Grandma doesn’t get it, but will you?

October 25, 2009 at 8:18 am | Posted in General Blog Post | Leave a comment

It is all too easy to be dismissive just thinking ‘granny doesn’t get it’ when seeing the difficulty some elderly have with changing technology. Consider what used to work just fine with a flick of switch, is now ‘new and improved’, but in reality may be a step down not up for the user.

A short video highlighting the difficulty elderly in the US may have had in changing from analogue to digital TV in 2009 pointed out with a touch of humor the confusion of non intuitive products or services. I had a conversation with my own mother the other week who told me her new Internet service provider advised her to read the online FAQ when she called for help in getting connected!

We have come to take for granted the complex web of product and services around us. If you think about your parents, or yourselves when you get older, will you get it?

Wei