Tech Trumps

How generations grapple with gadgets and e-learning

Designing learning experiences tailored to the audience, especially age, is paramount for several reasons. At the risk of sounding ageist (we’re getting old too, you know), like it or not, age does play a role in our cognitive development, and technology plays a significant role in modern learning environments.

The Silent Generation: “What’s an App Again?”

Born between 1928 - 1945

Tech comfort level 2/10

Phone addiction level 1/10

Likelihood of Facebook account 1/10

Grandma Ethel, proudly sporting her first smartphone, is found tapping the screen with a knitting needle. “It’s more precise this way,” she insists. When her grandson suggests using her finger, she chuckles, “Honey, these fingers were made for crocheting, not clicking.”

Learning is a serene, library-like affair for the Silent Generation – think encyclopedias and handwritten notes. Online courses are a wild frontier, but they’re a revelation once they find the ‘play’ button. Their preferred course? “History of the World: The Parts I Was There For.”

Baby Boomers: “I Printed the Entire Internet for Safekeeping”

Born between 1946 - 1964

Tech comfort level 4/10

Phone addiction level 2/10

Likelihood of Facebook account 2/10

Bob, a proud Boomer, refuses to trust the cloud. “If I can’t touch it, it doesn’t exist,” he says, printing out his emails and filing them alphabetically.

Boomers approach online courses like a new business venture. They’ve got notepads, highlighters, and a determination to ‘conquer’ the digital age. They excel in classes like “Turning Your Garden into a Fortress Against Millennials.”

Generation X: “We Invented the Internet, Remember?”

Born between 1965 - 1980

Tech comfort level 7/10

Phone addiction level 5/10

Likelihood of Facebook account 5/10

Gen X-er Sarah rolls her eyes as she expertly navigates between her work laptop, personal tablet, and smartphone, all while scoffing at Boomers and Millennials alike. “Amateurs,” she mutters.

Gen X-ers take to online learning like ducks to water, but don’t expect them to show enthusiasm. Their course of choice? “Advanced Sarcasm and Eye-Rolling: A Survival Guide for Modern Times.”

Xennial: “We used to Ask jeeves and YouTube wasn't even a thing.”

1977 - 1985 (micro generation)

Tech comfort level 9/10

Phone addiction level 6/10

Likelihood of Facebook account 7/10

Lewis is a proud Xenial, fondly remembering He-Man and longing for Tom Hanks’s digital comic book from the movie “Big” to be invented. “I love the internet, but I still love my Game Boy” is printed on his Fruit of the Loom t-shirt.

Xennials still love the 80s and 90s, including printed magazines, CDs and DVDs. The internet has been part of their adult life, but their childhood was web-free. Xennials can use all technologies but still hold old-school beliefs in the simple things.

Millennials: “I Learned It on TikTok”

Born between 1981 - 1996

Tech comfort level 9/10

Phone addiction level 8/10

Likelihood of Facebook account 7/10

Millennial Mike believes any problem can be solved in 60 seconds or less, preferably in a TikTok video. “You don’t need a manual when you have influencers,” he declares while unsuccessfully trying to fix his sink with a viral life hack.

Millennials thrive in online learning environments but may need help with courses over 3 minutes long. They will likely enrol in “How to Turn Your Side Hustle into Your Main Hustle: Living the Dream.”

Different generations have varying degrees of familiarity and comfort with technology. So, when we design courses, we need to explore how these generational cohorts might interact with what we build.

With this in mind, the next time you design a course, consider that your 10-minute custom hand-drawn animation could be 9 minutes and 10 seconds too long for some users. However, your shortened summaries and carefully reduced notes are too simple and lack the detail required for others.

Generation Z: “Wait, You Guys Use Phones for Calling?”

Born between 1997 - 2012

Tech comfort level 10/10

Phone addiction level 10/10

Likelihood of Facebook account 4/10

Zoe, a typical Gen Z, communicates exclusively through memes and emojis. When her teacher asks for an essay, she submits a series of TikTok videos and memes.

Gen Z is the king of multitasking and can watch an online lecture, text, and play a video game simultaneously. They prefer courses like “How to Become a Social Media Overlord Before You’re 20.”

Generation Alpha: “ChatGPT, Do My Homework”

Born between 2013-present

Tech comfort level 10/10

Phone addiction level 10/10

Likelihood of Facebook account 2/10

Little Timmy, aged 6, has never seen a world without voice assistants. He firmly believes that asking Alexa or Siri is the first step to solving any problem, including his math homework, and then along came ChatGPT and suddenly, all of their learning problems just “blew away.”

For Generation Alpha, learning is as interactive as it gets. They excel in virtual reality classrooms and will likely take courses like “Building Your First Robot Companion: A Toddler’s Guide.”

What influences our desire to learn largely depends on our motivation and goals. Different age groups often have different motivations for learning. Younger learners are focused on exploring and developing new skills, while older learners seek specific knowledge for career advancement or personal interest. Understanding these motivations can help design meaningful and motivating learning experiences for each age group.