Friday, August 17, 2007

Where's the Any Key?

Plugging in…

Keyboards. Typists know them well. Computer keyboards have a few extra keys, for your benefit, though that might not be terribly obvious. You know the keys I mean, F12, CTRL, Scroll Lock, Alt, Pause, Break, to name a few. Not all keyboards are alike either. Some have programmable keys to quickly access email, the Internet, or the music player. What they ALL have in common though, is the delightful "any key".

Software and hardware documentation is sometimes, shall we say, obtuse. Other times, it is clear as day. A novice learner is generally inclined to be VERY LITERAL when reading or following instructions for something that is unfamiliar to them. Herein lies the problem with the "any key". I stopped counting the times I was asked "where's the any key"? Taken literally, my clients were scouring the keyboard for a key with those exact words on it. I never felt comfortable asking a client how long they searched for it before they called and learned that "any key" literally meant press ANY KEY on the keyboard in front of you.

Admit it, you too searched for that key - one time or another, didn't you?

ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, is it turned on?

Unplugged

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