Problem Statement

Many people are computer illiterate, but want to or need to know how to use computers.  They are often required for communication, schoolwork, and jobs and present throughout our daily lives, but some people are unaware of the possibilities that computers offer.  Resources for new learners are scattered, and other tutorials assume a technical vocabulary that novice users don't have.

Observations & Interviews

Person A

Person A is divorced mother living on her own.  While she's owned a computer for years, she still often has to call her kids whenever something interrupts her routine, such as normal Windows notifications.  A is afraid to click around because she's worried she'll accidentally mess up her computer and not know how to get it back.  When asked about a computer concept that confused her, she asked about the difference between a browser and a search engine.  Despite being able to use the internet with both Firefox and Chrome, she didn't actually know what she was doing.  If her home page wasn't Google, I'm uncertain if A would be able to search for things.  She also confided that she has trouble on the phone with her kids because she doesn't know enough words to describe her computer issues.  A said (of her own volition) that she would like to see a website that is easy to use, simple, and has a breadth of topics, which made us feel like our choice of problem to tackle was a good one.

Person B

B is a professional who has an administrative position in his organization.  B has an iPad, a laptop, and several accessories for both.  He is quite competent and rarely needs to ask for help with his computer.  Unfortunately, B is better with hardware than keeping up with changing software.  He has several habits, such as referring to his web browser as "Google" no matter which browser he's using, and doesn't understand why there are more than IE and Safari.  When he learns a new application, he often struggles because he doesn't port over experience.  B said that in the past, younger relatives have seen him using an application that they've never used and (to his amazement) told him how to use it when he was struggling.  This was the most interesting part, since it showed that B has yet to develop an intuition for software despite years of work with computers.  It also explained his reticence to try out new applications.

Person C

C is a middle school school student. She has an iPod touch, a laptop, and her favorite red headphones. She mostly uses the computer to play games, browse youtube, and type documents for school projects.She said she doesn't read the help/tutorial when playing a new game, and just clicks around instead.   When asked what she thought of using powerpoint for school, she said that she had never needed to do so. When she doesn't know how to do something, or a website asks for a login (she said an "email") she asks her parents for help - she doesn't have her own email account.

The main takeaway from this interview came came from her mentioning an interest in making youtube videos, but never having done so because she didn't know how to.

User Classes

Completely Computer Illiterate

These are the people who have no knowledge about computers.  They're typically elderly, and struggle to do basic tasks.  They're also the toughest group to meet the needs of since using a website to learn how to use websites is a little circular.

Semi-computer-literate

Users in this class can do some basic tasks, but don't necessarily understand what they are doing.  Because of this, they can't transfer skills to different applications, instead treating each task as a completely different process to be memorized.  These users also might know some jargon, but may mix it up or get in over their head.

Lacking Certain Basic Skills

These users can use the computer for what they need to do competently, but are still missing the ability to teach themselves new applications.  They are better with computer vocabulary (ie "Taskbar") but nothing technical.  They may have certain bad habits or fundamental misunderstandings, but for the most part it does not affect their ability to use the computer.