How much of the world are you missing out on because you simply stick with the basics? A recent experience made me think of this as I was preparing a lesson for my University of Wyoming Extension colleagues. They wanted to explore a number of different technologies as they applied to their work. One of those technologies happened to be Doodle.
Doodle is an extremely simple application for coordinating schedules. I was thinking to myself, “This is really simple. What else can I show about it?” Well, as I was putting together my step-by-step instructions, I discovered a couple of features that I had not been aware of, and I am sure many others are not familiar with them.
By taking the time to read the instructions, I was able to find these new features. These are features that will make using Doodle more efficient.
I think we do not fully read the instructions because we typically are reading enough to solve the problem at hand. This is perhaps why so many products have quick start guides. They provide enough information to get us started and solve our first problem. We then use the instruction guide as a reference manual when solving additional problems. But this is how we like it. We are wired to solve problems, and we typically spend the energy necessary to find the answer we need, and then we move on. However, in moving on, we often miss other important guidance that will help users save time through more efficient methods. But we have to spend the time.
Because I was solving a problem, developing a lesson on Doodle, I learned about some new features. I can’t wait to learn about other new features as I finish the lesson plan.
What did I learn? I learned that Doodle will connect to your calendars, e.g., Outlook, Google, etc. In my opinion a huge find.
What have you recently learned by going back and reading the instructions?
