Take a look at this...

[kristalsoldier]

This is an interesting video - though sometimes an irritating one!

It involves a lady who has had minimal exposure to computers in general using (or, more accurately, trying to use) Win 8 for the first time. Initially, her son tries to get her to use Win 8 on a desktop machine. She just gives up. Next, he gets her to try Win 8 on a Surface Pro. It is interesting to see the cognitive problems that she faces though, to her credit, she does manage quite well in the end.

Now I understand what people mean when they say they have found Win 8 to be a frustrating experience - especially for novice users. What I find interesting is that when MS was developing Win 8, they must have used focus groups to test the UI. Did they not come across such reactions?

Anyway, here is the video: [video=youtube;je1M_WrZEOk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je1M_WrZEOk[/video]

 

[J515OP]

There are many, many, many of these types of videos. I haven't watched this yet but they are generally biased in setting up a situation where failure is expected. Regardless of what people say if you drop an iPad in front of a total computer/phone novice they are also going to struggle. I have personally been through this when the iPhone first came out and I had to explain tons of things about how to use the phone. This is true of Android, iOS, Windows or any other OS.

Once you have been exposed to any of them and understand how they work you can generally apply those lessons to the others. For example slide to unlock which more generally applies to swipe or drag to unlock whether a slider, ring or the whole screen. I always take these with an extreme grain of salt. Particularly since it isn't very likely somebody would take an experienced user and make the same video.

I am tech savvy but far from an expert and I was generally able to figure out Windows 8 with very little instruction. I had heard about hot corners but not much more. I still learn tricks from this forum but the other thing is once you are told something depending on the person it sticks or it doesn't. Some people will never learn no matter how much you tell them others you only have to tell once.

Edit: I think I actually watched this one before. It is sort of interesting since it is a new user but also a sort of guided tour. I would like to see how she does after a week of using the system

 

[kristalsoldier]

Well, I have never used a iDevice so I would not know. But I have used Symbian, Palm OS and Android (aside from DOS and Windows) - that too "cold start" if you know what I mean, but I never had this reaction. My mum - who is very likely older than the lady in the video - started using Windows (Vista onwards, I think) but I don't seem to recall a reaction like this from her.

Unlike you, having never seen videos like this, I found it very interesting.

 

[J515OP]

It is interesting and this one is actually better than some. Given that this is "OS First Timer" they have this down pretty well. There are many for Windows 8 though where people (usually Apple people for whatever reason) had to show how difficult Win8 is to use. Yes there are a couple of things to learn like hot corners and if you have a touch screen the edge swipe gestures but you get those little new things with any OS or OS update. For example how do you automatically know to long hold home or swipe up from home in Jelly Bean to invoke Google Now when you first use Jelly Bean? Just one example.

The first time use videos are usually setup to show failure. Again why does nobody show experienced users or somebody that has been using the OS for 1 or 2 weeks? The answer is likely because then you would just be watching somebody use their computer

 

[kristalsoldier]

It's interesting actually because this lady in other videos tries other OSs too - like Chromium. She also has problems there but it seemed it was lesser than what she experienced on Win 8. But then again, it could be because Chromium's UI is really very basic and not...well...how should I put it? Different, like Win 8? Btw, she tries also tried MacOS - but I have not seen that video though.

 

[fishhead_soup]

my first experience with W8 came on non-touch laptops purchased for the family during the holiday season. while I was fine losing the start button, my wife was apprehensive to say the least. she is just now using the laptop. it helps to have a wireless mouse for her, however she is much like the lady in the video and refuses to use Metro/Modern. knowing that I was getting the SP, I wanted to work thru the nuances of the new OS. I can honestly say that w8 is an infinitely better experience with touch. when I use any of the non-touch laptops I always swipe the screen. I don't see myself going back to a laptop with or without touch anytime soon.

