Pew Internet: "When Technology Fails"

Great new report out from Pew. Here's a quote:

Half (48%) of tech users need help from others in getting new devices and services to work, and many experience tech outages when there is a glitch with their home internet connection, computer, or cell phone. Coping with these failures is a hassle for many tech users and helps to distance them from technology use.

This story must resonate with all of us - especially those of us who are techy or young and who have become tech-support for the family. Although I've never used a bluetooth headset, when my mom purchased one of these devices, she asked me thrice weekly why it would hang up every time she tried to answer the phone. She had a similar problem with her phone defaulting to speaker-phone mode, which made public display of her private phone conversations for about 2 weeks. Unfortunately, without knowing her particular device and not being there in-person to debug, I wasn't of much aid.

What a perfect opportunity for The Extraordinaries! This data is kindle to our fire. The Extraordinaries system intends to connect someone who is a frequent bluetooth headset user with my mother - to help her figure out why it's not working. For every device and software app, there are multitudes of expert users. And there are many more people frustrated with the same device or app. A simple 20-minute phone call between the expert and the novice could ease many of these woes. Here are some more stats from the report:

*       44% of those with home internet access say their connection
failed to work properly at some time in the previous 12 months.
*       39% of those with desktop or laptop computers have had their
machines not work properly at some time in the previous 12 months.
*       29% of cell phone users say their device failed to work properly
at some time in the previous year.

Of course, most of the time, the device is actually working fine (at least as fine as the manufacturer has made it), but a setting gets switched off, or it needs a re-boot, or just needs an explanation. The real problem here is one of information. The novice user doesn't have the information needed to make the device work. With The Extraordinaries, we intend to create a causeway for information between experts and novices. Low-effort and no-cost information transfer is the service's core offering.