America's Growing Gap in Digital Job Skills

Re:America's Growing Gap in Digital Job Skills by thisisit on Monday November 20, 2017 @03:03AM (#15738499)

I wonder how much is this due to how software is being engineered and UI/UX problem?

An example being software updates on phones. When I got my parents their first android phone, the app drawer worked on swiping left/right. Then came the change in orientation where the swipe went to up/down. My parents were confused and routinely called me to ask how to make the phone work.

Just today I had an app which showed different categories on clicking tabs on top changed to swipe up and down with a small button to choose categories at the bottom.

These kind of changes leaves people more confused. They like to stick to older versions and hence left behind on any thing new.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:America's Growing Gap in Digital Job Skills by gaius on Monday November 20, 2017 @04:22AM (#15738751)

When I got my parents their first android phone, the app drawer worked on swiping left/right. Then came the change in orientation where the swipe went to up/down

Someone on here, I don't remember who sorry, commented that Snapchat works by deliberately breaking UI conventions that people have grown accustomed to who have used computers for a while. That's the mechanism by which they exclude older people and "lock in" people who have little pre-existing computing experience. I strongly suspect this is exactly what the Android developers are trying to do as well.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:America's Growing Gap in Digital Job Skills by francisofascii on Monday November 20, 2017 @08:52AM (#15739843)

Interesting. You could make a similar argument that companies embrace the latest, trendy software framework to weed out older experienced developers.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:America's Growing Gap in Digital Job Skills by denzil_correa on Monday November 20, 2017 @11:06AM (#15740881)

Here's an article which talks about Snapchat and confusing olds : https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-how-snapchat-built-a...

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:America's Growing Gap in Digital Job Skills by tonyedgecombe on Monday November 20, 2017 @03:51AM (#15738676)

My parents were confused and routinely called me to ask how to make the phone work.

That sounds so funny.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:America's Growing Gap in Digital Job Skills by vturner on Monday November 20, 2017 @04:08AM (#15738723)

It's most certainly not funny when you've lived it. My mother is routinely frustrated by her android phone I bought her due to unending UI tweaks.

It's striking how to us software developers what is an exciting new feature or nice cosmetic change is nothing more than a pain point for many people. Digital devices to many people are tools not toys. When we realize this, it's easy to understand how a change is not fun for them but merely work.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:America's Growing Gap in Digital Job Skills by tonyedgecombe on Monday November 20, 2017 @04:22AM (#15738752)

Sorry, I didn't mean it's funny dealing with your parents, I know that feeling myself. Rather that they phoned you because their phone didn't work.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:America's Growing Gap in Digital Job Skills by vturner on Monday November 20, 2017 @05:27AM (#15738975)

Ah, I see now :) I didn't catch the irony there before. My apologies fory hasty comment.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:America's Growing Gap in Digital Job Skills by thisisit on Monday November 20, 2017 @06:12AM (#15739143)

Sure :) One of those things which makes you wonder why even have a smartphone when the old dumb phones can do the trick.

[ Parent | on HN ]