The IT Pro Podcast: Saying goodbye to software

We’ve all felt that sinking feeling, after our favourite operating system or piece of software gets a new update and we realise that the layout has changed and half the features don’t work like they used to. But why do we get so attached to our applications, and why do we find it so irksome when they change?

In this week’s episode of the IT Pro Podcast, staff writer Bobby Hellard joins us to discuss the painful process of accepting updates, including why it’s more difficult for organisations in certain industries, which companies are the worst culprits for making unpopular changes, and how organisations can ease the process of transitioning to new tools.

Highlights

“I think that for me, the reason that I didn't hate Windows 8 and actually quite liked it and engaged with it as a touchscreen type thing and thought it was kind of cool, is because I am typically a Mac user. And so the interface that I am very used to is different; the Apple menu is kind of similar to a Start bar, but it's not the same. And so for me, I'm like, ‘Oh, well, this is fine, because it's like my phone’. And it was the whole ‘one Windows’ thing that was supposed to be across all devices. But regular Windows users were just like, torches and pitchforks outside Redmond.”

“When it's software that we use all the time, every day, those little tweaks and changes can really slow down workflows, because it’s about familiarity, fundamentally. So when it's an operating system, whether that's smartphone or desktop, we're using it all the time. So the little frustrations of having to hunt around for a few seconds to find a context menu or whatever really start to mount up. And also I think there's a psychological element. Humans are very good at forming attachments with things, and I think that happens with software as much as it does with a robot vacuum cleaner, or a cat.”

“It can make it difficult for businesses if their staff aren’t upgrading; security issues, because they don't get the patches and so on. But I always keep thinking about the government and their use of WhatsApp. And they keep saying that they shouldn't use it, because they're deletable messages and whatnot. But it just sounds like it's convenient, and that's the way they want to use it, and there's no other alternative that's as easy. So it's that difficulty between giving your staff stuff that they use and want to use, that's convenient, and keeping your business secure, or keeping people within the guidelines.”

Read the full transcript here.

Footnotes

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