It’s that time of the year again. People head home for the holidays. Gifts are given and received. A lot of those gifts will be new tech. As one of the dedicated “tech” members of my family, I used to dread what was waiting for me.
After stumbling across this rather ancient guide, I thought of how it could be updated for today. Assisting family, especially non-technical seniors, with mobile phones and tablets can be a challenge, but it’s essential as so much of our world has migrated online. Here’s a guide based on what I’ve learned about aiding people in navigating their mobile devices:
- Remember, nobody is born knowing the ins and outs of phones and tablets
- Over the years, I’ve learned that some of the problems I faced were of my own making. It’s really, really hard to forget what it’s like to be an expert; beginners see things differently.
- If a feature isn’t absolutely obvious to them, it’s not intuitive.
- The device serves a purpose; they care more about achieving their goals than the technology itself.
- Users’ understanding often stems from their direct interactions (‘When I tap here, this happens’). It grows gradually through practical experience and repetition, not abstract theory or written instructions
- Beginners struggle with a vocabulary barrier; they can’t always articulate questions due to unfamiliar terms.
- Your guidance holds weight; your words can either empower or discourage.
- Mobile devices often display text prompts that confused new users tend to overlook.
- Users seeking help may have attempted various solutions, leading to unusual device states–this is normal.
- Users might fear being blamed for the issue they’re facing.
- Learning occurs best through hands-on experience alongside someone with different skills.
- Your goal isn’t just to fix their problem but to equip them to troubleshoot independently, encouraging exploration.
- Many apps aren’t user-friendly, often causing user errors that aren’t the users’ fault.
- Knowledge thrives in communities; being part of one aids in understanding mobile technology.
Following these principles, some key rules stand out:
- Resist taking control of the device; let them tap and explore, guiding them patiently.
- Understand their objectives; help them explore alternative ways to accomplish their goals.
- If they’re unable to describe the issue, ask them to demonstrate the problem.
- Pay attention to the dynamics of interaction; lean over their shoulder and focus on what they’re looking at.
- Instead of criticizing mistakes, guide them calmly with explanations.
- Avoid yes-or-no questions to encourage detailed explanations.
- Be transparent about your knowledge and when you’re uncertain. Explain your process of discovery, when you need to figure things out.
- Simplify language to terms they find familiar and adjust gradually based on their comprehension.
- Encourage reading pop-ups and alerts before just dismissing them.
- Redirect blame from the user to the device or the app, highlighting design flaws.
- Focus on empowering your family member for long-term self-sufficiency. It’ll save on those post-holiday tech calls.
- Don’t take the device away to clear error conditions or to do tasks they can manage themselves; foster independence by talking them through the process of fixing issues for themselves.
- Hook them up with a local library or seniors group who can continue to help them become more proficient.
- Don’t tell them to RTFM (You knew that already)