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Letter to the editor

Memo to electronics industry: Make it even simpler

By DAVE GUSSOW
Published June 6, 2005

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Measuring success in the quest for simplicity in technology is by itself difficult. The target moves with each innovation, with each new feature.

On the plus side, new computers can be up and running in minutes, not hours. Most people can handle the chore themselves, unlike in the 1990s when just figuring out where the plugs went was a puzzle.

On the minus side, more things are more complicated. Now consumers need help with high-definition TV, from what to buy to how to make it work. Adding home theater sound systems, DVD recorders and other equipment only makes it harder for many people.

On the plus side, industry groups such as the Ease of Use/PC Quality Roundtable have been trying to raise awareness within the industry about usability issues and making electronics more consumer-friendly - at the beginning of the design process.

On the minus side, there are a lot of industry groups, and not all have the same goals. They can recommend, urge and cajole others for change, but no group can force others to follow. That's up to individual companies.

When the roundtable, a consortium of electronics companies such as Intel, Microsoft, Philips and IBM, wanted to hear about the Times' In Search of Simplicity series, I obliged. They wanted to hear what I had heard from consumers about technologies' complexities.

Tradition usually dictates a snazzy computer-generated presentation at a tech meeting. Yet it was a meeting about simplicity. I had no computer. I prepared no PowerPoint slides to flash on the screen. As is my custom, my presentation was low tech. I prefer conversation to glitz.

The group held its quarterly meeting recently at the home of Lexmark International, the printer company. Among the roundtable's successes are color-coded wires for easy computer setup, quick-start guides to show how to use gadgets at a glance and persuading developers of the Universal Serial Bus 2.0 technology that it should work with the 1.0 generation.

The group gave me more than an hour to tell your stories. Not counting bar time, of course. So I talked about people such as Gladys Totty, 81, of New Port Richey, who gave away a new DVD recorder because she couldn't figure out how to use it.

She enjoys her computer less than she used to, because of spam, viruses and other problems, and has a difficult time persuading her peers to get a computer to e-mail each other because they fear it is too hard to use.

If she could tell the industry one thing to make things better, I had asked her, what would it be?

"I can't tell you that in polite language, you know," she said. "Make it better. Scrap the whole thing and start over again with a new piece of equipment."

I summarized reader reaction to the series that began Feb. 28, along with some things from the regular stream of mail we get, and gave a few suggestions along the way:

* User manuals have become Public Enemy No. 1. Few understand the writing, and they always seem to miss the one thing people need, particularly in troubleshooting sections. At a minimum, they should be in plain English, not tech jargon.

* Computers are still far from perfect, and complexity has spread to almost everything electronic, including cell phones, Global Positioning System navigation systems, high-definition TV, watches with too many buttons and out-of-control remote controls.

* It is easier and faster to set up computers. But many people need help once everything is plugged in and turned on.

Some software programs, including Microsoft's Digital Image Suite 10, have good tutorials. They walk people through the steps to accomplish things, some with audio and video aid, some just with text. Why can't that be done for Windows?

Better yet, I suggested that instead of the Start button and icons, maybe computer companies could put something on the desktop that's better.

In text or a descriptive icon that says something like, "If you want to ... write a letter, or send e-mail or go online" or any other of the common and popular tasks, people could click on it. A window would open with simple instructions.

(While I'm picking on Windows here, it should be noted that even Apple's Macintosh operating system has books out "for dummies," so everyone apparently needs help.)

* Computer error messages deliver little information that actually can help people understand the problem. After all these years, you would think that communications would be better. On the other hand, Windows XP has cleaned up some problems from previous versions, including the infamous Blue Screen of Death.

* Baby boomers and retirees feel left out of the youth-oriented tech marketing and gadget design at a time when they have the disposable income to buy, but not the patience to figure out, the electronics.

* Praise for specific companies and products was almost nonexistent. The only nominee from a reader was for Bible study software.

The companies gathered in a hotel conference room listened and asked a few questions. While it was nice to deliver the messages directly, it is not going to change the world.

Certainly not any time soon.

--Dave Gussow can be reached at 727 771-4328 or gussow@sptimes.com

[Last modified June 6, 2005, 01:34:12]