About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

9 Trends L. Libr. Mgmt. & Tech. 7 (1998)
How to Help Someone Use a Computer

handle is hein.journals/ttllmt9 and id is 39 raw text is: Trends How to Help Someone Use a Computer By Phil Agre, University of California, Los Angeles omputer people are generally fine human beings, but nonetheless they do a lot of in- advertent harm in the ways they help other people with their computer problems. Now that practically everyone is on the Net, I thought it might be helpful to write down some things I've learned about helping people use computers and overcome the problems that inevitably arise. Develop the Right Mindset First, you may have to convince yourself of a few things: •Nobody is born knowing this stuff. • You probably have forgotten what it's like to be a beginner. • If it's not obvious to them, it's not obvious. • A computer is a means to an end. The person you're helping probably cares mostly about the end. That is reasonable. • Their knowledge of the computer is grounded in what they can do and see: If I do this, then it does that. Of course, they need to develop a deeper understanding, but this can only happen slowly, and not through abstract theoretical prin- ciples they learn but through the real, concrete situations they encounter in the course of doing their work. By the time they ask for help, it is likely they have tried several different things. As a result, their computer may be in a strange state. That's not their fault. The best way to learn is through apprentice- ship-that is, by doing some real tasks together with someone who has skills you don't have. Your primary goal is not to solve their problem; your primary goal is to help them become one notch more capable of solving their problem on their own. So it's okay if they take notes. • Most user interfaces are terribly ambiguous, so when people make mistakes it's usually the fault of the interface. You may have forgotten how many ways you have learned to adapt to poor interfaces. You may have forgotten how many things you once assumed the interface would be able to do for you. Knowledge thrives in communities. The individual who's not part of a community of computer users is going to have a harder time than one who is. Follow These Golden Rules Having convinced yourself of these things, you are more likely to follow some important rules: Don't take over the keyboard. Let them do all the typing, even if it's slower that way, and even if you have to point them to each and every key they need to type. That's the only way they're going to learn from the interaction. Find out what they're really trying to do. Is there another way to go about it? * Be mindful of your body language. Try not to tower over the other person. If possible, squat down so your eyes are just at or below the level of theirs. When they're looking at the computer, look at the computer. When they're looking at you, look back at them. If something is true, show them how they can see that it's true. Be aware of abstract language. For example, get into the editor is abstract, whereas press this key is concrete. Don't say anything unless you intend for them to understand it. Keep adjusting your language downward toward the more concrete until they start to get it, then slowly adjust back up toward the more abstract, as long as they're able to follow you. When formulating a take-home lesson (when it does this or that, you should check such-and-such), once again make sure that you're speaking on their level, with the right degree of ab- straction for this user at this time. Whenever they start to blame themselves, blame the computer instead (no matter how many times it takes) in a reassuring and authoritative tone of voice. When they get nailed by a false assumption about the computer's behavior, tell them that the continued on page 8 October 1998 7

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most