This story is going to sound mean. In a way, I suppose it is, especially that I'm posting it for general consumption. But aside from being marginally funny, it also presents an interesting case study for interface designers. Here goes:
So this person borrows a digital camera from me so she can take photos of a special event. I readily agree and give her my ancient 1.3-Megapixel Olympus D-150. I show her how to work turn it on and where the shutter button is. It's a reasonably simple camera so I don't give much by way of additional explanation.
Much later, she gives me back the camera.
"Were you able to take pictures?" I asked.
"Yes, but the viewfinder doesn't work. It's too dark," she said.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't teach you how to turn on the LCD viewer," I said. "It drains the batteries quicker. But you could use the regular viewfinder...."
"Yes, I did! But it doesn't show me the whole view! It only shows the central portion."
"Huh? How can that be? Of course it takes the whole field of the shot."
I turn on the camera and bring it close to my face so I can put my eye to the viewfinder. "Works fine!"
"But I was holding it like this!" And she proceeds to demonstrate, holding it an arms-length away from her and squinting from that distance through the little viewfinder lens.
"What?! Haven't you used a camera before?"
"Oh, you didn't tell me to do that!" She sounded very miffed. "I was holding it the way you're supposed to hold digital cameras...."
I don't know guys. Has our conception of cameras changed so much in the last five years? Have people really forgotten how to use old-style cameras already? Or is it something else? Or am I just being mean?
hehe thanks, I was just wondering on how much should i bring, or how is it like, its cheang_gian@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteSome people can be quite dense. No, you're not being mean. LOL. But that was funny.
ReplyDeleteIt is rather odd though. Alarming even if I were to dwell on it and if you consider all the other aspects that purported to be a result of our increasingly "digitalized" world. But, screw that. :)
I think I was just being mean. But at least some people were entertained.
ReplyDeleteyes, dom, you're just being mean, hehe.
ReplyDeleteor you and i_ we're getting old. me, i don't even own a digiCam yet, if you don't count my phone cam_ which is ancient.
what shoul bode well for me is that SLR prices should be going down. are they? going down? hay.
story was cute. =) must have made your day. hahahaha.