How to teach older workers new technology?
June 12, 2022 1:05 PM   Subscribe

The company I work for is implementing a new Electronic Log Book Device (ELD) for our truck drivers. I am finding it incredibly challenging teaching older drivers (both currently employed and recently hired) how to use the software.

The software itself is not that complex.

To select a truck, a driver must click on a big, orange button that says "VEHICLE," which then takes you to a different screen on the tablet with the options "SELECT TRUCK." When they click "SELECT VEHICLE," this will take them to another screen, and then all they have to do is select the unit number that corresponds with their truck number. Choosing a trailer is the same, except instead of "SELECT TRUCK," they click "SELECT TRAILER."

The whole process takes maybe 15-30 seconds. It is three taps on the screen with your finger: VEHICLE, SELECT TRUCK, [TRUCK #].

Most of the app is structured the same way. To change their duty status, a driver must click on "DUTY STATUS," choose the duty status they want to switch to, then click "SAVE." Again, three taps: DUTY STATUS, [DESIRED DUTY STATUS], SAVE.

When I do the training, I do a live demo in a classroom setting with a screen projector, one-on-one practice training with a device, and if necessary, I will join them in the truck to guide them through the whole process of how to use it real-world. Usually, this takes between 3-5 hours altogether.

But I am not having a lot of success teaching drivers between the ages of 60-80. They don't seem to remember anything long enough to do it. Even if they demonstrated in front of me that they could do it, within 10 minutes of leaving them on their own, they could have forgotten it. It seems like they retain very little for very short periods.

How do I successfully make inroads in training these workers? What methods or approaches work best?
posted by 8LeggedFriend to Work & Money (29 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Where do they need to use this software? Is it on the road via mobile device, via a laptop, at a central depot, etc? Could you design a magnet or sticker that has the steps laid out simply for the key processes and either make them available for drivers to place somewhere handy, or have them placed prominently at workstations?
posted by rachaelfaith at 1:20 PM on June 12, 2022 [9 favorites]


What if they don't have to learn?

Maybe cheat sheets that they can tuck on their visor would be helpful aids. It's right in front of their face, can be organized by top tasks, and can have the same visuals that the device uses.
posted by entropone at 1:20 PM on June 12, 2022 [21 favorites]


I would try printed instructions.
posted by wondermouse at 1:20 PM on June 12, 2022 [10 favorites]


How much of this is "forgetting" and how much is just "not caring"? If their paycheck is tied keeping the log up-to-date, I'm sure their "memories" will improve.
posted by SPrintF at 1:21 PM on June 12, 2022 [4 favorites]


I hope you are not including those little patronizing jabs when you are teaching ‘not that complex’ and ‘maybe 15 seconds’. To someone new to your app, that’s rather offputting, even if you are trying to be reassuring.

I’d emphasize clicking-along. A lot of the challenges are about finding the right screen or the right button, so offering a lot of dwell time and ensuring people are -with you- through the demo as you go will get you further along than doing a demo that they didn’t keep up with.

And then practicing. Does your classroom setup give you feedback/visibility to which of your students has completed the current step? E.g. two people have selected their TRUCK but the other three haven’t yet? Then you can help the three or engage the other two to help you bring everyone to the same point. And after you do the click-through-together part, after a few minutes do it again. Now let’s all pretend we’re going to take the green truck with the bananas load, and give everyone another chance to practice with the device after a few minutes but not as much as an hour. And having a job aid sticker as suggested above is a really good idea.
posted by janell at 1:22 PM on June 12, 2022 [17 favorites]


Can you provide them with a laminated card (not tiny, not small print), that they can stick/glue next to the tablet? Simply listing the steps?

Also, do consider the changing physical aspects, it is easier to say i forgot, than admit physical change (i am 57, and both eyesight and use of finger tips on a screen are an issue) .
Do they need/use reading glasses? How tiny is the lettering on their tablets?
Also, the older one gets, the less sensitive the skin of the finger tip gets. I would also assume that they may have calloused fingers, from manual labour.
Both these factors (dry finger tips, callouses and aged eyesight will contribute to frustrations with using a tablet/ touch screen).
posted by 15L06 at 1:25 PM on June 12, 2022 [11 favorites]


Nthing janell, they are right:
not that complex’ and ‘maybe 15 seconds’. To someone new to your app, that’s rather offputting, even if you are trying to be reassuring. is definitely not helpful.
posted by 15L06 at 1:29 PM on June 12, 2022 [5 favorites]


Do these drivers do much with apps and phones in the rest of their lives? I think it's easy to underestimate how much we "learn" in the background just because we use, like, phones all the time. We automatically know to click and then click again, etc. If these older people don't do much with phones/apps/etc, they are starting from scratch in a way that is going to make it much harder to learn because they have to internalize the whole process. I hate phones and it takes me longer to learn phone stuff because I'm always needing to figure out the basics since I don't do much phone stuff day to day.

