Sometimes when I try out a new product or even one that I’ve had for a while, it occurs to me that it was probably designed by a 20-something tech-savvy engineer with perfect eyesight and great hand-eye coordination. But unfortunately, it has to be used by the rest of us, including seniors and others whose sight, tech experience and manual dexterity might not be as perfect as the person who designed the product.
I remember a time when this wasn’t such a big issue because there were no smartphones or even PCs, and most products you could buy were pretty easy to figure out. Even something as basic as watching TV was far less complicated back when the only knobs on the set were the on/off switch, volume control and that big round knob that let you choose between no more than 13 channels.
A friend of mine has a 90-year-old father who lives in an apartment that isn’t wired for cable TV, so his only option is to stream TV via the internet. His adult daughter had to write him an illustrated manual on how to use YouTube TV, but even with that learning aid, he has trouble doing the digital equivalent of changing channels.
Smartphones mandatory
Having a smartphone these days is mandatory for some common tasks. If you want to schedule a service appointment for a Tesla, you must do so from their iOS or Android app. You can’t set it up over the phone or even from a computer. I’m sure that most Tesla owners are pretty tech savvy, but I’m also sure there are some who aren’t. Even those of us who are tech savvy may have less than perfect vision. Until recently, the on-screen fonts were much too small for many drivers, but they recently added a large font option that improves it a lot. That’s more than I can say for other products I’ve used with tiny type on screen or on paper or the product itself. I have devices whose knobs are labeled in ways that I can’t decipher either because of small type or the use of icons that I don’t understand. And, though it’s not a tech issue, don’t get me started about the booklets that come with prescription drugs that often have type that is much too small for the mostly older target audience that are likely to need those drugs.
Use an app or go hungry
Most airlines now charge an extra fee if you want to make a reservation by phone. If you have a problem or a question, you have to navigate through a myriad of phone choices before they put you into a queue to talk with a person. Then you have to wait on hold for who knows how long. If you do make a reservation online or within an app, you have to practically be Sherlock Holmes to do it right. There are now multiple tiers of economy fares that you have to decipher including some that don’t even let you reserve a seat at booking but require you to go back into the app and pay extra to select a seat. Definitely check whether they are refundable or will even let you apply the value of an unused ticket on another flight. For an upcoming European trip, I did the math and decided that a basic economy flight from Prague to San Francisco made sense, because I didn’t need to check luggage. Even with having to pay for a seat assignment, it was cheaper than standard economy. But I now regret it because I had to change my return destination and am getting no credit for the unused portion.
If you want to order a meal or a snack onboard a United Airlines flight, you must have a smartphone or tablet running the United app. It’s been years since most airlines accepted cash, but now United isn’t even accepting credit cards. I wonder whether some people go hungry because they don’t have a smartphone, don’t have the United app or their phone battery is just as depleted as their stomachs.
Run around
Most hotels will still let you make reservations by phone, but to get the best price, you pretty much have to go online, and you’ll often find lower prices using third-party apps or websites than you will from the hotel directly. But if you make a reservation online, be sure not to make a mistake, especially if it’s a non-refundable reservation. A few years ago, I booked a hotel but accidentally selected the wrong month and couldn’t get a refund from either the site or the hotel itself. And if you need to make a change in a hotel or airline that you booked through an app, the hotel or airline will tell you to call the app company and the app company might very well tell you to call the hotel or airline. It gets even worse if you’re on a code share flight. I booked a United flight via Expedia that was operated by Lufthansa. In my futile effort to get a flight credit for my unused leg, I called United but was told to call Lufthansa who told me to call Expedia.
Tech limitations
I love that I can visit my doctor online, but some people don’t have the equipment or technical skills to do an online visit. I tried to get an in-person appointment with a doctor but was told I could only see her online, which would have been OK except that I wanted her to perform a test that could only be done in person. We had the online appointment, then I had to go back weeks later for the five-minute procedure.
I realize that I sound a bit like a grumpy old man, but as someone who’s been a big fan of consumer technology most of my life, I’m more happy than sad about the evolution of tech. Still, there is a time, place and purpose for everything, and I’d like to live in a world where tech is available and accessible but not mandatory.
Larry Magid is a tech journalist and internet safety activist. Contact him at [email protected].
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