Something I have to try to explain time & again when a non-technical person asks me “how do I do x on my computer” is that I don't know. I can't explain to you step by step over the phone how to make an image bigger in your document or how to print on both sides of the paper or how to switch between the internal and external speakers. I can probably – given the computer in front of me, some opportunity to explore the problem and accurate information about what you're trying to do – figure it out. I'm familiar with the language of user interfaces and can use intuition and experience to explore an unfamiliar tool. I'm also less afraid of accidentally breaking something.
Via Dan Lyke [1] on FaceGoogleMyBookPlusSpace, “What are some things that programmers and computer scientists know, but most people don't? - Quora [2]”
This is something that took me a long time to impart to my Dad—that just because I program computers doesn't mean I can solve all his computer problems. Especially the Microsoft Windows problems he has from time to time, as the last time I used Windows, it was actually called MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System).
There is a lot of wisdom and truths on that page. I'm finding myself nodding and agreeing with pretty much everything on that page.
[2] http://www.quora.com/What-are-some-things-that-programmers-and-computer