I like the idea of a sticker or little card, but I also like the idea of trying to build a container for this knowledge while they are in the classroom - is this the kind of group where you could do a little more intro/chat work? Would it be too weird to have them introduce themselves? Can you ask them a little about their experience with phones, maybe under the guise of gathering data about staff experience? (How often do they use apps on their phones? What kinds of apps? Do they download stuff themselves? Etc)

If you "build a container" (ie, make the class think of itself as a group, create a shared sense of why we're doing this) it helps people get invested in the issue and retain.

Also, is there anything else you could click through with them as a warm-up? Do they need to log into anything else routinely? If you get them in the click/select headspace it may be easier for them to retain.

Where I work, I have had to accept that it is just incredibly tough for even pretty intelligent people to learn online systems that seem intuitive to me - they seem intuitive to me because I've been working with similar ones for my entire adult career. (And I'm talking about point and click stuff that is more complex than what you describe but not, like, complex, it's not that I am a brain genius here.)
posted by Frowner at 1:31 PM on June 12, 2022 [8 favorites]


I would try printed instructions.

This is what I use when I need to get across tech information to people who absolutely need to use it but are struggling. My mantra for doing this kind of work generally is "If it's not easy for them, it's not easy." My suggestions

- print the screens for each step of the process with circles/arrows that indicate what needs to be tapped or entered at each stage (including what completion looks like). Each of them is in a section with a header: SELECT YOUR TRUCK, CHANGE DUTY STATUS &c. I would do this for portrait and landscape mode (and make sure that the app works in both)
- I like 15L06's idea to have some smallish laminated cards they can flip through
- another page or two that outlines what can happen if they get "lost" (i.e. "here's how to get back to the home page if you wind up someplace you're not expecting")

Often until people are in real-world situations, they have trouble retaining a series of steps but if they can use references (and if they are required to do the steps, which is ultimately the other part of this) they can puzzle through it at their own pace once they have to.
posted by jessamyn at 1:33 PM on June 12, 2022 [16 favorites]


Cheat sheets, and make them practice it in the truck with you present to give feedback, multiple times and multiple days. Get feedback on how you're verbally presenting the need for the change.
posted by michaelh at 1:46 PM on June 12, 2022 [2 favorites]


I’m a lot younger and occasionally I have to figure out apps, admittedly somewhat more complex, for work. And up to about five years ago work provided quick reference guides or written instructions with screenshots for common tasks and it was very easy to figure out what I was meant to do. And about five years ago they stopped doing the written documents and started to do videos and these are the most infuriating thing ever. It takes much longer to get to the information I need if I have to watch a five min video….so please give them some kind of quick reference cards to keep with them. My relatives in their 70s, some of whom have ‘IT Helpdesk’ status among their peers, struggle to do certain things with their phones and tablets. And they are generally willing to have a go and have accepted that they are unlikely to ‘break’ their devices if they click on the wrong thing…
posted by koahiatamadl at 1:49 PM on June 12, 2022 [10 favorites]


Also, do consider the changing physical aspects, it is easier to say i forgot, than admit physical change (i am 57, and both eyesight and use of finger tips on a screen are an issue) .

Definitely don't discount this. My dad was asking me all sorts of worryingly confused questions about his computer. I actually sat down with him to show him things and it became apparent that he couldn't see the screen well enough to know what I was talking about.
posted by hoyland at 1:50 PM on June 12, 2022 [3 favorites]


The software itself is not that complex.

...to someone both technologically inclined and who already knows it. Frankly, it kind of sounds like it might suck in a tedious way. Tough love, I'm trying to help! Like, why not have a blank field that they tap on and a number pad comes up and they type the truck number in? Or put a QR code on the dashboard and they scan that. They probably feel like they're using an ATM that doesn't give them money (directly!). Do they have to log in as well? That can probably seem like a level of complexity in itself. Three screens also implies "wait for the next screen," something subject to "computer is slow" wifi or cell latency.

Just to read between the lines a bit, too: please remove any use of the word "just" in your training patter. It can slip in very insidiously!

