.KEYWORD survey
.FLYINGHEAD THE TECHNOLOGY GENDER GAP
.TITLE He palm, she palm
.OTHER
.SUMMARY You wouldn’t think there were any women Palm device users by visiting a lot of Palm organizer-related Web sites. A recent visit to one Web site found a survey that asked, "Where do you carry your Palm device?" The choices were belt clip, pants pocket, shirt pocket, or briefcase. Was the omission of a purse as a carrying space for a Palm device an act of deliberate sexism or a logical choice, based on recent demographics of Palm device users? In this lighthearted article, Denise Watkins examines the differences and similarities of Palm device use between men and women by sharing the results of an informal survey she conducted.
.AUTHOR Denise Watkins
If, as John Gray tells us, "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus," does the rocket known as Palm computing land on both planets? Before I answer that, first, read the following two scenes.
.H1 Scene one
Two people are standing in an office supply store by a display of Palm organizers. Person A says, "I’m seeing more and more people with those. I’m thinking about buying one, but I don’t know where to start. Do you like yours?" Person B, with an expression of pure bliss, rhapsodizes about Palm handhelds with all the zeal and fervor of a missionary.
.H1 Scene two
One half of a two-Palm device couple says, "Honey, I just downloaded this great piece of software; you have to try it. You’re missing out on all kinds of great stuff just using the basic functions." The spouse answers, "There’s so much software and other Palm unit stuff out there, I don’t know where to start."
.H1 Perceptions
Did you think the people in the first scene were male or female? How about the folks in the second scene? What gender is the Palm-savvy spouse? If you identified the Palm computer owner and the Palm-savvy spouse as males, then you’d be in step with the current perception of Palm computing. However, the truth is, these conversations could have occurred with either sex taking on any of the above roles. Palm device expertise can be found in both men and women.
.H1 Sexism?
You wouldn’t think there were any women Palm device users by visiting a lot of Palm computing Web sites. Most of the postings seem to be from men. A recent visit to one Web site found a survey that asked, "Where do you carry your Palm device?" The choices were belt clip, pants pocket, shirt pocket, or briefcase. Note the absence of skirt or dress pocket or purse. A return visit to the site noted that the choice for briefcase was modified to briefcase/purse. Was the omission of a purse as a carrying space for a Palm device an act of deliberate sexism or a very logical choice, based on recent demographics of Palm device users?
.CALLOUT Palm, Inc., call me; we’ll do lunch, and I’ll tell you about your really lame marketing towards women.
.H1 The problem
According to a recent article in Fast Company magazine, in 1997 men bought 90% of the Palm devices sold. In 1998 that figure was 80%. There’s a huge untapped market of potential female buyers out there. In a variation of the "What came first, the chicken or the egg?" question, PDAs are geared towards men, either because women have shown little interest in them or because manufacturers have geared their marketing towards men. I’ve never seen a Palm computing advertisement that would inspire me to realize that a Palm device was essential to my life, and other women have echoed that sentiment. Still more women have told me they never noticed any Palm computing advertisements, except the controversial ad with the naked woman and the Palm V, and then only because it just plain offended them. Palm, Inc., call me; we’ll do lunch, and I’ll tell you about your really lame marketing towards women.
Until recently, it’s been nearly impossible to find really attractive and colorful cases for Palm organizers that suit the needs of the average woman. They were all black or brown. It was as if the underlying message was "this is technology–it’s serious. It’s housing cannot be attractive." The lack of style and color in cases reminded me of the early working woman’s uniform: the drab navy blue suit with the dreadful floppy bow tie. No drab colors for me. I can be an alpha Palm device user and still possess a sense of style!
Based on the numbers in the Fast Company article and what’s already known about gender and technology use (namely that men are "early adopters" of technology at a far greater rate than women), it stands to reason that not only do the genders adopt technology at a different rate, but also for different reasons. In order for Palm, Inc. or any other company to dominate the handheld market, an in-depth understanding of how and why women use PDAs is in their best interest.
.H1 The survey
Well, you’re not going to find that here; that’s what market research and focus groups are for. This article is written on a strictly unscientific basis. I’ve set out to discover whether there’s a difference in how and why men and women use their Palm organizers. I’ve gathered together a group of family members, friends, and business colleagues, as well as people who responded to my posting on the PhilaPUG Web site and conducted a brief, informal survey.
To be honest, let me state my beliefs or prejudices up front. I think for the most part that men are attracted to the "cool" factor and women to the "how can I use this tool to make my life and my family’s lives easier" factor. I admit to having a foot in both camps. As an information professional, I love the cool factor. I admit to a certain disdain for those who are wedded to paper, and believe they may as well be chiseling the details of their lives onto stone tables. However, as a woman who works full time outside the home, a wife, and a mother, the "makes life easier" factor also weighs in heavily.
I asked the following questions to a group of ten Palm device users, and, surprisingly, their answers did not vary a great deal based on gender. The Palm device users ranged from my 16-year old daughter to a male age 55, with the average age being 36. The group consisted of five males and five females. The breakdown by age and sex is shown in Table A.
.BEGIN_TAB_TABLE A Survey breakdown by age and sex
.TAB_TABLE_WIDTH 50% 50%
.TAB_TABLE_HEADER Age Participants
.TAB_TABLE_ROW Under 30 two females
.TAB_TABLE_ROW 30-39 two males
.TAB_TABLE_ROW 40-45 two females, one male
.TAB_TABLE_ROW 46-55 one female, one male
.TAB_TABLE_ROW 55+ one male
.END_TAB_TABLE
The Palm devices in use amongst this group included: one PalmPilot Professional, three Palm IIIs, three Palm IIIxes, two Palm Vs, and one Palm Vx
Each of the ten subjects were asked to respond to the following questions.
