I have a reasonable level of competence when using technology. I use my computer, smartphone, and smart watch daily and can generally make them do what I want. I do a fair amount of internet research and have some skill at making judgements about trusted sources, and have skill at identifying scammers. I use a variety of software programs with more ease than some of my compatriots. I am occasionally asked to help people connect to Zoom and do other computer chores.

There are, however, times when computers and software confound me. I generally do not do online reviews. I know how they can be easily manipulated and skewed. I rarely find them helpful in making decisions. I joke that I’m a professional writer without interest in writing for free. However, there are times when I experience exceptional service and want to acknowledge it by making a positive review. Last week, we had a new dishwasher installed in our home. The dealer that sold us the appliance is one with which we have done business before, and each time we have been pleased with their installers. They are efficient, courteous, and careful. So when I got an email asking me to evaluate their service, I was eager to give them a good review. I clicked on the link to enter my review and was redirected to a site for the appliance manufacturer. I set about to make my review, but on the page where I was to select my dealer, other dealers were listed, but the dealer who installed our appliance was not. I tried to enter the name of the dealer manually, and the site hung up. It wouldn’t let me enter the name of our dealer, and it wouldn’t let me go back to the previous page. I gave up and went on with other tasks.

How accurate is the data from that site? With glitches preventing customers from making positive reviews, does the system record more negative reviews than positive ones, not because there are more such reviews, but because the software makes it difficult to provide a review? Do customers get frustrated with the software and leave reviews for the wrong dealer because they can’t figure out how to enter their dealer's information? I wish they had a way to give them feedback on their reporting program.

Last evening, as I waited for our grandson to finish with activities at his programming and robotics club, I used my phone to search a popular website for recreational vehicles. We aren’t quite shopping for a new-to-us RV, but we have talked about downsizing from our current camper to a smaller unit, and I enjoy looking at websites to get a sense of the market. The price increase in the past few years means I won’t be considering new units, but I might be interested if I could find the right used one. Since I had extra time, I set up a search on the website. However, each time I set the parameters for the search, the website would show dozens of vehicles outside of my price range, most of which were not even the type of unit I was searching for. After setting up three or four failed searches with the tool on the site, a pop-up appeared asking me to evaluate the site's search feature. I usually click those away, but I decided to give them some feedback since I was frustrated. I answered a few questions by clicking boxes and wrote a few sentences to explain my frustration when given the opportunity. When I clicked on the “submit” button, nothing happened. I tried again. I checked to make sure I had responded to all of the questions. There was no way that I could find to submit my feedback. The experience was mildly frustrating, but I had other things to do and abandoned that search.

Software failures occur to others at least as often as they happen to me. That means that most computer users waste time each day trying to accomplish what should be easy tasks with software that doesn’t work correctly. The machines designed to increase efficiency seem to have had the opposite effect.

Not long ago, I went to my doctor’s office for a routine visit. I’ve been going to this doctor for several years and have gone through the process of linking my online records from my previous doctor to the patient records system of this doctor. I communicate with this doctor using the practice’s online patient portal. The system works pretty well. Nonetheless, I was asked to fill out paper forms to “update our records.” I filled out the forms with information I know the practice already has. There was no new information on the papers. On top of at least three forms was a statement about paperwork reduction and electronic records. After I filled out the forms, I was ushered into an exam room where a nurse asked me the same questions while entering the information into the computer. I commented that I was sure that the information was already in the system, and she agreed that it probably was, but that it was routine for them to check the data in the computer for accuracy. Electronic records don’t seem to reduce the amount of paper waste in medical practice. The system doesn’t appear to be saving staff time. Making entries based on a patient interview could make the records less accurate. I don’t always remember the names of the medications I am taking. I’m sure my memory will become less accurate as I get older. The last time I was asked about my medications, I took out my phone, logged onto the patient portal, and read the list off my phone. I was using the same list that the nurse had. We didn’t find any mistakes.

It takes a good sense of humor to keep using the tools of our time. Without humor, frustration would drive me up the wall.