Lastly, and perhaps I'm spitballing an entire business idea here, but you wouldn't have to do much training at all if the truck and trailer knew who's driving them, reporting to the system themselves. You assign each driver a ID fob and they tap it on the trailer and the truck they're using, each of which updates the system.
posted by rhizome at 1:53 PM on June 12, 2022 [10 favorites]


Things aren't always that obvious.
I mean was it obvious that to shutdown your computer you must first click START?
That was obvious to some geek ,but normal people can have difficulty with that logic.

In your example , to select a truck instead of pressing select truck. you must first press VEHICLE then next you press SELECT TRUCK Which brings you to SELECT VEHICLE
Seems like you are right back at step one the Vehicle button.

You can see where it's easy to get confused.
posted by yyz at 2:00 PM on June 12, 2022 [19 favorites]


Seconding yyz.

Another factor to stay sensitive to is literacy. If these drivers have been completing mileage + time + inspection logs, on ours anyway, once you know which boxes to complete it's mostly copying numbers into the right spots and then circling any issues like tail lights. I had a great driver who never completed inspection logs if there was an issue. They always called me to "make sure I understood" the problem. I finally realized they weren't confident writing the report out in what is their fourth language.
posted by warriorqueen at 2:22 PM on June 12, 2022 [5 favorites]


I used to do a lot of software training. The key question is, what is your current procedure that this app is replacing? I assume they’re not just grabbing a truck and driving off without telling anyone. There’s a current process that they know and understand, and your goal is to analogies the steps in the new app to the steps in the current process. Like, if they’re currently writing their on-duty start and end times in a physical book, point out that the app is doing the same thing; it’s just a different book, that just happens to not be a book.

Especially in an industry like trucking, where time is everything, routine is important because it saves time. They like the current process because they don’t have to think about it, and that lets them get on the road and to their destination faster. Learning new things takes time, even for bright, curious people, and that’s time that they’re not driving and earning money.

Just like anything else, structured repetition is the key to memory. Few people will remember a process based on one training session. Instead of 3-5 hours all at once, can you break it up into 2-3 hours the first day, another hour the next day, and a final hour a week or so later?
posted by kevinbelt at 2:53 PM on June 12, 2022 [5 favorites]


What I have found helpful when teaching people is to never actually touch/click anything yourself. Use words to tell them what they need to do and watch them do it, gently correcting if necessary.

If this is a local delivery situation, be there at the ass end of the morning to talk them through it as they're leaving for the day. Then be there when they get back to talk them through logging out. Then drag your ass out of bed and do it again. Then another time a week later if necessary.
posted by wierdo at 3:00 PM on June 12, 2022 [2 favorites]


I agree that you might want to talk to folks about what aspects of the process they find difficult. Because clearly it is not straightforward for a sizable proportion of your workplace. You might also want to put out feelers if the folks who are struggling are the ones who don't use smartphones or tablets on a regular basis.

I concur that a written down "cheat sheet" is a good idea. If you think the framing would help these folks, perhaps call it a Quick Reference Handbook? After all, all pilots use checklists, so it's not necessarily an age-related tool for truckers.

Realistically, some folks are going to need more practice. For instance, you might want to consider having practice time where you are around, but not hovering over someone's shoulder.

Also a friendly reminder to consider your demeanor. Students who perceive their instructor as inpatient or uncaring will sometimes say they understand something when they really don't.
posted by oceano at 3:00 PM on June 12, 2022


Could any of these drivers be illiterate? [On Preview, I see WQ suggested this already]
posted by soylent00FF00 at 3:10 PM on June 12, 2022 [1 favorite]


I am a geriatric 66+ and I find your post hilarious ... but I digress.

Use as few words as possible when instructing. The following is a lot of words:
To select a truck, a driver must click on a big, orange button that says "VEHICLE," which then takes you to a different screen on the tablet with the options "SELECT TRUCK." When they click "SELECT VEHICLE," this will take them to another screen, and then all they have to do is select the unit number that corresponds with their truck number. Choosing a trailer is the same, except instead of "SELECT TRUCK," they click "SELECT TRAILER."


Yes, absolutely, cheat sheets:

To choose a vehicle:
1) VEHICLE
2) SELECT TRUCK
3) SELECT VEHICLE
4) Select the unit number that corresponds with your truck number.

To choose a trailer:
1) VEHICLE
2) SELECT TRAILER
3) SELECT VEHICLE
4) Select the unit number that corresponds with your truck number.

