Technical IQ #2 – Playing With New Software

I have a belief that software should be made to serve the master, and not to turn the master into the slave. If you have that mindset, you will explore software simply by reading a manual and clicking on the software functions to “give it a test drive”.

Most newbies suffer at this. They don’t know how to play with a software. Some because it’s the first time they have ever used software. In case you didn’t realize, people who are used to playing with software know how they look like and are intuitively able to use it. This is also the same reason why MS Word and MS Powerpoint typically have similar navigation. Any software that falls out of this structure tends to be less popular.

So by that reason alone, it may not just be your fault!

Recently, I purchased a really complex software to use. I understand it being complex, but I didn’t believe it had to be. Software must be user friendly, and therefore, people will buy it. At the same time, user-friendly software are also not as heavy in features. So we need to strike a balance somewhere.

What you need to do is to look at the value of a piece of software – personal productivity – and then buy it to explore it within the next few days. Yes, it may take some time for you to develop competence using it, but you have to start somewhere. Good software has help files and technical support surrounding it. Go ahead and develop this skill and you should be well on your way to being a tech “guru” over time.