Last night, we were trying to operate a coffee maker that belongs to someone else. There was no instruction booklet and there wasn't anywhere that said on or off. There were buttons to set the timer, to clean the coffee pot, to make a small pot, to set the clock, one said auto set, and one that said brew/off.
After several minutes of head scratching and frustration, Rhonda grabbed the iPad and within minutes found the coffeemaker online. She also found the instruction book. After explaining all the fancy things the coffee pot could do, it then showed a picture with an arrow that said, "To start coffeemaker." It was the Brew/Off button! Had it said On/Off we would have understood.
Lessons?
Instructions aren't always clear.
Sometimes you have to work a little harder to figure things out.
If you're the one writing instructions, doublecheck with others that people will understand what you're saying.
Don't beat yourself up if you don't understand something the first time. You might not be the problem.
When in doubt, go to the internet.
Always, always check out the new coffee pot the night before you plan to use it!
Krysta -
ReplyDeleteSometimes it isn't only the instructions that aren't clear, but rather the reason for the existence of features, or even the entire object itself. A few nights ago, my wife and I watched a segment on the local news warning that an Internet Enabled coffee maker could become an opening into your homes computers that could be exploited by hackers. Our questions to each other weren't about how to better deploy an Internet enabled coffee maker safely, but rather, what possible purpose could there be for a coffee maker to have the capability to communicate instantaneously to all other parts of the planet.
I can conceive of no instruction manual which could serve to explain why I should want such a device in my home, let alone how to properly and safely use one.
And so, as you counsel, don't beat yourself up over the inexplicable. We all have enough trouble just overcoming our daily issues without introducing new loonie ones.
I have had these same thoughts. Why does someone need a coffee pot or microwave or fridge that can be controlled over the internet? Inexplicable is the best description! We have much bigger fish to fry in this world without making things even more complicated! Thanks for your insights.
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