To change your duty status:
1) DUTY STATUS
2) DESIRED DUTY STATUS
3) SAVE
posted by SageTrail at 3:23 PM on June 12, 2022 [17 favorites]


Cheat sheets, laminated and one attached to every device that's being used for this purpose.
posted by augustimagination at 4:03 PM on June 12, 2022


Cheat Sheets certainly.
But you could improve your teaching by doing as SageTrail suggests:

Instead of teaching
to choose a truck:
1) VEHICLE
2) SELECT TRUCK
3) SELECT VEHICLE
Which looks like you are back at step one

Teach instead
To choose a vehicle:
1) VEHICLE
2) Type of Vehicle SELECT TRUCK
3) SELECT VEHICLE ID

For a trailer

1) VEHICLE
2)Type of Vehicle SELECT TRAILER
3) SELECT VEHICLE iD

They're both vehicles.
Keep it simple. Talk about vehicles. Be consistent. Simplify. It's vehicles all the way down.
Yeah you can laugh together at the pedantic nerd that thinks a trailer should be a vehicle

posted by yyz at 4:21 PM on June 12, 2022 [3 favorites]


Something I've noticed about teaching people technology is mindset. Some people (can trend older but not always) have a very fixed mindset. Click this, click that, done. If it moves or changes, even though it's very similar to what they already know, they're thrown.

Whereas some people are ok with clicking experimentally to see what happens. I bet that your younger learners are forgetting, too, but are more ok with figuring it out if they forget a step.
posted by freethefeet at 4:25 PM on June 12, 2022


1) Give them a schema that ties things together. They're seeing lots of unrelated instructions. Get them to learn it as one big thing instead.

"There will always be three steps 'What are we doing?', 'Get Specific' and 'Save'. Here's where we start - I call this first screen the Top screen or the "What first?" screen. That's where you look for the category we want, "What are we doing?". Then we Get Specific. We enter the details, whatever is relevant. Then we Save and confirm to wrap everything up."

When you do explain individual tasks later, go through this each time to tie the schema into each process.

2) Give them permission to explore and fail. Tell them anything they do need to be wary of, and what they don't.

"You can't break this thing without trying. That last step, Save? As long as you don't use Save, everything is temporary. You can't mess it up as long as you don't hit save. Feel free to explore and play around otherwise."
posted by Garm at 5:29 PM on June 12, 2022 [4 favorites]


Is this also changing WHEN this information has to be logged? Knew some truckers back in the day who would fill out all their logs at the end of a haul or when they stopped for the night. I have heard some grumbling about being tracked with the electronic stuff and passive resistance by just not remembering how to do it. It’s adding executive function to a portion of their job that they’ve already got down and don’t have any benefit - only downside - to changing. I know you said you are seeing it with new hires, too. But I wouldn’t discount that there’s zero tangible benefits to the people who are having to do the thing. And a lot of feeling like their being monitored when they don’t need micromanaging. (I do understand that this is largely completely out of anyone’s hands and comes from regulations!)

That said - laminated cards with a binder ring through one corner attached with a lanyard to the tablet. Put them in the order they’ll be needed. There is no need for anyone to memorize this.
posted by Bottlecap at 8:54 PM on June 12, 2022 [3 favorites]


I'd suggest that older generations are more used to "checklists", much like the military did.

You can also try flowcharts, some people like to follow the boxes and arrows and such.

As many suggested, either laminate the instructions to their sun visor, or add a "card" clipped to the vehicle key, or whatever else they have to grab in the morning so it's always in front of them. Put another card in the glove compartment, one zip-tied to the back of the ELD device... you get the idea.

MASTER CHECKLIST

* Driver logged in? (Did driver enter ID, password, etc.) -- IF NO, do "Driver Login"

* Tractor selected? -- IF NO, TRACTOR SELECT

* Trailer selected? -- IF NO, TRAILER SELECT

* Change Duty Status -- >> DUTY STATUS CHANGE

Then for EACH task, you make new card(s)
posted by kschang at 6:39 PM on June 13, 2022


Is it possible to change the app? Why do they have to hit "save"? Just make it "sticky" - last choice is what is selected.

Every time the go to a new screen, that relies on a mental model of their place in the overall menu structure, and they may not have that mental model. Can you fit more choices/info on one screen?

What screen ui widgets are you using? Is it quicker and less error prone to choose the truck number from a list, or to type it in?

Can they choose truck type and trailer type via a picture, like choosing veggies at the grocery self-check?
posted by at at 2:24 PM on June 18, 2022


The ELDs are designed by vendors and I doubt OP has any influence on the UI at all.
posted by kschang at 6:00 PM on June 18, 2022 [1 favorite]


As do I, but is it not worth asking?
posted by at at 7:48 PM on June 20, 2022


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