Are You A “Friendly-User”

Do you spend time with your software? Do you try to communicate with it or do you give up quickly? Have you ever “poked around” the menus, just to see what it can do? Are you friendly to your software?

Sound silly? Sure, but it can be the difference between being frustrated and uncomfortable with your software and getting to know it better. Just learning one or two features can increase your productivity by getting things done faster.

Let’s take a look at two menu features that often go overlooked.

“Tools” – what are tools? They are supposed to be things that help you. A jack for when you have a flat tire. A spatula for when you need to flip a pancake. A feature of the software that helps you accomplish a task. 99% of the time, clicking on “tools” invokes a pull-down menu. It simply lists all the “tools”. One of them may be exactly what you are looking for.

“Options” – what are options? They are supposed to be choices. You have options in almost every moment of your life. Salad or soup? Soda or wine? Walk or drive? Blue pants or black pants? Stay or go? Click or don’t click? The options found in most software (ironically, typically found in the “tools” list) also invokes a menu or launches a window with more options. These options help the software work the way YOU want it to by changing your settings.

Granted, there may be some settings that you should not change, but for the most part, tools and options help customize or personalize your software. They even make it easier to complete daily tasks.

Be more open to seeing what’s in the Tools or Options menus. A friendlier approach to your software could make your software more accommodating.

Ellen DePasquale – The Software Revitalist™