I was quite surprised to read that about a quarter of the participants weren't able to delete an email in their email app (the "Can't Use Computers" group). This was 2016, though, so maybe things have changed drastically since then. Does anyone know of a related, but more recent study?
Most people are on phones now, who uses computers if not for work?
But I guess one could argue using phones would be the same, but even then my personal experience is that most people don't know much about phones either.
Phones are pretty bad for the group who are scared of breaking something and so don't just try the first thing they guess.
Delete: maybe tap and hold, then three dots or an (i), maybe swipe right/left/either.
Close an image: probably pull down from the top but not always.
Undo: Shake the phone like an etch-a-sketch???
Whereas Outlook Express, for example, looking at screenshots, had a big red X with Delete written underneath it in the toolbar. And your mouse had a physical button dedicated to stuff that's now hidden away behind long-press or swipe or the (i) or whatever.
I had the same perception, but if you read the paragraph closely it says that folks at “Below Level 1” can delete an email, and that’s about as complicated a thing as they can do.
I was confused by that, too. But I think there are two classes here: The "Below Level 1" group, that is capable of deleting emails, and the "Can't Use Computer" group, that is unable to do so. The latter group contained 26% of all participants.
