Technology…how user friendly is it?

Written by: Darby Gates, Marketing Research Assistant

What is it about technology that has us feeling like we are in the dark ages again?

Oh how we rely on machinery to do it all for us, and when it fails we are absolutely inept on doing things the old fashioned way.

How many times a day do we say “let me email you some information”, or “let me look that up online”, or how about “can we chat later? I’ll be online at _____”. Have we all but forgeotten how to actually TALK to one another?

I have a smartphone. Its a very nice Android, with all the bells and whistles, apps galore, nicer mega pixel camera than my $700.00 DSLR, and…shocking! It has a PHONE option. I can actually make phone calls with it, not that I woulod when I can message, text or skype. It rang the other morning and I, not kidding, had NO IDEA how to answer the dang call.

Just like automobiles, the minute you pick up a new tech device, you study and research it, find out what has what data capability, storage, RAM, flash or how many G’s, it is obsolete as Apple has just put out the iSomething 10.5. And we run out and pay a bajillion dollars for it because Celebrity X says its the next best thing to sliced bread. You have a tablet, you need a pad. You have the iPhone 3G, now you need the 4G. One brand to the next, something is always bigger and better and faster and smarter than the next.

The reasoning behind many of these purchases is “What CAN’T my (insert smart device here) do?”. How about: Wash my dishes, laundry, fold it, cook dinner, dust, sweep, vacuum, wash windows, bathe the dogs and children and polish silverware. Find me a smart device that does that and you have a customer for life.