This is a real story.
Disclosure: My mother is a teacher. She uses a computer (Win98) for some basic word processing tasks, she surfs the Internet and uses email to stay in touch with friends and family. She is far from being computer illiterate. She also is no expert user.
A phone call.
"Heiko, can you help me send an attachment via email?"
"Sure! I guess. What are you trying to send?"
"A class plan."
"So that would be a Word document?"
Silence.
"What program did you use to create the document?"
"I just typed the class plan as I always do."
"Do you sit in front of the computer?"
"No, not yet, but let me start the computer and call you right back."
Click.
Two minutes later. Another phone call.
"Heiko, I am calling you from the office now."
"Good. Do you have the email program open?"
"Uhm, no. I am looking at the class plan that I want to send."
"You don't need to have that open. I only need to know where you saved it. Do you know where you saved it?"
"I just saved it as I always do."
"Uhm, in My Documents?"
"How do I know?"
*Sigh* "Close the document. Close the word processor. We'll search it."
"Ok. Everything is closed now."
"What is the name of the file?"
"I don't know. I just saved it."
"So you did not give the document a name before saving it?"
"Oh, yes, class plan!"
"There we go. Do you see a yellow item on your desktop, with 'My Documents' written underneath? If you do, doubleclick that folder."
"Ok."
"Now look carefully at all those items in that folder. Or better, sort by date."
"How do I do that?"
[long explanation of how to display different icon types, lists, and sorting files follows]
"AH! I see the document now!"
"Good. So we now know where the file is located. We need that info when you actually want to attach the file to your email. Close everything you have opened and get connected to the Internet."
"OK, connecting."
"Now, what program do you usually use for emailing? The email client?"
"I don't really know what you mean. I just go to email."
"What exactly do you do when you 'go to email'?"
"I just type www.gmx..."
"OK, so no client. Webmail. Fine. Go to GMX and log in."
"Logging in now."
"So we want to compose a new email message. Just do what you always do. Address, subject line, and so on. Then click the button to attach the file."
"What does the button look like?"
*Sigh* "Uhm, I don't use GMX personally. Maybe it looks like a paper clip. Do you see a paper clip? Or maybe it says 'attach'. Or 'add files'. Do you see anything like that?"
[five minutes of clicking on every button on the GMX interface follow]
"Oh! That's it! It now says 'attachments' in a new small window!"
"Great. Is there a 'Browse' button? Just read to me what the small window says."
"... can use files from your GMX folder or local files from your computer ..."
"F%$#! Why do they have to make it so complicated. Try to click on 'local files'. Do you get another small window?"
"Let me try. Yes. Now I see something. 'Temp4289023' and an 'Open' button."
"Uh. Can you scroll up or down to get to 'My Documents'?"
"I don't know. How would I do that?"
"Good Lord. There has to be a... scroll bar. Or a folder with an arrow. Or something to scroll up and down and move through the... folder hierarchy."
[trial and error clicking, then the worst thing happened, my mother clicks outside the upload window]
"Now the small window is gone."
"WHAT?"
"I don't see the small window anymore. I just see the email."
*Sigh* "Do you know Alt+Tab?"
"No. Where is that?"
"Never mind."
[...]
I didn't succeed. I failed miserably. Apparently, the task of uploading a file into a web-based email client is way too complicated to be explained over the phone to an non-expert computer user. Well, maybe I should have created a GMX account, but even then, some behavior can't be duplicated (such as the initial directory a computer displays when clicking on the 'Browse' button). No wonder so many parents still prefer the fax machine over email.
How did they story end? My sister actually managed to sit through the ordeal since she also is a frequent GMX user and knows their interface by heart. Thank you, sister. And I'm sorry I was no help, Mom.
