User-friendly
The term user-friendly describes computer software, hardware, or a service designed to make the user's life easier. We like to think of Computer Hope as a user-friendly website. Anything difficult or frustrating for the user to use is not considered user-friendly.
How have computers become more user-friendly?
Over time, computers have become more user-friendly by introducing new features and abilities that allow all types of users to use them. Below lists a few of these changes that have helped make computers more user-friendly.
Better user interface
In the past, to interact with a computer, the user needed to know different commands and navigate using a command line. Today, computers and their software use a GUI (graphical user interface) that allows a user to interact with a computer without having to know complex commands.
Improved user input devices
As computers advance, so do the input devices they use to interact with the computer. For example, with very early computers, the user would use switches and punch cards to input data into a computer. Later, users could interact with a computer using a keyboard and enter commands to operating a computer. Today, we can interact with a computer using a mouse, keyboard, touch screens, and voice control.
With these easier-to-use input devices, now even an infant can navigate and use a computing device like a tablet.
Portability
When computers were introduced, they were the size of a room and required multiple people to operate. Today, we can carry around a computer (smartphone) in our pocket. By having a computer that you can carry around, it's more user-friendly because you can use it wherever and whenever you want.
Better hardware
Every year, computers get better hardware that makes the computer faster or more capable. As computers become faster, they become more user-friendly as the user can do more on the computer in a shorter time. As they become more capable with newer technologies like Wi-Fi, they allow the user to do things that were not possible with earlier computers.