Sales Rep looking for Opinions

[vailjo91#WP]

Hey guys,
My name is Jordan and I work for ATT. I currently use a HTC Surround. For me using the OS7 has never been hard for me or a learning issue. But I am trying to find out what people find as the biggest learning curves or issues that they would need help with. I normally write little instruction manuals for people who request them and have done so for other phones I owned like the Samsung Captivate (Android), Blackberry Torch, and Motorola Flipside (Android). So any answers would be greatly appreciated. Nothing will sound stupid or dumb so please just let me know.

 

[VernonEL]

From the sound of it, two if the biggest, most simple tips for average users would be:
Utilization of the "..." as an extension of the menu.
Long press on just about everything will give you more options.

You probably had those on your list already.

 

[NickA]

And a lot of times the questions are different based on if coming from an existing smartphone like a BlackBerry or if this is their first iPhone.

I think one of the biggest learning curves for new users is setting up e-mail.

 

[selfcreation]

setting up e-mail? lol really , i thought that was the easy part! lol

i think the hardes part of wp7 for me is Learning how to properly SYNC all your info , from contacs to songs to calanders to w/e you might need to SYNC. it easy once you know how but for people that have never done this type of sync it might be comfusing.

 

[chsoriano]

And a lot of times the questions are different based on if coming from an existing smartphone like a BlackBerry or if this is their first iPhone.

Um... what?

I think one of the biggest learning curves for new users is setting up e-mail.

This really shouldn't be difficult for anyone...

I agree with se1fcr3ation, the most challenging aspect for most users is understanding that everything is basically synced to the web (photos, documents, e-mail, contacts, etc.). I find a lot of people are also thick-headed when it comes to understanding Zune pass. I always have to slowly explain it to people so that they understand why it's beneficial if you download just more than $5 - $10 worth of music a month.

 

[gyrferret]

How to unlock it. Every time I hand someone my phone, they don't know that ONLY the power button unlocks the screen and that you slide up to unlock it.

It's kinda sad how many people I have had this happen and the dumbfounded look of "how do I unlock it?"

 

[selfcreation]

How to unlock it. Every time I hand someone my phone, they don't know that ONLY the power button unlocks the screen and that you slide up to unlock it.

It's kinda sad how many people I have had this happen and the dumbfounded look of "how do I unlock it?"

LMAO!! i have that problem at work , people take my phones to play games sometimes , they never know how to unlock it LOL!!! i had a guy just sit there taping at my screen and going , why does the screen stay black, LMAO!! man good times

 

[gibbyhome]

I would say zune pass because there are some strange ways of downloading the music without purchasing it ... I think you need to long hold for the download of the song instead of buy, also you should show people how to change the billing when you buy stuff on the phone it defaults to your phone provider unstead of zune credit card..

the lock screen is a good one too LOL !!! I get that dumb look alot

 

[chsoriano]

Ha... yeah definitely the lock screen... I've had more than one person fiddle with the phone for almost a minute trying to unlock it.

 

[NickA]

Um... what?



This really shouldn't be difficult for anyone...

OMG, dudes. Did you read what the OP was looking for? I don't have issues setting up e-mail. Others may though, and that question is asked frequently. Check out how many posts are on e-mail.

@chsoriano, in response to you most helpful response of "Um... what?". Users that come from other smartphones, especially Blackberry and Android, have a hard time dealing with the lack of features in WP7. How many times have you guys answered questions that started with "In Android I can do....., but how do I do that in WP7?"

Get it? They want to know how it's done on WP7 as opposed to their iPhone/Android/BB device.

 

[NickA]

This really shouldn't be difficult for anyone...

By the way, that statement is pretty narrow minded. Just because you, or someone you know does not find it difficult, other may, and do quite a lot. After 15+ years of professional development, I wish your statement were true. It would have saved me a lot of code changes making things less "difficult" to end users.

 

[chsoriano]

OMG, dudes. Did you read what the OP was looking for? I don't have issues setting up e-mail. Others may though, and that question is asked frequently. Check out how many posts are on e-mail.

@chsoriano, in response to you most helpful response of "Um... what?". Users that come from other smartphones, especially Blackberry and Android, have a hard time dealing with the lack of features in WP7. How many times have you guys answered questions that started with "In Android I can do....., but how do I do that in WP7?"

Get it? They want to know how it's done on WP7 as opposed to their iPhone/Android/BB device.

Lol... my "Um... what?" statement was aimed at the poor grammar in your earlier post... unfortunately I'm going to have to point it out more directly:

"... if coming from an existing smartphone like a BlackBerry or if this is their first iPhone."

When I read that sentence, you seem to be using "iPhone" as a generalization for the person's new smartphone, more specifically, the user's new WP7 smartphone.

By the way, that statement is pretty narrow minded. Just because you, or someone you know does not find it difficult, other may, and do quite a lot. After 15+ years of professional development, I wish your statement were true. It would have saved me a lot of code changes making things less "difficult" to end users.

Narrow-minded... perhaps, but it was not intended to be condescending. I only meant that the first thing you do is enter (or setup) a Windows Live ID on your device. It then proceeds to ask you if you'd like to setup any additional accounts. Granted, some people will still not get it... but that's why we have helpful sales reps like the OP who seem to be looking for ways to help people.

Given your "professional development" experience, I'm pretty sure you also realize that no matter how hard a developer works on the UI, there are always people who think that something would be better (or easier) if (insert end-user feedback here). The UI in WP7 is pretty simplistic to be honest, there is of course a learning curve for anyone... but different people take this curve faster than others.

 

[textomatic]

Long hold menus (already stated...)
ATT MyWireless app- it's not straight forward how to see your text messaging left.

People hub- how to consolidate your contacts from windows live and facebook. And it may not be obvious that you can see what's going on in facebook in that hub.

XboxLive hub- games installed will appear in this hub and not on your app list (well most of them)

Voice activation- holding down the windows button will activate the voice feature.

Speaker phone- how to access the speaker phone (not straight forward) and how your car's speakers can be used as the speaker phone when plugged into the aux jack.

How to change your pictures live tile.

How to use OneNote and sync it over skydrive.

The very useful Find My Phone feature at Welcome to Windows Live

 

[NickA]

Narrow-minded... perhaps, but it was not intended to be condescending.

No big deal, just had a bad day and took your post the wrong way. My fault.