Introducing our latest technology journalist: After bombarding us with engaging comments and sparking a lot of discussions around the office. We asked techdude to contribute. Here is his first official post for uncluttered white spaces. Welcome Techydude.
As I hop from PC to PC ‘fixing things’ and looking over staff member’s shoulders, I too often cringe at their technique, lack of confidence, or obliviousness to how configurable their own PC is to their individual needs and preferences; and a palpable fear of “breaking something” that stifles all adventurousness. Their expertise in handling Windows hasn’t grown much beyond the Windows 95/98 days of a decade ago!
The result is a lot of wasted time. Time you’re paying for in every work-day, year after year.
Nearly three years ago Microsoft launched Windows Vista, the long-awaited successor to the venerable Windows XP (2001). Windows is the essential ‘glue’ that binds all your applications & computing resources into a (usually!) cohesive and consistent whole. In the computing world, 5+ years between drinks is an ice age, and boffins like me were crying out for new features, better security, and more efficient work-flow. Unfortunately for all of us, Vista suffered a litany of issues, both real, and merely perceived, that saw it skipped by many domestic users and business IT departments alike.
Around that same time Microsoft also launched Office 2007, a staple of business computing tools, and the most ambitious revamp of Office’s user-interface ever. In response to endless requests for features that had already been in previous versions of Office for years, they decided to abandon the pull-down menu paradigm and replace it with the ‘ribbon’, a highly context-sensitve button-bar putting many features at easy reach. It was a gutsy move for the conservative Microsoft. The implications for widespread re-training were obvious.
“OK, so what’s with the history lesson, Techydude?”
Well, Microsoft has just launched Windows 7, widely considered to be “Vista done right”, and Office 2010 is just around the corner to extend and cement the ribbon user interface. New ways of doing things will be difficult to avoid in the PCs that’ll be landing on our desks here forward.
But what are you doing to prepare yourself and your staff for this next generation of office computing?
To illustrate the benefits of “computer training”, I’ll contrast two of my (otherwise similar) clients.
One was a relatively early adopter of Office 2007, and at my suggestion invested in having a trainer come in for two or three half-day small-group training sessions for almost all of their office staff. It was fairly informal, and assumed everyone was already familiar with earlier versions of Office, so it focussed on the differences, and the better ways of doing things brought by 2007. Everyone had the opportunity to advise the trainer beforehand of any specific functions/features they used so that the training could be as relevant as possible. The hurdle of Office 2007 became a non-issue for them.
By contrast, the second client has yet to invest in said training, even though they have invested in upgrades to Office 2007. I’m not singling them out; we all know the reasons for avoiding or postponing “computer training” are myriad and entrenched. But when I asked the office manager how they were coping with Office 2007, the response was stunning:
“They muddle through,
several of our PCs have an add-on that puts the pull-down menus back,
or they ask me.”
So they invested in the superior product upgrade, but then massively undermined its benefits by installing a ‘hack’ that replaces the ribbon with the familiar pull-down menus! Some of them waste a lot of time “muddling through”, and one staff member fields regular “How do I…?” questions from several other staff!
Their upgrade investment has turned into an ongoing liability and time(=money) sink.
So often employers will invest in training staff how to use highly specialised software (often purely by necessity), but totally neglect training for that which the majority of their staff use all day, every day, based on the fallacy that ubiquity = familiarity.
Whether you’re Windows or Mac, Office or iWork, how much is this costing you, really?
Despite the promise of Windows 7, Microsoft’s recent advertising tactics have been the butt of many jokes. A recent 6min video showed applicants who had recently received their free “Windows 7 Launch Party Pack” (a box, signed by Steve Ballmer, containing a copy of Windows 7, and assorted balloons, streamers, etc!) how to put on a party to which they’d invited several of their friends over to have a grand old time with the new Windows 7. Yes, seriously. It’s either the lamest tactic to come from Redmond (so far), or the cleverest self-parody in a long time! Of course, parodies are aplenty, and this is one of my favourites – just bleep out a few words!
About the Author: Techydude is Anthony May from Techydude Consulting. Helping small(ish) businesses untangle their computer cables and is always on the hunt for good Portuguese Egg Tarts. If you find any or would like to discuss his most recent posts, you can email him at anthony@techydude.com.au.
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