How to Help Someone Who is Computer Illiterate With a Computer Issue

We’ve all gotten that call from an older relative, or tech illiterate friend, wanting to know how to get online, or how to fix something that’s gone wrong with their PC. The problem is that they don’t understand basic computer jargon, so walking them through basic troubleshooting can be as bad as pulling teeth. Here are some basic steps you can use to help someone who is computer illiterate with his or her PC issues.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Someone unfamiliar with computers with a computer issue
• A great deal of time and patience

1. Give yourself a lot of time to work with whoever needs your tech help. Not only can the problem they are having be complex, you’ll be walking someone totally blind through finding out what the cause and solution is. This just can’t be done in the time it takes to get to work in the morning or on your lunch break in a lot of situations. Set a time when both you and whoever needs your help won’t have any distractions or time constraints while you work on the issue.
2. Make sure you know what all the symptoms are before you troubleshoot. It can be difficult to gauge what exactly is wrong because who you’re working with won’t always know how to describe the issue at hand. You may have to work around some unique replacements for standard computer lexicon like “TV tube” for monitor, or “modem” instead of computer tower.
3. Take time to learn what contextual clues work with the individual. The colors of the icons may work for some, while others my pick up on words like the “Start” menu button. Understand that the basics of computing can be totally foreign to someone. The very idea of “right click” is confusing to many people who grew up in an age where every exact function had a single button on the radar range for example.
4. Speak in a clear and calm voice and walk them through troubleshooting the issue. Don’t be afraid to repeat simple steps. An example would be “I need you to left click on the Start button in the lower left corner. Good, now I need you to find the Control Panel and left click on that”. Notice that both times “left click” was repeated. It’ll keep who you’re talking to on track, and shouldn’t annoy most people even if they don’t have an issue with which mouse button to use.
5. Use directional cues, and be positive. Reassure who you’re working with that he or she is doing a good job, and not to fret if something isn’t where it should be.
6. If there is a physical issue, you may need to learn a whole new set of contextual clues to help them find the problem. Use standard cable colors and shapes if they are having an issue with a router or modem. Keep in mind that it isn’t likely that someone will retain terms like “Ethernet cable” in one session if they didn’t already know them beforehand.
7. Know when to stop. If there’s major corruption of Windows files, or if there’s a physical issue with a component of the PC, it isn’t likely you’ll be able to walk them through a repair in most cases. This is the time you may have to handle the issue yourself, or give a referral to a professional.

Tips & Warnings

• If things look bad from the start, such as major file system corruption, but they can still get to their data, walk them through a backup before doing anything else.
• Ask how the computer is being used. If someone uses social networks or download a lot of programs, it’s a good clue that they should run a virus scan before going much further.
• Make sure you are talking to someone who uses the PC often. If not, they may not be much help to finding the root of the issue. If a younger member of the family uses the PC the most, have someone ask what the last thing they did with the machine was.
• Don’t be ashamed if things go beyond your scope of knowledge. Don’t be afraid to refer someone to another expert, or to ask questions yourself, if you find something you can’t fix.
• People react and expect different things from technical support. If someone is annoyed with how you are explaining something, change your tone and try a different approach.
• Know when people want to vent instead of fixing the issue. Some people just want to get some frustration off their chest. This is healthy, but sometimes the goal isn’t to find a solution to a problem, but find a human punching bag to yell at. If who you are talking to won’t stay on task, it might be better just to refer them to someone else.
• In some environments, such as call-centers and emergencies, time may be of the essence. Rapidly getting to the core of the issue and resolving it is a difficult task, even for professionals. If you find yourself in this situation, never rush who you are helping, and stay calm and on task. Stick to what you know and the most common causes of the problem for the best results.

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