I have a friend who shall remain nameless. Suffice it to say that his moniker is a palindrome of BOB (spelled the usual way and pronounced with a silent ‘Q’).
Palindromic Bob used to have an old flip phone that dated from sometime around the last ice age. Bob used to swear by this phone. He also used to swear at the phone quite a lot, as I recall.
I spent years begging Bob to dip his toes into the 21st century waters. Eventually, he gave in and purchased an iPhone SE. Now he keeps telling everyone who will listen to him (which is an audience of one in the form of your humble narrator, I fear) that he doesn’t understand why I didn’t inform him as to the wonders of smartphones sooner.
I think it’s fair to say that Bob is technology challenged. For reasons into which we need not delve here, Bob often finds himself wishing to copy text from one of his smartphone applications and paste it into an email that he then sends to himself.
I cannot tell you how many mornings Bob has come into my office requesting to be reminded of the process he needs to employ in order to achieve this goal. Eventually, I wrote out a super-detailed list of step-by-step instructions to enter the app, copy the text, return to the home screen, launch his email, paste the text, and send the email.
Today is Monday. Bob has enjoyed a weekend free of sending emails. I have enjoyed a weekend free of Bob asking me how to send emails.
Bob just came into my office to ask a question with respect to his copy-and-paste process. “I’ve done the first part,” he said, “but I was re-reading your instructions and I have a question.” Upon my raising a quizzical eyebrow, he continued, “Where is the Home Button?”
Once I had regained my composure, wiped away my tears, and guided Bob’s index finger to the Home Button, I decided that I had fallen down on the job by failing to provide sufficiently clear instructions, so I whipped up a handy-dandy Quick-Quick-Start Start Guide, which just I pinned on the notice board next to Bob’s desk for his future reference.

To be fair to Bob, I know that many older folks have difficulty remembering what the term “Home Button” means, so I thought I’d post my Quick-Quick-Start Guide here in case you know someone who will find it to be of use. Maybe I should create a separate document to cover the earlier iPads.
Now I come to think about it, the folks at Apple say that they jettisoned the Home Button on their latest smartphones and tablet computers to make room for a larger screen. But might it be that they had simply grown tired of customers calling them to ask where it was? Hmmm…
That was fun, thanks! 🙂
I remember those painful hours and even days from 5-10 years ago explaining a new phone to some of parents, but, luckily, it becomes slightly easier with each new model. At least with mom 😄 With father it might quickly change from “swear at the phone” to “swear at the one trying to teach you how to use it” 😆
“With father it might quickly change from “swear at the phone” to “swear at the one trying to teach you how to use it”
That sounds like my wife — every time she asks me something about her computer and I try to explain, she gets cross with me because… well, I don’t actually know why LOL
I need one of these for my wife. Unfortunately she has an ancient iPhone 4 and the home button is a tad unreliable. and the harder you have to press it the more unreliable it becomes.
I’ve tried to interest her in a new(er) iPhone but she says they are all so big. So getting her a new one is probably a non-starter – do any newer iPhones have the small form-factor of the iPhone 4?
In any case Max one of your guides would be good – I have the same problem as you and Aleks in that when I try and teach her anything she says I’m a crappy instructor. In spite of the fact that everyone at work says I explain things very clearly…..
“she says I’m a crappy instructor” I’m sure she says it with love 🙂
The iPhone 4 is small 115 x 86 x 9 mm — but as far as I know it only works with 3G and that’s being phased out so she’ll have to move to a later version. The iPhone 8 SE is a bit bigger (and a tad thinner) at 138 x 67 x 7 mm
As you know I am a proud senior who in my career designed numerous user interfaces (known as UI before it was corrupted by a focus on UX for User eXperience). IMHO, a user interface should focus on presenting the product options in a manner that results in the highest level of productivity. What drives those focused on UX to hide functionality? Why is it that the methods to perform simple actions constantly changing?
The answer is that those who are designing the latest user interfaces primarily use products with touch screens – phones, tablets, laptops. Using a keyboard and mouse is so old-fashioned! Now everything needs to be hidden and accessed by swiping in all directions, tapping on the edges, or in blank spaces, and double-tapping. BTW, did you know that if your iPhone gets stuck in a zoomed-in mode, you can exit with a double-tap with three fingers?
Fortunately, I will have passed on before UX changes to UBI (User Brain Implant) in which we just think what we want and it will be displayed in the air in front of our eyes…
“did you know that if your iPhone gets stuck in a zoomed-in mode, you can exit with a double-tap with three fingers?” Well, duh! (said with my fingers crossed behind my back)
If you ever find someone’s misplaced phone, just hold down the home button and ask Siri, “Whose phone is this?” She’ll tell you the owner’s name so that you can get in contact with them and return it.
Oh wait, they have removed the Home button!
“Oh wait, they have removed the Home button!” Fortunately, we aren’t bitter LOL
Fortunately, I have an Android phone. Don’t tell anyone though.
My lips are sealed