended functionality/increasing pervasiveness of computing now? Oh, yes. It's lots of fun learning about things that I didn't have the time or inclination to learn in school. I also find it much easier to create music with a computer nowadays. On the other hand, maintaining privacy is harder now. I would even venture to say that privacy is an illusion these days. Finally, I find myself wondering how people would react if something were to cause our electrical/computing infrastructure to fail. Personally, I remember how to do things without the assistance of a computer (or even electricity!), but I really wonder about some of these technology-addicted young people who seem to freak out at the prospect of losing their techno-toys.

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My project report
Sep 15, 2011 2:51AM PDT
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I wish you well.
Sep 15, 2011 4:17AM PDT

It looks a very informative and well thought out project report.

Nicely done.

Mark

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no driver for making them easy to use
Nov 21, 2011 4:46AM PST

started using computers in 1977
no, it's very difficult
journey was starightforward
many challenges: trying to create a fax w/ MS Office 2010 and it's really really difficult
drink lots of hot tea, google Microsoft sucks, and hitting it, are usually my coping strategies
no, not easier, it's getting worse: at least w/ Windows Linux stays pretty much the same
typical day? I do computer modeling so basically all day (8 hrs)
extended functionality? not really. you mean all the apps trying to suck $ out of me?