Three Types of Computer Users. Ict Worker Types

Three Broad Categories of Computer Users. All computer users can be divided into three broad categories based on the way they think about computers. The vast majority of computer users are application-oriented. They have training and experience exclusively with commercial software.

They understand concepts peculiar to computers such as files, folders, saving and deleting. They live in a WYSIWYG world; although they may be aware that what they see on the screen is not an entirely accurate representation of what the computer is actually doing, they are not interested in understanding hidden implementations. They have learned how to map their thinking onto the capabilities of the applications they regularly use. Application-oriented computer users are pragmatic, learning as much as they need to get their work done. Nearly all commercial software is targeted at this sort of users who can be considered computer-literate.

The second largest group consists of goal-oriented users. These users are focused on the goals they want to accomplish and neither understand nor care about the software they use to accomplish those goals. This could be called the “I just want to type a letter” group. They only see the final product. They do not care about, for example, the difference between a word processor document and a PDF image of the same document, so they do not understand why they can make textual edits to one and not the other.

They could be described as computer-illiterate, even if they work with computers on a regular basis. Many very intelligent people, scientists and scholars, fall into this category. They are frustrated by the limitations of the software they use because they do not understand the reasons for those limitations.

The third and smallest group of computer users – ironically, the original computer users – is comprised of hackers. Hackers are computer-oriented computer users. They have learned how to think like a computer, to understand the processes the computer goes through. They favour small tools (e.g. the command line, shell scripts) over large applications because they want to be in precise control of what the computer is doing at all times. They comfortably work with data in “raw” formats such as text files. This does not necessarily mean they are tired down with minutiae of implementation; often they can work at much higher levels of abstraction than other users.

Types of Computer End-Users: ICT Worker Types. Before we consider the four types of computer end-users, it is to be said that there are other computer users types classifications. Usually they are limited to three types. One more classification mentioned here is not an exception: Novice, Intermediate and Expert.

Novice users are people who are afraid that by simply pressing a key they might break their computer. Intermediate users are those who don’t know how to fix their computer after they’ve just pressed a key that broke it. And expert users are people who press the keys that break other people’s computers.

Now let’s explore a favorite topic of ICT professionals, that’s of end user community. Many IT professionals detest their end-user community. DBAs create databases as architectural wonders, only to have the end users mess them up with blown-out undo logs, fragmented tablespaces and stupid recovery requests. But try as we might avoid it, interactions with end users are inevitable, and proper preparation is the key to survival.

To properly understand the motives and mind-set of the end user, we have found it useful to classify the end user into personality types. By quickly identifying the type of end user, you can anticipate the type of complaint, understand their motives and desires and devise a strategy to get them out of your office as quickly as possible. End users have very specific personality characteristics and they tend to fall into one of the following types: the IT Wannabe, the Rottweiler, the Baby, the Luddite.

These characteristics are deliberately exaggerated for the sake of illustration, there will be some similarities to end users in these descriptions. Hopefully, these characterisations will remind you of some of your favorite end users and you will learn some tips for getting rid of them quickly and efficiently.

T he IT Wannabe. The IT Wannabe is the most dangerous of the end users and should be treated with extreme caution. Because they are proficient in MS-Access, the IT Wannabe knows that databases are really easy and cannot understand why the company needs an IT professionals staff. Extremely self-absorbed and naive, the IT Wannabe will remind you of your know-it-all teenager.

The IT Wannabe loves to bypass their systems with ODBC and SQL*Plus and may have a history of causing system-wide slowdowns by issuing ad-hoc SQL. They love shortcuts and may spend days trying to circumvent your database access controls. Frustrated and distrusting, the IT Wannabe has tried for years to get a job in the IT department and deeply resents that their correspondence school degree in Computer Technology was not sufficient to get them a job as a C++ Software Engineer. Because the IT Wannabe harbors a deep resentment for the IT department, they love to create problems and roadblocks at every opportunity, and they become visibly elated whenever a computer problem occurs. Hallmarks of the IT Wannabe include a love of science fiction. The IT Wannabe loves fantasy and may use analogies from Star Trek episode No. 37 to illustrate a point about their computer problem. Usually fluent in Klingon, they can be easily recognised by the presence of sci-fi posters in their cubicles.

The IT Wannabe is sometimes a graduate of one of those scary IT correspondence schools, the ones that advertise on late night TV, offering degrees in Dog Grooming and Computer Programming. The IT Wannabe loves to display their “Certificates of Completion” and the IT wannabe will spend $50 to frame a certificate for attending a four-hour seminar on “Fundamentals of Word processing.”

The IT Wannabe knows that he really doesn’t understand what’s going-on inside a computer and he covers up his ignorance by believing that anything displayed on his monitor is the Gospel Truth. This gullibility makes the IT Wannabe a sucker for urban legends and pranks.

The Rottweiler. The Rottweiler is the most aggressive and annoying of the end users. Stubborn and prone to exaggeration, the Rottweiler is fierce and vocal and relishes tearing into the unsuspecting IT professional.

