The older IT user (treat them kindly)

‘If you can just pop round and show me how’ is probably the phrase that strikes fear into the heart of most IT users if tasked with supporting an older relative/associate through the maze that can be getting to grips with using their computer at an early stage of their use. This is often followed by ‘Well it was working fine until you touched it’ or ‘I didn’t do anything – I just looked at it and then it switched off’.

Getting comfortable with all of the clicking, pointing and tapping associated with using a computer can take a long time, and is stressful for those that do not understand the logic that sits behind our couldn’t-do-without-it IT tool now gracing the home of many an over 50, with an accompanying broadband connection. Older users are so much more nervous of this technology, initially not being aware that when not switched on, a keyboard or mouse is not able to function independently, or that the computer really does not have a grudge against them!

When teaching IT to older users, especially those who have been out of education for some time, I am often faced with red faced fury, the new user being unable to comprehend why a) it doesn’t work or b) it’s hard to remember or c) they can’t really understand why they are doing it. Coupled with the fact that senior new users are used to being respected for their experience, and bowed to from respect of their age/position in society (and rightly so) it makes them the most challenging of new user to teach, lacking in the blind trust and acceptance of the younger student. (OK so I’ve not been inside a comprehensive school lately but you get my point!).

When dealing with older users as students, it’s important to keep these things in mind, and to make sure that you are giving them the information they need, in a way that they can process it. Often, when learning a skill which uses both your hands and your brain at the same time, it can be a mixture of success and failure until, one day, it just ‘clicks’. Liken this to learning to drive, or to jumping up and down whilst patting your head, and you’ll start to diffuse the sheer terror of learning the computer for an older or nervous user.

Some lessons learned during my career teaching adults to use the computer are:

Don’t click at stuff (or generally touch the computer) when trying to show others unless you are carrying out a demonstration which will be followed up by them trying it themselves– instead, talk them through what you want them to do, and let them be in the driving seat of the computer.

Never take an aggressive response personally – the student is usually frustrated with themselves and doesn’t know how to react.

Give them something to follow, use pictures if you can, but make sure it works faultlessly first.

When creating training materials, if you are delivering a formal session, make sure you have this tested by someone who has similar skills to your target audience as what might seem obvious to you is often not so obvious to your student.

Make it as enjoyable as possible, laugh at yourself and don’t take it too seriously – after all, you want to make sure you don’t scare off yourself or your student for another day!