[mcherm]

> it seems every time I lower the entry barrier, people lower their opinion about what is a problem.

Exactly as they ought to! Rising standards are a much-to-be-desired effect. Of course, that doesn't always mean contacting the support staff to solve problems, but it DOES mean no longer accepting minor problems that used be a normal part of how we operated but which now can be eliminated with minor effort.

[k__]

I'm totally with you on the rising standards.

But some people are just... I don't know, you just can't catch up with them.

I few days ago a friend of mine quoted something that sums it all up: "Imagine the average person. Now imagine that 50% of the population is dumber"

[debaserab2]

When you start looking at the world with that kind of bleakness, it makes it hard to gain empathy for the people who use the things you build.

What you don't see on the other side is the guy using your software that was just stuck in a traffic jam for an hour, or hasn't had a solid night of sleep in three weeks due to his newborn, etc. The last thing they want to do is sit down and learn how to use your software that so-and-so from that other department insisted be rolled out across the company.

You have to excuse your customers for not learning things in earnest. It's part of your job to make that as easy as possible for them.