It’s worth remembering that people don’t change as fast as the technology does, especially for those of us who work in technology every day and (perhaps) are more oriented to changing along with it. I’m not advocating that people adapt to change faster — I’m advocating that technology workers remember that with technology, people need to get it first.
Most people live in the safe zone of what we know. We drive the same route to work every day, follow the same business routine, eat lunch with the same coworkers, handle our business the same way we have for years. A librarian recently told me, “all this technology, nothing’s really changed.” When I pointed out that we don’t use as many interoffice envelopes as we used to, she conceded, “Well, e-mail is great. That’s been good.” Clearly, she’s adopted e-mail as a tool, and now it’s safe for her — a part of the job. The other stuff is still mysterious and suspect.
It’s always been my goal to demystify technology for people, so they can decide if it’ll make their lives easier or not. But it’s critical to remember that some people resist change, and we must respect their right to make independent decisions.