.H2 Have you previously used any type of electronic organizer or PDA? If so, what model?
Of the ten users, 40% had previously used electronic organizers (two of the women and two of the men).
.H2 Are you thinking about upgrading to a newer model and, if so, why?
Of our survey base, 20% (one male, one female) were thinking of upgrading to the Palm Vx. The female was interested in the superior performance features of expanded memory and speed. The male cited the rechargeable lithium battery feature.
Questions 3, 4, and 5 were applicable to five of the respondents, three females, and two males.
.H2 Who is the alpha geek in your household or current relationship?
Of the three women responding, two claimed solo alpha geek status. One couple shared alpha geekyness, and one male respondent deferred wholeheartedly to his wife.
.H2 Does your partner/spouse use a Palm device?
Of the five people responding to question 4, all were part of two-Palm device couples, with two couples participating in the survey.
.H2 If you’re the alpha geek, are you the alpha Palm device user also? Please explain.
The answer to this question duplicated the response to question 3.
.H2 What attracted you to Palm devices?
The same reason was given by all of the respondents: ease of use, no more bulky planners to carry, ability to carry all vital information in a small, lightweight manner.
.H2 Do you think men and women are attracted to Palm organizers for the same or different reasons? Do you think your use of a Palm device differs from that of your spouse/partner?
Of the seven people who responded to this question (four men, three women), all of the men and two of the women echoed the practicality for women versus the cool techie toy for men answers. One woman answered that there were no differences in use by gender, and she and her husband used their Palm organizers for the same reasons. Interestingly enough, her husband said he used his for business, while his wife used hers for managing the household.
.H2 Aside from the basic Palm organizer applications, what applications do you use the most?
Slightly more women used third party applications than the men (three women versus two men). Games were the most popular third party application mentioned by both sexes, followed by various hacks and financial tools such as Pocket Quicken and Money Manager.
.H1 Is there a difference?
So, are there any differences in men and women Palm device users? According to my informal survey, the answer is yes, and no, and yes. In the decision process as to whether to use a Palm organizer, yes there are differences. Women are initially more resistant and hesitant to rely on technology. They feel safe with the paper planner. For men, it’s definitely the cool factor. Men who normally may be resistant to carrying a paper-based daily planner, claiming to be able to "keep it all straight, up here," are more likely to find it acceptable to carry a Palm organizer.
I support this claim, with evidence from the Sunday comics. (Hey, some of the most profound truths have been gleaned from the Sunday funnies). In a recent Sally Forth, Sally and her husband Ted are discussing how many people are now using Palm devices. Sally says, "Sometimes it seems like technology just repackages what we already have and makes us believe it’s too great not to get." Husband Ted replies, "Still, you have to admit they look pretty cool." Sally replies, "Finally, a purse a man won’t be embarrassed to hold in public."
In the day-to-day use of a Palm device to organize the minutia of our lives, I would have to say no, there’s no gender difference in Palm device use. The differences are subjective from user to user, with no distinction with regard to the gender of the user.
.H1 The care and feeding of our Palm devices
The biggest difference, the final yes to my answer of yes, no, and yes, is this. Yes, there’s a difference in the treatment of Palm computers by the sexes. I’ve observed that Palm devices owned by women seem to experience far less physical trauma than those owned by men. Men, on the other hand, enjoy an unparalleled level of bonding with their Palm organizers we women don’t experience.
A visit to the Palm device graveyard at http://www.palminfocenter.com and listening to anecdotes show that men experience all sorts of mishaps with their Palm devices. Their PDAs drop out of their shirt pockets or off of their belts. They tumble onto the floor or into toilets They get dropped or left behind in bars and cabs. Clips fall off cases. They get smashed in pants pockets or left in cars in sub-zero temperatures. The stories abound. Apparently, for women, carrying a purse is a good thing. It gives us a handy place to carry our Palm devices. Short of being comatose, there are few circumstances where a woman is likely to forget her purse. Yes, you do detect smugness, I’ll admit it. I believe it goes back to prehistoric times. As gatherers, we never left the cave without carrying a container, not to mention the kid strapped to our backs. Men, as the hunters, found it in their best interest to travel light and unencumbered. So thousands of years of conditioning come into play.
.BEGIN_KEEP
Men, as you drop and forget those Palm devices, you’re not klutzes or absent-minded. It’s just that you’re fighting nature. My husband has referred to his Palm organizer as his "Palmie." On visits to Palm computing sites, I’ve seen men refer to their Palm devices as "Precious Palmie," "my brain," and "my right hand," to name a few. The best name I’ve heard a guy give his Palm device is "The Big Head." I must confess, I’ve never understood the penchant some guys have for naming cars or body parts, etc. However, if it works for you, go for it.
Differences and similarities aside, Palm, Inc.’s continued growth and success will depend on expanding their products to appeal to lifestyles regardless of gender. There are niche applications for students, physicians, and other interests and professions. Women and men may reside on different planets, but the Palm device appears to have landed with different measures of success on Mars and Venus.
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
While the article referenced isn’t available online, you can check out Fast Company magazine at http://www.fastcompany.com.
Visit the PhilaPUG Web site at http://www.philapug.com.
You can visit the Palm device graveyard at http://www.palminfocenter.com.
.H1 Bulk reprints
Bulk reprints of this article (in quantities of 100 or more) are available for a fee from Reprint Services, a ZATZ business partner. Contact them at reprints@zatz.com or by calling 1-800-217-7874.
.END_SIDEBAR
.BIO Denise Watkins can be reached at watkinsjenkins@msn.com, and she is the alpha Palm device user or, as she prefers, the Palm Diva in a family of Palm device users.
.DISCUSS http://powerboards.zatz.com/cgi-bin/webx?13@@.ee6e0b6
.END_KEEP
