Page 1 of 2
Teaching someone who is slow on computers
Posted: April 10 08, 9:44 am
by JCShutout
Teaching a coworker to request a contract and create it... OMFG its slow...
The user interface is really easy to use. It asks you for everything you need to put in. So it has the screen pop up with places to enter the data for the contract. "what do I do?"
I don't know, maybe look at the data in front of you, realize the verbage on the sheet matches the verbage on the screen EXACTLY, use the deductive reasoning skill of a 6 year old and ENTER THE FRACKING DATA.
"well, wait, where do you see the contract percentages?"
Well, first off, there are like 8 things on the sheet of paper in front of you, and I'm looking at the only piece of data with percentages... ... ...
OMFG, instead of being overwhelmed and asking 37 questions. Just enter the data. This is the simplist tool ever created.
Now I know why I can surf GRB and they think I'm an amazing worker.
Seriously, requesting and creating the contract is not a 30 minute job. Its a 5-7 minute job.
Re: Teaching someone who is slow on computers
Posted: April 10 08, 9:51 am
by Popeye_Card
I used to work with a guy who would double-click every link on the internet.
I work with a CAD tech now who is so slow that I could draw the freaking thing with my toes before he gets finished. And he smells horrible to boot, so you have to sit there breathing in his nasty stench while you wait 20 minutes for him to draw 3 freaking lines.
Re: Teaching someone who is slow on computers
Posted: April 10 08, 9:58 am
by Leroy
There's always one. This has got to be one of the funniest things in a
long time. I think this guy should have been promoted, not fired This is a
true story from the Word Perfect Helpline, which was transcribed from a
recording monitoring the customer care department.. Needless to say the
Help Desk employee was fired; however, he/she is currently suing the Word
Perfect organization for 'Termination without Cause'. Actual dialogue of a
former WordPerfect Customer Support employee. (Now I know why they record
these conversations!):
Operator: 'Ridge Hall, computer assistance; may I help you?'
Caller: 'Yes, well, I'm having trouble with WordPerfect.'
Operator: 'What sort of trouble??'
Caller: 'Well, I was just typing along, and all of a sudden
the words went away.'
Operator: 'Went away?'
Caller: 'They disappeared.'
Operator: 'Hmm So what does your screen look like now?'
Caller: 'Nothing.'
Operator: 'Nothing??'
Caller: 'It's blank; it won't accept anything when I type.'
Operator: 'Are you still in WordPerfect, or did you get out??'
Caller: 'How do I tell?'
Operator: 'Can you see the C: prompt on the screen??'
Caller: 'What's a sea-prompt?'
Operator: 'Never mind, can you move your cursor around the
screen?'
Caller: 'There isn't any cursor: I told you, it won't accept
anything I type.'
Operator: 'Does your monitor have a power indicator??'
Caller: 'What's a monitor?'
Operator: 'It's the thing with the screen on it that looks like a
TV. Does it have a little light that tells you when it's on??'
Caller: 'I don't know.'
Operator: 'Well, then look on the back of the monitor and find
where the power cord goes into it. Can you see that??'
Caller: 'Yes, I think so.'
Operator: 'Great. Follow the cord to the plug, and tell me if
it's plugged into the wall. Caller: 'Yes, it is.'
Operator: 'When you were behind the monitor, did you notice that
there were two cables plugged into the back of it, not just one??'
Caller: 'No.'
Operator: 'Well, there are. I need you to look back there again
and find the other cable.'
Caller: 'Okay, here it is.'
Operator: 'Follow it for me, and tell me if it's plugged securely
into the back of your computer.'
Caller: 'I can't reach.'
Operator: 'Uh huh. Well, can you see if it is??'
Caller: 'No.'
Operator: 'Even if you maybe put your knee on something and lean
way over??'
Caller: 'Oh, it's not because I don't have the right angle
- it's because it's dark.'
Operator: 'Dark??'
Caller: 'Yes - the office light is off, and the only light
I have is coming in from the window.
Operator: 'Well, turn on the office light then.'
Caller: 'I can't.'
Operator: 'No? Why not??'
Caller: 'Because there's a power failure.'
Operator: 'A power......... A power failure? Aha, Okay, we've got
it licked now. Do you still have the boxes and manuals and packing stuff
your computer came in??'
Caller: 'Well, yes, I keep them in the closet.'
