This has become a trite expression. Mainly used when someone wants to chide another for their actions – in the moment. This does not work when someone is angry or hostile or pressed for time. I’d like to suggest to software geeks that installing new software can be frustrating and not a teachable moment. One is unlikely to stop and take a lesson when wrangling with some belligerent app that worked just fine on another device. How about you wait until I have finished installing and then let me choose to learn by offering me tips?
This was something I experienced when switching to a new iPad. Apps were not cooperating. They were there but not there. So telling me that i can press a key and pull it down to effectively shift the key when I was trying to remember a password was not the right time. I did wonder why the new soft keyboard looked so ugly and why there were symbols in light grey above each key. But I was on a mission to finish the install and did not want to be distracted by a popup trying to tell me how to use a keyboard. I have used the shift key for about 40 years now so I don’t really think this is a great feature. But I digress…
I did like the popup tip when trying to move back-n-forth on a Youtube video. I was told to tap twice to go back 10 seconds and to tap on the other side of the screen to move forward 10 seconds. This was timely advice that saved me time and prevented aggravation. I guess the difference in the two scenarios is the I was P.Oed about the iPad install not going well and the popup tip was intrusive. With the youtube tip, it was fleeting and did provide a valuable lesson.
These in-the-moment tips are sometimes called “micro learning”. More on that later.
