She probably said that…
But it would be really stupid for a journalist to not know the slightest thing about her sense of humor, think it was a serious comment, and run an article about it
“I still haven’t, but I’m going to,” Plaza said. “To be honest, I had trouble opening my HBO Max account when I was trying to watch it originally. I couldn’t figure out the password and I usually just give up when I can’t figure out the passwords. I just can’t handle things like that.”
“I’d love a DVD, but they don’t send DVD sets anymore,” Plaza added. “I ask them every time.”
Plaza has long been outspoken about her annoyances with streaming platforms. She told Vanity Fair last year that she gets “really angry” whenever she is forced to use one of them.
She could presumably employ a digital helper if she’s struggling.
Watching my elderly parents and those around them interact with modern technology I really understand her frustration.
Technology everywhere comes with shitloads of user-hostile patterns and defaults, tons of assumed context, and the inevitable replacement will work completely differently. In the case of streaming services we can’t even vote with our wallets because it’s HBO’s own content.
No doubt Plaza’s in a position to get herself some assistance, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a super legit gripe for everyone else.
/rant
As both power user, chaperone of less skilled users and sometimes someone who is trying to figure out interfaces and UX - it’s a mess, and there’s no answers. Even good practices assume a lot, and you can’t imagine the most happless user possible when designing things.
