Tech Tips for Newbies

Tech Tips for Newbies

Tech Talk
By Tak Sato

A year ago, I wrote a Tech Talk column titled “Top 10 Technology Myths” and I figured it would be fun to make it an annual Tech Talk tradition. (Yes, I miss David Letterman’s lists.)

This year, let’s cover the top five tips I introduce to each class of older adults in our nonprofit’s “Discover Digital Literacy!” program.

#5:  Avoid Visual Clutter
Older adults adjusted to the 20th Century’s inventions and innovations but were left in the dark when those innovations involved technology.

In retrospect, I believe technology-related matters were not explained with the patience, empathy and everyday language required to make them understood. As a result, technology was misperceived as rocket science. 

For example, when older adults see screens full of app icons, they tend to freeze. To lessen the chance of this happening, temporarily hide factory-installed app icons except for the “Dialer” (the app for phone calls), “Messages” (the app for texting; or “Message” for r iPhone users), and “Settings” (the app to customize your device). Only bring out another icon, one at a time, when you are comfortable with your current apps. This baby-step approach will boost your confidence with your tablet or phone.

#4:  Embrace the Cloud
Before smartphones became popular, we were at the mercy of the cell phone service provider to transfer our contacts from our old flip phone to the new one. The good news is that the always-connected-to-the-internet smartphones store many things in “the cloud,” including contacts (your address book). Data is stored securely, locked using a Google Account (Android-based smartphone) or Apple ID (iPhone) credentials you supplied during the smartphone setup. This makes it not-a-big-deal when you buy a new smartphone; you just use your password credentials to sync (connect) the new smartphone to your cloud services to download your contacts, photos, videos and other data. 

#3:  Think Like an Egyptian
Smartphones have small screens. A tablet, on average, has twice the screen real estate of a typical smartphone. Yet both use icons and symbols that are confusing to decipher. Think like an Egyptian living 5,000 years ago, reading hieroglyphics. Make it a game to guess what the icon, if pressed, will do. I tell our students that, unless they throw the smartphone or tablet at me out of frustration, there’s almost nothing they can do to it that I can’t fix.

#2:  Tame Notifications
For many newcomers, the initial setup using default responses may be enticing, even though it may be tipped to benefit the device manufacturer rather than you. I’ll tackle managing privacy in a future column.

If hiding unused app icons is helpful, then taming the notification icons that crowd the small screen is low-hanging fruit. Go into your smartphone’s “Settings” app, scroll to find the “Notifications” category, and turn off the notification popups that you do not want to receive.

#1:  Lock Your Device
When I mention this in class, I usually hear a collective groan, especially from students who use their mobile phone only to make calls.

When I explain the amount of personal information that can be on their device or on the various cloud services the always-connected (to the internet) smartphone may have, most understand the benefits of electronically locking their device. Depending on the make/model of your smartphone, features such as facial or thumbprint recognition can make it simpler to unlock your smartphone.

About the author

Tak Sato, author of Boomer's Tech Talk column, is a founder of the Cleveland-area nonprofit, Center for Aging in the Digital World (empowerseniors.org). The organization teaches digital literacy to people 50+ through the free Discover Digital Literacy program.

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