Technology advances at the speed of light, or at least that’s how it feels. Most people would agree that technological advancements make life easier, but that’s only true if consumers know how to use new technologies.

It took my mom years to figure out how to check voicemails on her cell phone. Actually I’m not even sure if she has that one down yet. But I can hardly blame her. It’s hard to keep up. Once you’ve mastered one device, it’s already outdated and time to move on to the next gadget, which is why I was pleased to read about Verizon’s plan to teach consumers how to use their PDA’s and smartphones in a GigaOM post recently. Basically they will be holding a series of hands-on classes that will show consumers how to use these devices for things like texting, email, music and more.

I think it’s a brilliant idea. You have no idea how many times I’ve NOT bought a device because I’m afraid of it. Complexity hurts the user experience, yet the complexity of these devices is continually intensified by their creators who load them up with every feature possible. It’s insanity!  

By teaching your customers how to use your product, you’re settling their fears, increasing their probability of buying your product and simply showing that you care.

So if you’re developing a new technological gadget, or any kind of complex product for that matter, maybe you could offer some free classes or an online, interactive user’s guide. Or if you are launching a new Web site, create a step-by-step tutorial on how to use it. Consumers don’t care how cool your technology is if they never figure out how to use it. So teach them.

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