The Rottweiler is especially difficult because they continue to “vent”, even after you have fixed their problem. The Rottweiler is usually male and is the type of end user who loves the thrill of battle, carefully planning their assault for the best advantage. For example, when the Rottweiler gets a database internal error (ORA-0600), they will repeat the keystrokes, over and over, as if it result might be different next time, and never report the problem until the whole system crashes. Almost universally, the Rottweiler has a low opinion of their DBA and cannot understand why an upgrade to the SAP system cannot be completed during their lunch hour.

The Rottweiler immediately assumes the worst, exaggerates everything and is quick to turn every minor inconvenience into a major disaster. To the Rottweiler, everything is an emergency.

The Rottweiler loves to multi-task and enjoys surfing the Web while working. They are extremely productive, yet still manage to spend much of their day buying memorabilia on eBay or posting obscenities on Internet message boards. The Rottweiler is at their best when engaged in an argument, he is confrontational, and no amount of fact is going to diminish their zeal. They will threaten and intimidate the IT staff whenever possible and will commonly name all of the Vice Presidents who will hear that it took you more than 4 minutes to solve their problem.

The Rottweiler is sometimes a member of the NRA and enjoys hunting, fishing and any sport that involves killing something. Secretly, it is suspected that some Rottweilers are deeply insecure about their gender roles and overcompensate by being super-macho males or super-feminist females.

The Baby. The Baby is one of the most common types of end users and is easily identified by their Apple, Macintosh or iPod PC. Prone to temper tantrums, the Baby is characterized by a deep-seated fear of computers and contempt for the “meanies” in computer support. The Baby may remind you of a two-year-old child, the Baby blames others. They will whine and cry, throw a tantrum and even hold their breath when frustrated by their computer. Deeply insecure, the Baby does not have the courage to actually talk with the IT professional and would rather whine to management or enlist the aid of a Rottweiler. The Baby is most dangerous when they manage to enrage a nearby Rottweiler and the Baby loves to whip the Rottweiler into a frenzy and then watch them scream at the help desk operator.

The Baby is well-aware of their intellectual shortcomings and uses these outbursts as a tool to get what they want.

The Baby is self-centered and will become emotional over every computer problem. The Baby is very sensitive and takes it as a personal affront when they cannot get their computer to do what they want. The Baby will assume that every computer slowdown is directed at them exclusively, usually a deliberate attempt by the DBA to tarnish their job performance rating. You can always tell a Baby because they complain “Why are you doing this to ME?”

A Baby is never responsible for their own actions and believes that all computer problems stem from crummy software. For example, Babies will load huge volumes of incorrect data into the database and then wait two weeks to validate the data. When the Baby discovers their error, they phone the DBA and demand that the transaction be rolled-back without affecting any other data for the past two weeks. Obviously, a Baby should never be told about redo logs.

A Baby cannot bear to hear any technical explanations. Babies hate acronyms, and see the DBA as deliberately showing-off by using incomprehensible computer words like “connectivity” and “URL.” Babies will ask lame questions like what “SQL”, “DBMS” and “Oracle” stands-for, as if this knowledge will give them deep insights into the fundamental nature of computers.

The Luddite. Luddites are characterized by a profound fear and distrust of technology. Scared to death of change, the Luddite reacts violently to the automation of any business process.

Talking with a Luddite may remind you of the time you tried to teach your grandma how to use e-mail and she thought the mouse was a foot pedal, like the one on her sewing machine. Closed-minded and rigid, the Luddite will fight every system enhancement, especially those that make their lives easier. It is suspected that this is because the Luddite has a deep-seated fear (sometimes justified) that their job function will be replaced with a $49.95 software package. Consequently, the Luddite will often sabotage their new system projects in order to demonstrate that their manual process is superior to the computerized solution. Hallmarks of the Luddite include:

The Luddite feels disdain for electronics – palm pilots are unknown to them, and they rarely own a cell phone, VCR, or any device that might require programming. They may display an abacus in their office and are usually proficient with a slide rule. One Luddite took a course in Gregg shorthand and never grew tired of showing everyone how he could transcribe faster by hand than with their computer.

The Luddite has no concept of feasibility, he believes that computers are more sophisticated than they really are and believes that HAL 2000 computer in the movie 2001 “A Space Odyssey” was real. This distorted belief system fuels their fears that software will someday rule the earth.

The Luddite longs for the days when life was simple. They tend to have hobbies like making all their own furniture with authentic 18th century tools or making candles from ear wax. If they own a car at all, the Luddite will have a super-safe land-barge like a 1965 Cadillac. The Luddites are a pain-in-the-butt when traveling, and often insist on a 3-day train ride instead of a 6-hour airplane flight. Avid gardeners, they will often bring carloads Zucchini to the office every fall.

The Luddite is the type of end user who will become greatly upset to learn that their data will reside in the same database as data from the other departments. Not caring to understand security, the Luddite will often insist that their database is not contaminated with data from other departments.

Hopefully this lighthearted look at end users will remind you of some of your own experiences with end users. For added fun, feel free to print this article and post it in your end users’ break room.

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