Self-evident Computing

Jason Hiner's article , Self-evident computing: What does it mean in the future, has a good point.

I think that IT workers should create products that are user friendly. Yung hindi kumain ng tanga! Many IT users are teenagers and professionals who use these technologies in their everyday lives. I use MS Word and MS Excel everyday in preparing reports and memorandas in the office. I can't live without them! On the other hand, people who are in their late 50s, are not so interested in technology because of their age and simple lifestyle.

One of my immediate supervisors, who is in her late 50s, has a computer but she doesn't use it because she always tell me the same old excuse... Matanda na ako para matuto niyan at mahihirapan akong gamitin yan. I find her reason so lame! The office bought the computer for her to make work easier but she refuses to use it or even learn how to use it. Sayang ang computer. The computer became an opportunity cost for the office.

According to this survey conducted by the British Telecom Home IT Support, 71% of Britons has up to 10 gadgets lying around the home unused, as they find them too hard to use. Over half of Brits have abandoned gadgets because they don’t know how to use them properly. (http://www.uselog.com/2009/01/survey-consumers-abandon-complicated.html)

If IT companies will start producing easy-to-use products, I'm sure consumers will buy them most especially the old ones. I think that tech companies should also include them in their list of target markets to further increase their market shares and sales. For example, Nokia can create a cellular phone that is so simple to use but chic. The company may hire Christian Siriano (Project Runway winner) to design a phone for them. EASY but FIERCE!