I've been teaching classes at the Northshore Senior Center for the last year and what a joy. It's so fulfilling to witness folks feel empowered by knowledge.
Craigslist is the class that has generated the most interest and is always packed. The first quarter I taught this, we practiced searching (shopping) and then creating an ad. But I learned that there were a couple of things that the students stumbled on: transferring photos from the digital camera and confirming the ad in email. So, this quarter, I added another day to the class, which went really well. First we practiced creating a fake text only ad, checking the email from Craigslist and then how to publish it. Then, we practiced how to plug in the digital camera, find it within Windows Explorer and then move the images to the computer. This was more challenging because not everyone brought their cables and they had a hard time with the concept of Windows Explorer. But the main lesson here was to create folders, remember where they are at and to be able to upload the images to Craigslist. I'm thrilled with how well everyone did.
Working with people unfamiliar with computers is humbling for someone who works in the technology field. I'm always surprised by the number of folks who don't know how to open up their browser, or scroll a window, or pick up their mouse and move it after they run out of room on the desk. And Captcha...that's hard stuff to read!!! Especially for folks that have little patience. Actually, I think that been my biggest usability lesson...there is no patience for things that they don't understand why they are happening. While not everyone builds software products whose target user base are seniors, it makes the case for careful expectation management throughout the app/site and how important the proper flow is. UX professionals look through such a compassionate lens and I'm always grateful when they are part of my software team, especially when the entire team makes it a priority too.