
Y Combinator Challenge #2 - Simplified Browsing - jmorin007
http://astartupaday.wordpress.com/2008/07/22/y-combinator-challenge-2-simplified-browsing/
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jfornear
The topic of simplified browsing targeted solely to old people comes up all
the time with my parents and friends' parents. From what I've collected, old
people say they want easier this and that, but when it comes down to it, the
individuals that continue to experience difficulty either do not take the time
to learn new technology or are hindered by a disability.

If easier means different, how can you expect them to take the time to learn
your new approach when they don't take the time to learn something as simple
as Google search? Google search is just one huge text box in the middle of the
display. It doesn't get much more straightforward. You type what you want to
find and then sift through the results.

My mom is the biggest noob when it comes to computers. She doesn't see or
expect buttons when she looks at a UI. My mom didn't grow up with GUI's for
cable, video games, or computers like I did, but she has been practicing on
her computer for the last year or two and is finally getting the hang of it
just fine.

I think no matter what you do, a person not used to using computers isn't
going to understand without first taking the time to learn the basics.

There is definitely room for improvement though, just don't target any
particular age demographic. Someone will come up with something that will make
web browsing easier and more efficient for everyone.

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dkasper
Yep, those sound like the kind of users Seth Godin would call "laggards", and
trying to build a business around them is usually not the best idea.

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Tichy
What all OS need is a simpler way to freeze things. My mom constantly calls me
because the UI has changed due to accidental clicks, and my instructions don't
work anymore. For example, my explanation for attaching pictures to mails (a
REALLY complicated task) involves dragging them to the windows icon on the
task bar, but somehow her Gnome task bar keeps losing the "windows selector".
One accidental click and all effort has been wasted.

Even my own system I would like to be able to freeze. Firefox 3 seems to have
gotten quite bad, for example occasionally it accidentally triggers the
"change page direction" switch (which btw. seems like the most stupid option
ever, this should be buried somewhere 100 layers deep, not top level).

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rthomas6
heh. You have your mom running Linux. Nice. :)

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Tichy
By now she is getting better and better, even googling for solutions to
problems ;-)

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Tichy
"For text input, I’d actually not even bother putting a text box anywhere on
the screen."

Bad idea. No hint as to where and how to enter text. How is one supposed to
come up with the idea to just start typing?

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kleneway
I added some comments in the original post about this one. :)

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volida
simplified browsing = google search engine

i've seen 7 years olds using it with incredible ease finding what they want

"and small children don't want the full web; they want to communicate and
share pictures and look things up"

Shouldn't they call it simplified communication or simplified file sharing if
thats what they mean? I think simplified browsing refers to something else.

Concerning communication, there are already some successful social networks
just for children that prevent sharing of personal information.

 _"communicate and share pictures and look things up"_

Also that phrase pretty much sums up the average usage of the internet for any
age, not just children.

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jsrfded
7 year olds are searching "darth vader rap" on youtube behind your back. They
don't understand the web like you do but they figure out/share how to nav to
stuff pretty quick.

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darius
oh Jesus, how is this simplified? you just introduced a bunch of new
functionality. now instead of downloading attachments you need to browse
through modules to find them? what happens if the sender is not a trusted
contact? it should be simplified not more complicated (which is not what
happens if you add IM to it). if your targeted user thinks that FF is too
complicated then good luck finding the IM box in your new simplified browser!

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jrrl
Has anyone figured out why it is called the Jesus browser? It is meant to be
the resurrection of the browser or something?

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kleneway
It's a tongue-in-cheek reference to how people call the iPhone the Jesus
Phone. The main idea = for years mobile phone companies kept churning out
iterations on a single UX, and it took Apple starting from scratch and
focusing on design first to take the mobile phone to the next level. Why
doesn't someone do the same thing with the browser?

