Redesigning A High-tech Firm

 

Dychtwald on Apple Computer: "We once spent six months trying to find print ads for computers that had people over 60 in them. We found one. Computer companies think that older people aren't interested in computers and can't use them -- a profound mistake. Every computer company in America is trying for 1%, 3%, 6% of that 40-and-under generation, when they could have 50% of the 40-and-up market for the asking. But not one has identified itself yet as the one designing for, caring about, and promoting itself toward people over 40. At Apple, that's how I'd begin.

"There is some redesign needed, but most important -- by far -- is access. As with anything technological, you can't just sell a computer to an older person. They're intimidated. So when they run into their first frustration, they're going to put it in a box and forget about it. At Apple I'd train a legion of 1,000 customer-service assistants or educators, who could come to your house, plug it in, teach you how to work it, and get you started. You'd be guided into comfort with it. It's possible, even, that the educators could be volunteers -- retired people with time and resources who just want to have some fun and feel worthwhile. The AARP has recognized this for years, and volunteers now run most of its programs.

"Right now, older people don't see themselves as computer users. So change that. Give computers to 100 people in Dubuque, Iowa, and teach them how to do all sorts of things. 'Good Morning, America,' say, comes in, and here are these senior citizens tapping away and having a great time. And 10 million more seniors are watching the TV saying, 'If they can do it, so can I.' The issue is not lack of capability, it's lack of comfort, which is handled through education."