Today was a frustrating day. We had network problems that affected only a small portion of the network, the one that runs our clinical services software in which therapists and counselors keep track of client services rendered and from which we bill insurance companies. The application worked except when it came to printing. Technically, there is nothing the therapists need to print out, but they are all still attached to paper files so they religiously print their progress notes to place in the client’s paper file.
Fixing the network issue is beyond my tech know-how so I had our contracted network techs on the job. I spent the day as a go between, keeping staff informed of what was going on and letting the network techs know if anything else went wrong as well as assisting them in testing.
Anyway, so in spite of me telling everyone all day long the client database works fine you just can’t print right now but will be able to print when the issue is resolved, quite a few therapists threw up their hands and decided they couldn’t do any work on the computer and they would just have to write their notes by hand on paper. All this followed on the heels of some issues I’ve been having with another user (an attorney) who calls me and yells at me when she does something wrong and orders me to fix it.
Why do people act the way they do when technological problems arise? A quick Google search revealed that there are actually two fields of study one, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) that focuses on user interface design and how people work with the goal of creating more efficient and user-friendly software. The other is cyberpsychology which is all about the way people relate to technology and how they behave while using it or refusing to use it. There are books and journal articles and even university majors in this field of study.
Unfortunately, the book I’d like to read on the topic, Cyberpsychology: An Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction by Kent L. Norman, is not owned by my library and is a bit too pricey for a casual purchase. I did find a book that I will be checking out from my library called User Error: Resisting Computer Culture by Ellen Rose. This should do until I can find more accessible resources on cyberpsychology.
In more general interest book news, the European Commission has launched an internet library with such participants as the British Library, the Louvre, the Rijkmuseum in Amsterdam, and national libraries all over Europe. I’ve been trying to load the site, Europeana, for the last half hour. Either it’s not quite up yet or they are getting so much traffic the site is overloaded. It is sure to be good whenever I manage to get to see it.
Europeana…
*gasp!* *swoon!* *thud!*
I have a friend that went to Georgia Tech to get an HCI degree. If UT had offered a similar degree, I would’ve been sorely tempted — such an interesting field.
Sorry about all the work ugliness! How incredibly obnoxious of that person to yell at you and order you to fix her mistakes. It would be hard to keep from giving her a piece of your mind, I would think. Sorry — you’ll have that library job soon enough!
I totally know what you’re saying! It’s interesting that it’s acceptable for adults to throw such fits. I think I’ll have to check out the books you mention too! And thanks for the link. I’m excited to check it out!
I’ve never heard of cyberpsychology — but working in the technical field, I can say that if it didn’t exist, it would need to be created. Unfortunately, I think that many software developers never think about HCI or the psychology of how people interact with computers. I get so peeved when someone on my staff talks about ‘stupid users’. I don’t think that there is anyone who works in my company who is stupid, though many have flaws and are difficult to work with when they get frustrated with technology. I’ll have to search for the titles you mention.
Sylvia, breathe! It will be fantastic won’t it?
wil, it is an interesting field, isn’t it? Since technology isn’t going to go away it is also a necessary one.
Dorothy, thanks! It’s par for the course really and I don’t know why those kinds of things still surprise me especially since she isn’t the only one. Since I’m planning on a digital library concentration, I wonder if I am only setting myself up for more of the same in some respects? But at least I’ll be at a library!
Renee, I am always surprised at how people react. I think it has to do with they way they approach problem-solving but I’m not sure.
Cam, I had never heard of it either but it makes sense. I think HCI gets short changed by developers because they are in a hurry or there isn’t the money to go that extra distance, or the programmers think that if they can understand it everyone else should be able to as well. I have the option of taking an HCI class for my library degree. I just might.
Europeana is still not working. Can’t wait to check that out.
At least it’s almost the weekend Stefanie. Hope work calms down!
I guess they weren’t expecting so many people to be interested in a library! Bookworms crashed the server! Woohoo!!!
That is so frustrating… my entire corporation is somewhat in the Dark Ages technology-wise, so there is a huge divide between the old-timers and the new folks coming in. Basically, many people simply will not use a computer. It’s very interesting. I frequently get called upon to help people print things or insert graphics, things like that.
Throwing fits is (almost) never okay at work, however. (in the privacy of your own home is a different story…)
Computer problems freak most people out to some degree, but I guess in lawyers and shrinks you have people who depend on their personal authority to do their job and so loathe having to admit they don’t know or understand something. Also, I can promise that most shrinks are not fully rounded human beings. But there is NO excuse for being rude to the people who are trying to help you. What goes around comes around – I do believe in karmic retribution.
I feel for you guys when there are network issues. In my job–everyone (students included) depends heavily on being connected to the internet and using computers–and when things go down–work is literally at a standstill. It’s almost scary when I think how much we depend on technology. No one gives it a thought when it works smoothly, but when it’s down….Too bad about that attorney–how rude. People can be so nasty sometimes when it is totally unnecessary!
Iliana, thanks! It appears Europeana was overwhelmed and they won’t be up until mid-December now.
Sylvia, their out of order page says ten million hits an hour! who knew there were so many bookworms in the world?
Daphne, sounds like technology at your work is frustrating too. It takes a lot of work to move an office from won’t use computers to everyone using them.
Litlove, you make a good observation there. And believe me, after eight years of working with mental health therapists (and lawyers) I can pretty much count on one hand the number of therapists who actually had themselves altogether.
Danielle, there are department where I work who only do their job on computers. While they get frustrated when the network goes down, they also take it as an opportunity for an extended break. It is sort of scary how we’ve come to rely so much on computers.