Are We Going Backwards?
The promise of technology is that our lives will be greatly improved. Humanity will be capable of doing more things and have increasing abundance. My recent experiences, however, suggest that technology in many places is making our lives harder. Yesterday's pursuit of replacing my broken printer is a great example.
Previous Experience Getting a Printer
I look at review sites to identify the current best all-in-one color inkjet printer. I search online to see which store has it in stock, and then go to the store and buy it.
Once at home, I
- load the ink cartridges
- load paper
- attach the ethernet cable
- plug it in
And it just works. If I want to scan, I install additional software onto my PC.
New Experience Getting a Printer
I look at review sites to identify the current best all-in-one color inkjet printer. So far so good.
I go to the Best Buy website to see if it's in stock. The website is effectively "broken" in that it is loading options at the same speed as my Prodigy dial-up service in the 1990s. And there are SO MANY OPTIONS. I realize it will take hours just to figure out if Best Buy has this popular printer in stock at a local store. And I do not want to drive to 5 different Best Buys to figure out which store has it. So I use Staples instead, forgoing the warranty that comes with my Best Buy Total membership.
Not the best start, but now I have the printer at home. Once at home I try to load the paper, but the default setting for the paper tray is photo? There are no clear instructions on how to change the plastic setting and the online manual is of little help. I finally figure out how to expand the plastic tray guides to be the wider letter size that 99% of folks in the USA actually uses. I can already sense the eye rolls, but I am that person who constantly breaks delicate things when trying to brute force a solution.
My frustration level is rising, but OK, I got the paper in and turn on the printer. It asks me to connect it to WiFi which I think I do. But is it connected? I'm not sure because it still gives me the WiFi setup menu and won't move past it. It also keeps asking me to install its app with a provided QR code. So basically I cannot use the printer and I cannot set up the printer without installing an application. What?
So I dutifully install the app on my iPad. I click the "pairing" option on both the printer and the app. The app sees the printer, works to connect, and then the connection fails. Meanwhile, the only way to escape the pairing on the printer is to unplug it. The power off button won't work because it says the printer is busy!
After a few failed attempts, I decide to start from first principles. I need to see if the printer is even on the network, which the printer suggests it is. I attempt to log into my router, but now apparently the UniFi web login requires me to set up a passkey? But it's my wife's machine logged in as her - I don't want a passkey. Too bad, I get the raw JSON response on the webpage letting me know it cannot connect.
Now I will admit I then spent the next 30 seconds dropping more F bombs than an entire Quentin Tarantino movie.
After "refocusing", I go to the room with the router, directly attach my PC to it, move the printer to the same room so I have both in the same place, and start over. Since I am plugged directly into the router now, UniFi lets me in without a passkey. I confirm the printer is in fact on the network. Progress! I then download the PC version of the printer software. That software actually works and takes me through a 20+ minute process to "set up" the printer. Finally the printer is good to go - I put it back in the room where it belongs and the printed test page is accurate.
I Have Questions
- Do retailers know how much business they are losing because of their bloated and poorly performing websites?
- How do non-tech-savvy people buy and use a printer anymore?
- For that matter, how do non-tech-savvy people do anything anymore? Attending sporting events and concerts is a similarly complex experience. Were the old days of just showing up with a paper ticket and paying with cash to park really so bad?
- Why is a printer so complicated to set up now? Whatever happened to plug-n-play?
- Is this degradation of the user experience intentional or incompetence?
I feel like a pithy conclusion is needed, but I don't have one. Do people really think the new way is better?