RuneScape as Empathy-building Tool for Public Service Staff

My work day started with a one-on-one session with a patron who wanted to start "learning the computer" and ended with me getting a RuneScape account. These two seemingly unrelated activities had a lot more in common than you might think.  

The patron was in her 50s and realized that she needed to upgrade her skill set to get a better job. She's been working through the local job service office that referred her to the library for some extra help. I've heard the argument that it’s inefficient to do one-on-one training, but this was one of the most rewarding and enlightening teaching experiences that I've had in a long time.  

The patron had a laundry list of things she wanted to learn, but I suggested we start by setting up an email account because we regularly see patrons who spend time--lots of time--filling out online job apps, only to find out they can't apply without an email address. The woman knew how to use a mouse and a keyboard, sort of, so we went slow. She pointed to the monitor and wanted to know what it was called. I thought she was pointing to the monitor, but then she said, "You know, how people put those pretty pictures there." Ah! “The desktop”, I told her, then explained why it was called a desktop. We went through whether or not to single click or double click on icons, how to control the mouse a little better, how to type in a web address--really basic stuff. The more I worked with her, the slower I went. I was trying to see it through her eyes and realized how much there is to even the most basic computer use. There are so many little details that, as a regular user, you just don't think about, but are completely alien and not especially intuitive to someone with little or no experience. 

I walked her through setting up a Yahoo! account and had her send me email. I responded and had her reply back. She was pretty nervous at first, but eventually became less overwhelmed and more comfortable. Later she thanked me for being so patient and told me that she'd previously had less than useful and downright unpleasant experiences with other trainers. 

We also talked about the library. She told some other folks at the job place that she was coming to the library for help. None of them had ever thought about coming to the library for help with a job search or for computer help. I told her that was pretty common then asked her if she had a library card. Sheepishly, she admitted that she didn't. About a year ago, she came in to get a card, but was so intimidated by the fact that she didn't see a card catalog that she turned around and walked out. She had no idea that people behind the desks could or would help her. There were no indications that library staff did anything but stand or sit behind desks and check out books.  

I politely insisted that she get a library card before she left, saying that it would allow her to practice on our public computers and to check out books to help her learn. Then I brought up the catalog to show her how to look for computer books. When I looked at the basic catalog search page through her eyes, it made me want to leave! The BASIC search page has seven search choices. Here are the directions:

• "Enter your search term(s) and press the GO button." There is no GO button. There is a red button with an arrow in it. Isn't GREEN a better GO color? Or, how about a green button that says "GO."
• Then: "Enter the term(s) in ONLY ONE line." Okay, that's pretty straightforward.
• And finally: "For current browser versions you can press the Enter key."  Meaningless to, oh, say 95% of users.

Demonstrating the catalog was probably not the best way to show her that the library wasn't as scary as she imagined, but when I assured her that staff would be happy to help her she seemed relieved.

 

Since I was using my Gmail account, I showed her how I could talk to people right then and there (using Gchat), and she was amazed. I showed her Flickr and she thought that was pretty neat. Her husband had mentioned wanting to look at eBay, so we looked at that. "So it's not all bad?" she asked.  Before she left, she asked if she could get another session, and was asking me about options for Internet at home.

At the end of the day, as I was monitoring the after school open computing lab, I was that woman. We have a small tech room that we open for a couple hours after school. You don't need a library card and there's no sign up. It helps relieve the wait in Youth Services and is a nice wind-down after a day of slaving over a hot textbook. It's mostly middle and high school kids who come, and most of them play RuneScape. Since the Director Goddess was brave enough to get a RuneScape account and have a go at it (after which she popped into my office to declare proudly, "I burned my first shrimp!"), I decided to see what it was all about. 

If you work with patrons who need help learning to use the catalog, internet, email or  the library itself, and if you are not a digital native or gamer, I highly recommend that you put yourself in your patrons' shoes by venturing into a completely unfamiliar online environment such as RuneScape. It was humbling to say the least. I suppose it is relatively user-friendly--after you create an ID, there is a step-by-step orientation. Even with this spoon-feeding, I was frequently lost, my character frozen with confusion. I would read the instructions then scan the page to find out how to translate the directions into action. I'd stare for minutes at a screen, having no idea what I was supposed to do. I did a lot of random clicking. If you screw up more than a couple times, you get a yellow pop-up telling you to read the directions.  I was looking for a "help" button, or something that would give me clues about how I was supposed to navigate in this new world.  

Remember that I was surrounded by experts, adept users who were speaking a different language, fluently, to each other as they moved around the different RuneScape worlds. But they were all so involved in what they were doing, that asking them for help didn't seem like such a good idea. I, of all people, who should know to ask for help, didn’t want to bother them, and mostly, I didn’t want them to see how utterly ignorant and helpless I was. It made me appreciate and understand the morning patron’s experiences even more.    

I did make it through the orientation, ventured into live RuneScape play, and am now a Level 3. I did know enough to decline a battle with one of our after school kids who is at a level 90. If you see a lost-looking woman named raccoondutin, don’t hesitate to offer assistance. She really needs it and is probably too cowed to ask.

Comments

[John]

Oh that is funny,

But it is amazing how much of an influence mmorpg's (massively multiplayer online role playing games) are having on our society. I own and operate a site on Runescape and as you can imagine we have alot of teenagers emailing us about runescape and the likes.

You get to grasp exactly how much effect games are now having on society, when I was a kid I used to ride and play sports, now as I heard somewhere else these online games are becoming the "new golf" where co-workers sit down to slay orcs of an evening.

Very interesting Times.

Regards
John

[kay1101]

http://www.earthisland.org/saveTaijiDolphins/

could you go there for me and us plz it would be such a help.

[CW]

Thanks for this reminder of the need to go slow when we teach someone with no experience of computers. Isn't it funny how for many of us the computer is now so taken for granted, we forget how it was when we first started? (And how it is for those who have never used one?)