Despite our best efforts, we often don’t know our devices and software as well as we could. Tech tips are designed to bridge the gap between the user’s knowledge and the platform or program they’re using, helping them navigate and execute commands faster.
This week we’re sharing 10 tech tips that will improve your digital experience and make you more productive online! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for a new tech tip each Tuesday!
1. Turn Off Background App Refresh
While this app refresh feature is great for speeding up apps and showing you new content, it can also drain your iPhone’s battery. To preserve battery life, turn off background app refresh.
This is an important tip for users with limited data plans who want to avoid using too much cellular data.
Background app refresh works by letting suspended apps fetch content from the web and send notifications in the background. This includes social media apps, news apps, and cloud storage services.
This is an essential function for ensuring your apps are always up-to-date, but it can drain your battery and increase your data plan if you don’t disable it. To save battery and data, you can toggle off background app refresh for all apps or for individual ones.
2. Set a Timer
A timer can be a great help in many situations. It can help you to keep track of the elapsed time between two events, or even count down the minutes before a deadline.
You can set a timer on your Windows 10 computer through the Alarms & Clock app. This app lets you configure multiple timers and save them for later use.
If you want to delete an unneeded timer, click on the arrow next to its name and then select “Delete.” This will clean up your timers list and remove the timer.
You can also set a sleep timer to shut down your computer at a certain amount of time. This helps prolong battery life and is especially useful when kids are using your laptop or PC.
3. Refresh Your Browser
Refreshing your browser is a simple process that lets you ask the web page to send you the newest version of the information displayed on that webpage. It can fix a lot of problems, such as outdated information or a website that seems stuck on a certain page.
When browsing a web page, your web browser stores copies of the content that you see on it in a set of files called a cache. The cache speed up your browsing experience by letting your browser download and display the content it needs without having to load it from the server every time you visit a page.
However, sometimes a fresh refresh doesn’t fix the problem and you have to clear your browser’s cache manually. You can do this in Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer desktop browsers.
4. Clear Your Cache
Clearing your cache is a simple, fast way to free up storage on your device and improve web browsing speeds. This helps you get the most out of your iPhone and avoid memory issues.
The cache is a collection of data (including images, fonts, and technical codes) that you’ve downloaded from websites. Most browsers save these cached files for a short period of time, so that when you next visit the same site, it won’t have to redownload those files all over again.
You can clear your cache in most browsers by clicking the menu button and selecting Options. In the Cookies and other site data section, select Cached images and files and click Clear. Then choose a time range to clear the data. You can also mark any data items that you don’t want cleared.
5. Turn Off Auto-Save
Auto-save is a feature in Microsoft Office products that saves your work automatically without saving it manually. The purpose of this feature is to protect your file from sudden power interruption or PC crashes.
If you aren’t a fan of this function, it’s easy to turn off. You’ll need to navigate through the Windows registry (depending on the program you use), but it’s well worth it.
The best part is you’ll be able to go back to your original file and undo all the temporary changes it saved for you. It’s a nice little trick to make your day a little bit more organized, and a good one for any tech-savvy computer user. The good news is this trick can be applied to any computer system, not just those running Microsoft products.
6. Open a New Tab
Open tabs are a great way to multitask while you use your browser. They allow you to open multiple websites in the same window so you can read and complete forms while also streaming audio or watching video.
The default Chrome New Tab page includes a Google logo, a search bar, and thumbnails of your most visited sites. However, if you want to customize the New Tab page or make it more user-friendly, you can use a Chrome extension.
Having too many open tabs can be a major distraction and a resource hog, so it’s important to manage your tabs. To start, figure out what your optimal number of open tabs is for you.
7. Open a Link in a New Window
As a general rule, it’s best to avoid opening external links in a new window. That’s a bad idea because it can be disorienting for users, especially if they are using screen readers.
When links open in new windows, they can also interrupt ongoing processes. This can be particularly relevant for forms, such as sign-up and checkout forms, where people may need to type information back into the form after clicking the back button.
The best way to avoid this is to use an icon that visually alerts sighted users that a link opens in a new window. Alternatively, you can add text that’s picked up by screen readers. This will help sighted users understand what the icon means and prevent them from getting confused. It will also make it easier for them to know how to go back if they’ve accidentally opened the link in a new window.
8. Open a Link in a New Tab in a New Window in a New Window
For users who are primarily on a mobile device, opening external links in new tabs can help them keep on track of their work. It can also improve engagement metrics such as bounce rate and time spent on the site.
It is also a good idea to warn users upfront that they will be opening the link in a new window. This can be done using a URL tag in the HTML of your page.
There are various ways to do this, depending on the browser you are using. Some of these include a middle-click on the mouse or trackpad, holding down Shift + Ctrl (PC) or Command (Mac), or using an extension in your browser.
9. Open a Link in a New Window in a New Window in a New Window
A good rule of thumb is to avoid opening links in new windows or tabs unless there’s an obvious reason for them to do so. Users will likely be confused and frustrated by the change, and they’ll have trouble returning to the page or site from which they clicked.
If you decide to open links in new windows, make sure you alert users that this is happening by using text and/or an icon. Don’t go overboard, however, as it may irritate those who are unfamiliar with this feature.
10. Open a Link in a New Window in a New Window in a New Window
Opening a link in a new window is a common usability problem that can lead to bad user experience. Users want to open links in the same window and are surprised when sites change the context automatically without asking for their consent.
In general, I recommend that you avoid using a link to open in a new browser window or tab. Instead, use visual cues like icons to warn users that a link will be opened in a new window.