Operator: 'Good.. Go get them, and unplug your system and pack it
up just like it was when you got it. Then take it back to the store you
bought it from.'
Caller: 'Really? Is it that bad?'
Operator: 'Yes, I'm afraid it is.'
Caller: 'Well, all right then, I suppose. What do I tell
them??'
Operator: 'Tell them you're too f*%king stupid to own a
computer!!!!!'
Re: Teaching someone who is slow on computers
Posted: April 10 08, 10:44 am
by TheoSqua
We had a guy at my old job who took an internship as a web developer, you know, like someone who spends their entire day on the computer, and builds websites.
First he was the slowest typer that i've ever seen at a computer job. We had a competition, and I beat him with just my index fingers vs him typing as fast as he could. Second, he knew absolutely nothing about web design. Like, we didn't expect the interns to be brilliant geniuses that have popular web development blogs or anyhing like that, but they have to at least be learning web design and have a basic understanding of computer use. We would tell this guy to put a form into a WYSIWYG editor (basically highlight the form, right-click copy, go to the editor, right-click paste) and he said "I don't know how to do forms." I replied "don't worry about making the form, just copy/paste it in, i'll fix the markup when I write the mailer script." I checked the site a week later when I was going get the form working, and he had made a screen shot of the form and inserted it in as an image. Seriously. And it probably took him more time to do that than it would have to do it the way I explained to him.
Combine that with his inability to retain taught information, and his habit of falling asleep at his computer while at work, and yeah...he was canned.
Re: Teaching someone who is slow on computers
Posted: April 10 08, 11:24 pm
by Bo Hart
Computers just blow my grandmas mind. Without fail, every time I see her at a family gathering she wants me to come over and look at her computer. It's always a [expletive] mess when I get over there. And like you guys are saying, she cannot retain anything I tell her.
Re: Teaching someone who is slow on computers
Posted: April 11 08, 9:18 am
by sighyoung
I feel comfortable with computers because I started out on XT and AT computers, used DOS, and had access to early Macs. I'm no techie by any stretch, but I'm the kind who likes to add and delete programs and fiddle around, so I'm entirely comfortable setting up computers, installing software, and trying to solve problems.
But some things that strike me as obvious or intuitive simply aren't to other users. (Control-Alt-Delete might as well be Abracadabra to others.) Also, some people are convinced that they can't figure it out (or that it's not their social role to figure it out), so they leave it to others.
My mother-in-law, for instance, leaves fixing the computer entirely to me--she simply says, "I can't figure it out" and leaves it at that. My parents will never get a computer--ever. My mom's even intimidated by the coffee grinder I bought her.
Then again, I wonder whether some of these people were adept with other technologies. My mother worked as a secretary before she had children, and she can do some amazing things with an old Olympia typewriter.
Re: Teaching someone who is slow on computers
Posted: April 11 08, 9:23 am
by TimeForGuinness
To start press any key....where's the "Any" key?
Re: Teaching someone who is slow on computers
Posted: April 11 08, 9:43 am
by Arthur Dent
sighyoung wrote:But some things that strike me as obvious or intuitive simply aren't to other users. (Control-Alt-Delete might as well be Abracadabra to others.) Also, some people are convinced that they can't figure it out (or that it's not their social role to figure it out), so they leave it to others.
I agree. If you've been using computers for years, it can be difficult to see things from the perspective of a beginner. On the other hand, it can be extremely frustrating helping someone who has some kind of mental block that tells them they can never understand computers. I think many people run into this helping their parents with the computer. I know they are smart enough to figure most problems out on their own, but sometimes they insist on having their hand held: "It's asking me if I want to save. What do I do?", etc.
Re: Teaching someone who is slow on computers
Posted: April 11 08, 10:27 am
by JCShutout
Arthur Dent wrote:On the other hand, it can be extremely frustrating helping someone who has some kind of mental block that tells them they can never understand computers. I think many people run into this helping their parents with the computer. I know they are smart enough to figure most problems out on their own, but sometimes they insist on having their hand held: "It's asking me if I want to save. What do I do?", etc.
++
Re: Teaching someone who is slow on computers
Posted: April 11 08, 12:06 pm
by Jocephus
TimeForGuinness wrote:To start press any key....where's the "Any" key?
all this computer hacking has gotten me tired...i need a TAB