By: Andy Vogel
Instructional designer at The Ohio State University. I have several years of experience in higher education—expertise with student employee leadership, instructional design, AV, VR, and wellness strategies. I have had the pleasure of working in a myriad of roles, including student life, academic units, and central IT. Proudly in the Higher Education and Student Affairs doctorate program at The Ohio State University. Subpar partaker of disc golf. Please regard my portfolio here: u.osu.edu/Vogel.234.
Easy-of-use and gift-giving tech are two worlds that merge every December. I battle with panic and pride while browsing for the ideal gift. My parents want a Bluetooth speaker. Actually, my parents really like the experience of using their favorite music on the phone without figuring out how to pair devices. In their own words, “I just wanna download it to the speaker” or “make it louder but sound good.” My years of customer service and being an only child have taught me to understand these types of requests.
The company smpl (not Crestron-related) develops modern technology with seniors in mind. Smpl’s crown jewel is the Touch Player, which comes preloaded with “classic” tracks. The only way to operate the speaker is to use a lift gate that enables the playback. There are no other controls. You may upload .mp3s via USB. It’s like the iPod Shuffle, and a record player had a baby. Another flagship item is their smpl remote. You guessed it, a remote with only five functions.
Blubs say Amazon’s Alexa is an excellent tool for seniors. My personal experience with my grandmother differs. There are too many features for the experience she wants. And if she wants to ask a question, she calls a human and asks.
After pursuing the smpl catalog, I realized I desired more physical configurations with modern tech. In my roles in classroom support, I always wanted to use an smpl remote. Seriously. While touch panels and GUI are slick, stakeholders wish for the touch and feel of a remote. No, the smpl tech will not pop with the wow factor, but the tech functions without the need for instructions. All touch screens look the same, but not all touch screens operate the same.
Smpl exists to address what other manufacturers fail to do, make tech stupid simple. As consumers, we are no longer being pushed to buy a speaker. Still, we are being compelled to buy smart speakers with additional capabilities. The exact sales pitch goes for Learning Management Systems. No, a la carte, you buy a bundle of stuff, although you only want specified features.
So, for this holiday gift shopping, I am looking for the next best tech that has been configured for everyone. I don’t want Alexa added to my soundbar. I want a soundbar that is adjustable with a few functions. Boring and functional. Or, as my parents say, “louder but sound good.”