How Tutorials help you embrace New Technology
Technology is “the application of scientific knowledge for practical purpose.” However, if you don’t take the time to understand new technology it becomes quite impractical. Tutorials are designed to help even the most reluctant of users embrace technology and see it really can make life easier.
Tutorials provide the insight you need to get the most out of technology.
Thinking “I Got This”
One thing most technology companies have in common is that they advertise their tools, software or websites as “easy to use” and “time saving”. That often leads to new customers and users approaching new technology with an “I got this” attitude. There is nothing wrong with being confident, but the truth of the matter is, if you don’t know how to use something properly, chances are you will make a mistake that will cost you time and in turn, money. It is no different than buying a closet system from Ikea and refusing to use the manual. When you choose to go rogue, chances are you are going to miss a step. When you take a tutorial you are increasing your chances of actually “getting it” and realizing that the tools actually are pretty easy to use, as long as you know how.
Intuitive Software Myth
Although most programmers design software and interfaces to be “intuitive” to users, one has to ask themselves the question, “Intuitive to whom?” No matter how hard a company tries to appeal to the masses, there is always going to be certain aspects of their technology that is not so intuitive to you.
There are expectations that are hard wired into our brains and these expectations can lead to the wrong conclusions when using a new technology. When you take the tutorial you will know how the designers expect you to use it and voila, suddenly it is intuitive.
Upgrade = Change
Ask any support person who is working on the day they just launched a new website, upgrade or service and they will emphatically agree that their customers don’t like change. Using any form of new technology is very much like change. You have decided to use the technology to make positive change in your life. Yet, if you do not take the time to familiarize yourself with how it works it can literally take you hours to complete something that should have taken minutes. Consider your tutorial a period of adjustment to get used to the change, and suddenly acceptance and a new found zeal to embrace change will have you saving time and excelling in productivity.
The Tutorial Advantage
Any technology worth its weight in gold has a support team and some form of tutorial for a reason. They know that it is impossible for everyone to understand how to use their system as people of all different skill levels will be using it. The bottom line is that we all learn in different ways. Tutorials provide an advantage as they:
Demonstrate how the designers intended the technology to be used and applied
Use a logical approach that walks you through the steps required to get the best results
Demonstrate the simplest route to completion of a task
Offer tips and tricks that help you get the most benefit out of the technology
Reduce the odds of time wasting errors
Allow you to get a full appreciation for what the technology was designed for
Tutorials might seem like a waste of time, but there is a reason so many companies offer them and recommend you use them: They want you to like their product. And the best way for you to gain an appreciation for technology and embrace it is to understand what it can do to make your life easier.
Realtour offers free tutorials so you always know how to use their real estate marketing system effectively. You can opt to learn about just one of our marketing tools, such as virtual tours, eflyers or print creator, or take an entire overview. Either way you will learn to embrace the technology designed to make your real estate marketing virtually effortless.
