Shareware Overload/ShartewareOverload.cdr/progm/funkybox.zip/SENSITIV.DOC

Text File | 1983-04-26 | 9KB | 184 lines

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          SENSITIVE SUBJECTS -- SENSITIVE PEOPLE

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               PEOPLE SYSTEMS, LTD. (C) 1983

A SHORT DISCUSSION OF HOW SOME PEOPLE REACT TO THE COMPUTER AND HOW
TO GET THE BEST RESPONSE TO SOME SUBJECTS THAT MAY BE VERY PERSONAL.

The fact that many people are frightened by a computer is not news.
Let us examine what it is they may be objecting to, so that we may
better serve them and perhaps enable them to overcome or at least,
work around their phobias.

Big Brother probably tops the list of fears. Some one is spying on
them and will use the information against them. Computers have a long-
standing reputation for screwing up people's charge accounts with
accompanying credit department hassles and intimidations. Most folks
have been troubled by computer controlled credit billings at one time
or another.

Electronics has always been a scary thing for some people. Probably
from their first electrical shock or clap of thunder they have been
in awe of its powers. Lie detectors are electronic, and fearsome to
some individuals.

Tape recorders and telephone answering machines, like microphones (not
telephones) have turned some people off. Perhaps there is a burden of
guilt attached to their electronic fears, but that is conjecture only.

Of course, there is the normal reaction to something new they are not
familiar with. The phobia in some is more pronounced than in others.
This is the most common and easiest hang-up to help them overcome.
The more they get used to the computer and understand what it can
and can not do the sooner they will feel more comfortable with it.

The computer can out-think, out compute, and remember better than a
human being, provided of course some human being has programmed it
and supplied the data inputs for its performance. Obviously, by itself
a computer can do nothing constructive or destructive -- accept waste
power and cost many dollars. As a matter of interest, even when it is
idleing, the electrons in the computer are milling around in a nano-
second frenzy, just maintaining a status quo. But they tell us that
is also going on in all the matter in the universe at the same time.
A puzzlement.

But back to our subject of SENSITIVE PEOPLE. Who are the members of
this elite group that haven't acquired a taste for the fascination
of having an electronic friend? Can we identify them and the subjects
that may also cause sensitivity to more all-to-gether people.

It is more frequently the older people rather than the
younger folks with the hang-ups. They didn't have computer exposure
in their growing up years, to build a confidence and acceptance to
them. But add to this selection people who may be out of work. Today,
every modern appliance has been blamed for replacing people, and CPU's
have taken the blame from many of the jobless.

Recent severe trauma can also sensitize people to new situations very
easily. Death, terminal or lingering illness, divorce, or even a bad
marriage can upset a normal person's equilibrium for some time after
the experience. These people could all be sensitive to using a computer
for the first time. But of course there are many exceptions to any
criteria, and many people who have been exposed to these setbacks dont
necessarily follow the pattern.

Poor readers, obviously would have difficulty with computer reading.
There have been ergonometric problems with screens placed too high
for the wearer of bi-focal glasses. There also may be a language
barrier in some situations like Disneyland's foreign language Help-
Screens around EPCOT or travel terminals, but these are a system
requirement for the programming.

People who are being tested by computers for some advancement or
position will probably have an aversion towards them if they are
not confident in their own ability to adapt. If the testing were
psychological evaluation via computer, there would be a need for
large amounts of test data before an evaluation could be scaled.
The person who is comfortable with the computer, will of course,
be more adaptable and able to respond more fully it seems.

WELL ?  What can we do with all this information? What would make
our programs more useful and response gathering? How can we make
the user feel at home with the situation and less apprehensive
about the outcome?

The term is FRIENDLY. In fact there is another program on this
disk that you should view called FRIENDLY. It will give you the
more general information about inviting better responses by being
more poeple oriented in the queries and comments.

But is FRIENDLY enough ? If you're going to ask someone about the
sanctity of their marriage you can't expect them to peck it out on
the keyboard like it was an order for some vegetables at the market.
The experienced interviewer knows that the first few minutes can
set the stage for the quality of the discourse.

In the beginning the questions should be non-threatening or not
important. The weather is still an easy subject to handle, or ~are you
comfortable? ~ may be a good ice breaker. Perhaps even more to the
point, ~can you see the screen clearly?~ will develop a rapport
between man and the machine. Several questions about non-
threatening subjects or a little humor may be a good way to start.
What can be done to make the user feel the computer is not an enemy?

Very early in the interview the user should be assured that there are
no recordings being made of the responses, or that they will be given
the disk to take with them when they leave, if files are necessary.
If the program can use a printout of the responses and questions this
can be given to the user to keep or destroy as they choose.

Perhaps telling them how the computer loses its memory when it is
turned off may assuage their fears about recordings. Help the user to
develop a confidence about the computer and its controller. Even
though you personally, as an interviewer, have made them feel at home
the computer as a unique mentality that participates in the interview
should also display some empathy for the user.

Here are some lines from a marriage encounter type of situation.


HELLO THERE !
               I'M GLAD THAT YOU COULD COME TODAY.

MY NAME IS SAM.
               I'M A COMPUTER THAT MAY BE ABLE TO HELP YOU

I DON'T KNOW VERY MUCH ABOUT YOU FOLKS.

               SO I MAY HAVE TO ASK A FEW QUESTIONS TO GET TO KNOW YOU.

             please press the space bar to proceed

(And on the next panel:)

ARE YOU COMFORTABLE (Y/N) ?
          press either Y or N to respond.

                   Would you please type in the lady's first name
                         and then press enter -- Thank you.

Notice that the first response was limited to pressing the space bar.
Then a (Y/N ?) response that would alert the interviewer to do some-
to make them comfortable, helping the computer play the role of their
advocate.

Finally, the computer wants to record the Lady's first name ONLY.
Don't expect most people to be willing to enter their full name easily
unless they have used computers before. We have used an easy flow
of one-sided friendly dialog to get the user ready to talk about
themselves.

After names, the computer says ~I'm happy to meet you JOAN and JERRY
and proceeds with light questions, the kind you might ask of a
stranger sitting next to you on an airplane. ~Do you have any children?
How old are they? What are their names ? and so on for a panel or two
while the user gets accustomed to keyboarding and learns to trust
the computer with private information.

Now the stage has been set to start the difficult questions. These
more probing questions should be approached gingerly. They should be
worded in a non-judgemental format and increase in consequence.

Possibly, in the middle of the interview a time-out is in order. Clear
the screen and leave a ~press any key to resume~ message if the user
elects to take a time-out.

There are many little things you can do to ease the tension like using
a bird call for the proceed subroutine. Sometime giving them the choice
of answering a question or not answering it is useful too. They may not
be ready or able to talk about a subject in their spouses presence, so
it can be useful to suggest that they may want to do their own inputs
by themselves.

A nice good-bye message can be as beneficial as the hello sequence.
Wish them well and leave them with a feeling that inside that damned
computer is someone with a heart.

Go in Peace and Good Health !