Make it so that Dad doesn't mind breaking it

Anne Zelenka objects, quite rightly, to the most tiresome cliche in technology - "Make it easy enough for my mom to use". My own (70 year old) mom was always the more technically adept of my parents, never having a problem mastering the new technologies as they came along - kitchen appliances, video recorders, mobile phones, etc.

My dad on the other hand was always nervous about new gadgets, never quite having the confidence to jump in and play. Unless he could be motivated!

Dad was the kind of man who thought all the electronic gizmos in new cars were a "pure nuisance". He preferred to warm a dinner slowly in the oven than learn how to use a microwave. It wasn't that he had no technological aptitude - he was a farmer who took very good care of all his machinery - it was more an apprehension of machines in which he couldn't observe or understand the underlying mechanics. And a resulting fear that he would break things by pressing the wrong buttons.

And despite all that he became an expert user of the TV remote, even mastering Teletext. Especially mastering Teletext! Why? Because he loved sport and was always impatient about hearing the results. Teletext was this magical thing that came along in his later years which could tell him the results long before the next news bulletin. And that was worth the risk of breaking something!

When I'm giving a computer tutorial to a newbie the first thing I say is, "pretend you're a child". Because a child is never afraid of breaking a toy. And she's always motivated. Dad grew up in an age where machines could be understood by looking under the bonnet. But my generation grew up not knowing nor caring how things worked, just that they did and were worth the risk of breaking.

Web 2.0 is full of software touting beautiful Ajaxified GUIs. But unclear advantages over other choices. While usability is of huge importance don't forget to make the benefits of your software absolutely clear. If people can be motivated they'll jump usability hurdles.

Dad hated the gadgets in his car because he only wanted to get from A to B. But he found it easier to access page 200 on Aertel than change the channel.