My local Y got a new mobile app a few weeks ago. In classic IT style, they started the rollout on a Wednesday afternoon by canceling the following week’s classes in the old app. This emailed a bunch of class cancellation notices with no explanation. People began to conclude that the Y would be closed for a week. Oh no.

That evening, my Y buddy Lisa (hi!) and I figured out the new app. I then offered to help my weightlifting and Zumba classmates get set up with the app the next day between classes. I figured maybe one person might take me up on it.

Well. Certain classes fill up fast, and people wanted to be ready when sign-up time came. Lisa and I ended up running an impromptu app clinic for an hour, helping half a dozen people with various parts of the process.

Wait, how did you get it to show Sunday's class? Photo by Getty Images for Unsplash

It was so much fun. This is my jam. I once designed my own role doing something similar, but for developers: I would learn new tech fast, and then act as a tour guide as other developers adopted it. I love the aha moments when things click for people.

And I love the challenge of imagining how something looks from someone else’s perspective. What do these instructions look like if I’ve never done something like this before? Where do my eyes go on this screen if I’m in a hurry?

Watching the curious learners try things out is fun. “Ohh, can I add this to my calendar? [click] It’s asking for my permission…” Sometimes they’re more willing to experiment and explore if they know there’s a friendly guide ready to help if they get stuck. Even if they do think they’re stuck, often if you wait a moment or two, they’ve figured it out. “Hey! Yoga is missing… Oh, no wait… Never mind!”

And the more hesitant learners benefit from a safe place to take it step by step, accompanied by someone who won’t judge them. I’ve been there, and I recognize that. They’re usually just as knowledgeable and industrious as anyone else, but they don’t realize it. And sometimes we’ve been burned by a single wrong move leading to hours of frustration. It feels safest to have someone knowledgeable nearby, to help us stay on the right path.

It’s also fun to see how people make sense of tech I tend to take for granted. One of the more hesitant ones was waiting for a web page to load when her phone asked if she wanted to join the Y’s WiFi network. She opted to join.

Me: There you go. [pointing at WiFi symbol 🛜 as the web page loads faster] You’ve got wifi now.

Her: I call that the tornado.

Me: [nodding] You’ve got the tornado now.

I do try to stop myself from “doing it for” others, even if they’re quite willing to hand their devices over and let me do it. The more they can do for themselves, the more they can start to question the idea that they’re somehow inherently “not good at all this stuff.”

It’s all learnable. Some learners are more willing to experiment, and some are more cautious. But being able to learn tech stuff isn’t a trait one is born with, and it isn’t inherently linked to one’s age or generation.

Sometimes what blocks people from learning isn’t anything to do with the learner or their attitude. The problem is often with how stuff, especially tech stuff, is taught.

The person teaching me starts using unfamiliar terms and concepts without explaining them. It’s like I somehow signed up for the intermediate class when I needed the beginner class. I might be too embarrassed to stop them and admit I’m already lost.

I’ve been on both sides of this equation, though. I’ve also been the one starting at the wrong level for my audience. Oops!

That’s when I need to tap back into my imagination and creativity. What does the world look like to someone who doesn’t have the knowledge I do? What analogy can I come up with to help make it click? How can I explain this in terms they understand?

For that matter, what language are they already using? That WiFi symbol is a tornado? Perfect, now you’ve got the tornado.

What else is going on

Speaking of my Y Zumba classes… I’ve signed up to become a Zumba instructor. Getting licensed requires a day-long class, which I’ll take in October. All of my instructors have reacted to the news the same way: “Let me know when you’re ready to sub!”

I’m going to LeadDev NYC in September! I’m not speaking this year, but I am hosting a “table talk” about how we can use AI to augment, but not replace, engineering judgment. People from my hometown will understand that I think about pie every time I hear the organizers say “Table Talk.”

I just finished reading The Psychology of Software Teams by researcher Dr. Cat Hicks. I felt seen. Also, so many books I’ve read have advice you can follow if you happen to be at the top of the org chart. Cat’s book has ideas that individual contributors (ICs - those of us who aren’t people managers) can actually use. Amazing.

Okay, friends. It’s a wild world out there. Take care of yourselves and each other.

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