 

[kristalsoldier]

Well...the Surface RT was my first intro to Win 8 and I did not really have a problem. Yeah...sure...some things were a bit difficult to find - I still have to think about where to enter search terms because I forget about the Charms bar...so, small things like that. But essentially, I did not have a problem. I guess I was (and still am) too mesmerized by having hardware that is portable AND with Office! My next exposure was when I deliberately upgraded my Win 7 Pro desktop (actually a ThinkPad hooked to a monitor) to Win 8 Pro. Now that machine is not touch-enabled. I use a wireless mouse and have not really had a problem. I can move between the Surface and the ThinkPad virtually seamlessly. But, I guess, the advantage that I gave myself was that I use the Wedge mouse with the Surface and only very occasionally use the touch-centric interface.

 

[Russ]

My mum - who is very likely older than the lady in the video - started using Windows (Vista onwards, I think) but I don't seem to recall a reaction like this from her.

KristalSoldier --

My Mom -- 8th grade education; never touched a typewriter in her life -- started using a computer in her late 70s -- and that was in the DOS days! She never became a computer whiz, but she learned to do the things she wanted to do. It is remotely possible that her generation was a little more accustomed to accomplishing what they set out to do. Ok; maybe just a little. . . . . I traveled a lot back then, and used to log in to her computer from whatever hotel I was in, and give her rudimentary lessons.

A cute story while I wait for the oven timer to beep. My older sister, Patty, told Mom she was "too old to learn a computer" -- probably the best thing Patty could have done, albeit inadvertently. One day, I got a letter (I lived in Georgia, my Mom was in California). It said, "Dear Son, This is the second letter I have written on my computer. Attached is a copy of the first. Love, Mom."

The first letter read, simply, "Dear Patty, How am I doing? Love, Mom."



Take care,
Russ

 

[Russ]

JP --

I'm sorry, but I just gotta say this. Mostly, I come here to learn and to offer some semblance of "payback" for all I have learned here. But, sometimes, I feel like I have wandered onto an Oprah Winfrey set.

I have been using, and doing, online tech support since it was dial-up to "Bulletin Boards." I must say that the attitudes have changed.

I think I'll stop there before I get in trouble again.

Take care,
Russ

 

[J515OP]

JP --

I'm sorry, but I just gotta say this. Mostly, I come here to learn and to offer some semblance of "payback" for all I have learned here. But, sometimes, I feel like I have wandered onto an Oprah Winfrey set.

I have been using, and doing, online tech support since it was dial-up to "Bulletin Boards." I must say that the attitudes have changed.

I think I'll stop there before I get in trouble again.

Take care,
Russ

The age of instant gratification and we'll leave it at that

 

[pallentx]

Windows 8 does have a learning curve. Some things are not obvious at first. But why judge an OS by how well a complete novice can pick it up without instruction. The most useless OS wins that competition. If its super basic like iOS which only launches apps anyone can do it without instruction. But, how long are you an uninformed novice on your computer? The unintuitive aspects of Windows 8 have a purpose - they get the UI out of your way. Once you spend 15minutes learning about 5 simple things, you have a powerful and visually appealing OS at your fingertips. MS' goal is that once you've learned it, you will be comfortable on a Windows desktop, laptop, ultrabook or touch tablet, and to some degree, the phone. So, I'll take 15minutes of being lost (I had to google how to shut down Windows 8 when I first installed) for the tradeoffs.

 

[Russ]

But, how long are you an uninformed novice on your computer?

Pallentx --

Or anything else, for that matter. I sometimes wonder, did these dedicated detractors come out of the womb and run 4-minute miles, or did they have to learn to walk first? Have they never seen a huge, black screen, with nothing but C:\> and a little blinking bar in the upper left corner? No, probably not.

What is there in our lives, or theirs, that is of value and did not require some effort to attain? Not much.

What they do not understand, and may never, is that pieces like that say far more about their authors then ever they do about the product.

Ok, I will go quietly now.

Regards,
Russ