I'm in Grand Junction, Co. We spent a lazy day going around town, getting the kids shoes, checking out Harley Davidsons, and not much else. My daughter got her ears pierced. That was the big event. I can't get on the VPN to pull down email. Oh well. It can wait.
My father has an original iMac. A green one. It was mine and now he has it. He's been using it since '99 maybe. I'm not sure. Before that he had a Mac Centris 650. Again, it was mine before. But his iMac wasn't cutting it, and I made a promise to myself that I'd get him to move up the computer food chain while I'm here.
He's been using computers since the late '80s, working in the valley and all. But because I've given him my computers, he's never had to go out and buy one for himself. I don't think his situation is that uncommon. There are a lot of folks out there that have never purchased a PC or have had some kind of help. But where do they get this help? Online? Friend, family? Bottom line, PC buying can be an intimidating experience. Especially if it's the first time.
How do we as online merchants and providers of online information handle this situation? I can't say that there's a site or store out there that does a good job.
There's a lot to consider. Compatibility. Legacy files and data. Setting up the system, and probably most important, using the system. Everything is new. What else do you need? What will make the purchase worthwhile? These are questions and issues that drive the apprehension. "What the hell do I buy?" Oh yeah... there's that too. Besides the fact that you're letting go of about $1000 bucks when it's all said and done, how do you let go of the confusion and get out there and make that purchase?
There's a tremendous opportunity to serve this type of customer. I don't think too many people realize it. We're all comfortable in our little online world. We have computers and every damn gadget available, we've gotten past that confusion and have forgotten what it's like to be new to the game. The world is much bigger than what is represented by the web population. And even a good deal of those people are dealing with this issue of finding the right tech product. They flail in search engines, get overwhelmed at cnet, hope that Consumer Reports can hold their hand (and perhaps get disappointed by the fees and registration process). It's tough.
It's our obligation to help more people online, use our content, and feel good about it. And the only way to do that is to make the process so simple and so painfully obvious that your grandmother can do it. Without a single concern. That's not too much to ask. We can never assume that our process, or interface, or OOBE (Out Of Box Experience), or content is easy and clear enough. We must never assume that the user knows what he is doing. Certainly things are recoverable and learn-able, but the initial experience must not intimidate.
Buying a new laptop can be very intimidating. There's a tremendous price range. There are many brands and many configurations to consider. And though some people might not think about it, there is the Apple vs. PC decision to make as well. My Pop had a Mac with OS 9; does he buy another Mac or make the jump to a PC? We decided on a PC primarily because you can't buy a Mac in Grand Junction, Co. We looked online for guides and services, and nothing really seemed to help. They all seemed to think that the user is comfortable with the buying and using experience. Non of them offered a personal touch or the warmth of a truly considered recommendation. It's also difficult to trust the source when there are ads promoting the products being discussed on the same page. We tired configurators, we went to manufacturer sites, as well as the usual suspects. We wanted to spend less than a grand and we wanted it fast because I was going to help set it up. Again, buying it is only the first obstacle.
We went down to Circuit City and looked around. There were a few good laptops under the thousand dollar mark. Some with AMD chips and some Celeron. But there was only one there that I would have bought. A widescreen Gateway with a Celeron chip, wireless onboard, DVD/CD Burner and about 4 pounds. $899. I got him hooked up with a wireless keyboard and mouse, some speakers, and a new HP all-in-one printer. But there is no way it would have happened unless I was there. Not that my pop wasn't going to get something someday, it's just I was enough of a help to push him over the edge.
But what about those that don't have the help or don't like to ask for it? That's where we have the opportunity. And we must do what we can to be there for those people.
We got the boxes home and I spent the afternoon hooking everything together and getting him online. Again, I have no idea how a person could have done that if they're not already familiar with the process. How is your grandmother supposed to configure a network? Most content out there online deals with what to buy and perhaps how to buy, but there is very little about how to use. If you need help, you end up in the manufacturer's customer support site. Again big usability problems. Merchent sites do little to help. All they seem to care about is getting you to spend your money, once you've checked out, forget it. BestBuy has their GeekSquad and Apple has their Genius Bar, but this is only the very first step in what should be an all out effort to make the process a cakewalk.
I'm glad I was able to get my Dad up to speed. He has a brand new machine that will last a long time. He'll get used to the differences of Windows pretty fast and I'll be here over the next few days to make sure all is right. But I also can't stop there. I have to do everything in my ability to take this confusion and intimidation away for others. No matter what I'm working on...
I hope you'll do the same.
Now to get my pop broadband and wireless.
