The Ticking Browser Time Bomb
Go On UK, supported by a host of high profile corporate partners, is championing the drive to bring the last stragglers online in the UK. Delivering digital skills to individuals, businesses and charities is essential to give everyone access to the wealth of information and opportunity which exists on the internet. But there is a ticking time bomb.
New users will be entering the online space with up to date browsers, enjoying the dazzling functionality of websites built using HTML5, modern Javascript, CSS3 – standard in design and development – and good security to keep them safe. But what about the users who took that tentative step two or three years ago? We are seeing more and more instances of people being frustrated and left behind with the speed of technological change.
A fifth digital skill?
Go On UK has identified four clear skill sets needed to function properly online – Communicating, Searching, Informing, Transacting. We think that there is a fifth required to maintain momentum: Upgrading.
For those users who are most comfortable with a PC or laptop to start their journey, there is often confusion between the concept of an operating system and a browser. When both are installed at purchase, supplied by the same software house, it’s easy for the uninitiated to assume that they are a single unit. I’ve asked clients in the past which browser they are using and, after some searching, they’ve come back with the answer ‘XP’ or ‘Vista’. This applies to individuals and sole traders as well as people working within large organisations where their computer equipment is supplied by a central department.
Time is ticking
For people who started their journey in the last few years, the problem is acute. I’m referring mainly to Microsoft technology, as it is the entry level for most new users – Mac or mobile users tend to be more technically aware and alert to changes.
Let’s dig deeper into the timeframes: Some versions of Windows XP were still being supplied to new users in 2010. Vista, its much-maligned successor, started its lifecycle in 2007; Windows 7 in 2009. Anyone making the investment in a PC would expect their capital investment to last them a while. However, any hardware sold with these operating systems will have come with Internet Explorer 7 pre-installed. Users do not realise that this has a much shorter shelf-life!
IE7 has been superseded 3 times sine its launch in 2006, with IE11 round the corner. Security has been improved with each iteration. Over the last few years, the techniques of website development have moved with the browsers, so that new sites with new functionality simply don’t work on the older versions. If you think the browser it came with is the only option for your PC, it could be easy to get frustrated by this whole internet thing. and the requirement to add service packs or upgrade operating systems to upgrade the browser is a real barrier to improvement.
A friend described an older relative’s frustration with websites that ‘look dreadful’ or ‘don’t work’; a client panicked when their email account no longer accepted attachments; a large organisation with a policy of simultaneously upgrading all its browsers missed a user, leaving them wondering why a new website design looked so poor. Although less than 1% of the world’s internet users are still on IE7, there is a skew towards late adopters and older users- the people we need to encourage to use the internet effectively.
How can you help?
Educating your friends, relatives and clients about browser upgrades is essential. Ask the question, and help with downloading new software – upgrade the familiar, or consider the market leader Chrome and other independents such as Firefox, Opera and Safari.
Keeping browsers up to date can transform the user experience, and transform the lives of the users as well. It’s a small step to make a difference!