Consumers struggle with tech

US technology consumers take 20 minutes struggling with a new gadget before they give up, according to study.

The research, carried out by Elke den Ouden for her thesis at Eindhoven University in Holland, found that users would struggle with a device before reaching the conclusion that the kit is broken.

More than half of all electronics products returned to stores as faulty have nothing wrong with them, the study found.

The majority of hardware returns are caused not by dodgy products, but by users who are unable to fathom how to operate a device. Although the same can’t be said for Australian customers, the changing complexities of what use to be simple gadgets does confuse all consumers.

Dick Smith, merchandising manager, Alex Cochrane said the generalisation of the study by den Ouden was more true than false. This is partly due to technology and the obligation retailers have to try and help customers out with complex gadgets.

“What’s happening is devices are getting more complicated and I think a lot of time needs to be spent on making complicated devices as simple as possible. There are a number factors to this.

“Design, instruction manuals and the way instructions are worded play a part in the level of frustration a customers feels when they can’t get their purchase to work.”

Cochrane believes gadgets such as MP3 players, iPods, mobile phones and even the humble cordless phone have become more complex for consumers.

An example of this, said Cochrane, is a cordless phones with DECT standards. If you take a Phillips DECT handset it will work with a Panasonic base (or any other with DECT standard). Customers might have to push a few buttons, but they can get them to work together.

“Versatile products don’t operate in their own right, it’s part of a bigger system, however a customer won’t know that. They might want to do something complex but it won’t tell them how in an instruction manual.”

Access to help, phone in-line, in fact letting the customer know you can buy products and will walk them through it will often get to the root of the problem. Most times a customers will think a product will do something it can’t.

He believes return of products are the result of common misunderstanding of common threads in technology. If the aspect of a product or manual retailers can be changed then people will get it no fault found.

“Ultimately we want to reduce the number of returns as it’s less cost for us and our distributors. Products are more complex and can do more things part of a retailers mandate is that we have to try make it simple for the customer,” said Cochrane.

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