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SHOCKING 10 SOFTWARE CONCEPTS THAT NON-TECHNICAL PEOPLE CAN NOT UNDERSTAND |
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| Date Added: January 08, 2018 08:37:07 PM | |
| Author: Madeline Mcneil | |
| Category: Computers: Software Development | |
| If you are developing consumer software, you must be aware that you are at a completely different level from most of your customers in understanding your computer. When you start your software technical support, you may be very alarmed at the huge gap. This is not to say that your users are fools, simply because they do not spend countless hours on your computer like you do. Below I summarize a few experiences I have gained by answering thousands of technical questions about my desk software: Copy and paste From the large number of tech support emails I received, it's clear that users often re-enter the serial numbers that I emailed to them, as if they did not know how (or they could) copy and paste the text. Absolutely true! You can alleviate this problem by explaining how to copy and paste in the software manuals about serial numbers (this is not only quick but avoids confusing characters such as '0' and 'o'). 2. Web page and the difference between the local application Many users of web applications do not understand that they need to download and install new versions of desktop software to use some of the new features. You can avoid this problem by automatically updating the program, but if you make a mistake, the result will be quite tragic. Data storage Many users do not understand how their data is stored, do not know where they exist, and do not even know that the data is actually separate from the application. They can not understand that some of the data is in their local hard drive, while others are actually in the cloud. They can not understand the differences between files, databases and registries. Then when they install desktop applications on a new machine they may be surprised at the inaccessibility of documents created on the previous machine. So adding a note to your FAQ on how to migrate from one machine to another is still valuable. The terms you use The use of terms that your users can not understand often annoys users. For example, non-technical people simply can not understand what is meant by 'dialog', not to mention 'modal dialog'. You can call it 'window'. Right click Some users did not find (perhaps did not want to try past) the right mouse button. So do not just put any functionality in the mail menu or other places that are not easily discoverable. 6. Concurrency Some applications handle parallel accesses (such as client-server applications and web applications), while others do not (such as most desktop applications). But many users think that all the software is safe when used by multiple users at the same time. If your software does not do this, you may want to state this in your brochure to avoid the user's false expectations. 7. What kind of changes can be restored Technicians can happily use some software and observe what happens. They usually do not worry about 'trying' something because they are able to recover most of the changes through 'undo', version control, or backup, and often they can tell whether an operation is unrecoverable or not. Non-technical people will not be so confident and will not try something the same way. In fact, some people may seem to think that a wrong move may cause the computer to explode. Therefore, it is usually best to do what they know about traditional operations (such as Microsoft Office and outlook backup download free on Windows) and need detailed tutorials for complex tasks. 8. When need to back up Every few days I receive mail from someone that all his data has been lost due to a large hardware failure and has not been backed up on a separate device. Sometimes this is because they do not even realize the data is stored on their own computer. You can remind them in your document or software that they need a backup, but that's no different. History has proven that this is the lesson that most people have to learn (including technicians). Reminding the backup does not hurt anyone, and helps to defuse the user's anger if you point it out after things happen. 9. They should read the document People use your software because they have things to do. Whether you like it or not, your beloved software is just the means to the end. While some users may read the documentation, most people consider it a waste of their valuable time. In fact, from the client email I received, you can see an incontrovertible fact: Some users do not even look at an error message explaining the problem. This shows that you need to write a clear and precise document, but you also need to develop your software with the assumption that most users will not read it. This is why we need Usability Testing. 10. Keyboard and chair in the middle of the problem Annotation: the middle of the keyboard and chair? You may ask, what is the translation? | |
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