Hi there,
Come a little closer, I want to share a secret with you. It’s a huge secret. It’s sort of an open secret. It’s so big it’s hidden in plain sight – you’re probably dealing with it right now and you haven’t noticed. This IT secret was known by all the big household names in computing, yet many seem to ignore it or pretend it doesn’t exist. It’s a secret I’ve tried to build my business around, and something I try to remember every day. Here it is, computers are used by people. That’s it. It’s that obvious. It’s that simple. Yet so often it seems to be forgotten.
Have you used a program or piece of tech, where everything just ‘seems right’, you don’t have to look for things, everything is at your fingertips just when you need it, sometimes you are so focused on what you’re doing you don’t even notice the tech you’re doing the job with? This program, or this piece of tech, was produced by someone who knew the secret.
Other programs may boast 1000s of functions, or may look pretty, may have flashing lights… but somehow in use, they sort of miss the point, you find yourself needing to remember little tweaks, or having to work in an unnatural way, to achieve your goal – these are usually produced by someone who has forgotten, or had never been told, the secret.
Some of you may never have experienced the first of the above. Sadly, I’m willing to bet everyone reading this has experienced the second. Are you still laughing at me for calling it a secret?
Recently a friend was telling me of a new mouse she had brought. (Side note… Douglas Engelbart, inventor of the mouse, clearly knew the secret!) My friend had been having wrist problems, with pain made worse when using a traditional mouse, when she found a different design. A mouse shaped so that in use it has more of a pistol grip. The difference is night and day, she is now enjoying pain-free use of her computer. Not everything is going to work for everyone, but as this story shows, a little understanding of “computers are used by people”, coupled with knowledge of how the body works, has produced a mouse that has saved many people from pain.
At Beyond Beige I have always worked with the idea that computers and systems are used by people, people with tasks, goals and deadlines. So my goal has always been to try to find the best solution to work with the person facing the task, to provide what they need as they need it. Or, as my principle of long ago puts it “the most important part of your computer is the person sat in front of it”.
Ready to experience IT solutions that truly work for you? At Beyond Beige, we design technology that fits your needs seamlessly. Get in touch today at help@beyondbeige.co.uk or visit beyondbeige.co.uk to find out how we can help streamline your tech.
