30 years since 'Is it okay to press this?'

I still remember well the day I joined the company and was handed a computer for the first time.

I genuinely thought, 'If I press the wrong button somewhere, won't it go haywire and break?'

I truly believed that.

I would ask the person next to me who was knowledgeable about computers, 'Is it okay to press this?' every single time, until eventually, they laughed at me.

'You don't have to be so scared. It won't break that easily.'

Lately, I've been thinking about those days a lot.

Because I struggled with it, I understand how people who struggle feel.

Originally, I was not good at computers, smartphones, or anything related to science and technology.

And yet, before I knew it, I had spent 30 years in an IT company. For 20 of those years, I worked as a technical writer, writing instruction manuals.

What can I, having done this for so many years, pass on to others?

Thinking about that led me to this, 'Sate.' (Well then.)

I understand both the feelings of when I struggled and how IT systems work.

That is why I thought I might be able to act as a bridge between the two.

The convenience of a smartphone is invisible from the outside.

Smartphones are mysterious things.

No matter how conveniently the person next to you is using theirs, you can't see it from the outside. It's all inside that person's smartphone.

That's why 'You could do that?' happens almost every day.

For example, booking a Shinkansen ticket.

Take booking a Shinkansen ticket, for example. Not only do you not have to line up at the ticket counter, but you can also change the time on your smartphone.

If you decide you want to go home earlier than planned, you can change to an earlier train right there on the spot and board it just like that.

Without a smartphone, you would have to go to the counter. If it were fully booked, you would end up sitting at the station waiting, even though you feel like your trip is over. That time is such a waste, isn't it?

Once you clear the "hurdle of trying it out," everything beyond that is much more comfortable.

I also started sharing content from scratch.

Actually, I was just a spectator on both note and Instagram at first. "Can I do this?" I am one of those people who started from there.

That is why I understand well where you might get stuck and what you are afraid of.

Well then.

30 years since that "Is it okay to press this?"

Please feel free to tell me things like "There is this way to use it" or "I don't understand this part."

"Is it okay to press this?" Even things like that are perfectly fine.

If necessary, we can check it together, and I will explain it in my own words.

If you have read this far, I would be happy if you could click the ♡ button.

If you have any "How do I do this?" questions about smartphones or AI, please ask me on LINE. A greeting with just a sticker is also very welcome. ▶Click here for LINE

https://lin.ee/OEZd5DD

Author: Sate. | Smartphones and AI for those in their 50s and beyond
30 years in the IT industry. 20 of those years were spent as a technical writer writing manuals.

I translate and resolve the "fuzziness" and "vague fears" about smartphones and AI for those in their 50s and beyond using gentle language.