Mobile Phones for Seniors Require Voicemail, Slow-Motion and Text to Speech

The latest benchmark analysis from the Strategy Analytics Wireless Device Lab has evaluated the physical and differentiated accessibility features desired by European wireless users over the age of 60 in Europe.

The Nokia 2630 was preferred mostly due to its clear screen, clearly structured user interface, and strong brand pull through by seniors in Spain. Senior users in the UK prefer the UT Starcom Coupe because of its large keys, clear screen, and large fonts. Seniors in both countries rejected the Samsung Jitterbug even though it is targeted specifically at this segment and has the largest and clearest keys of the devices benchmarked. The overall large size and slightly dated industrial design proved to be strong negatives.

"Differentiated accessibility and usability features resonate strongly with senior users in the UK and Spain", noted Christopher Dodge, User Experience Analyst at Strategy Analytics. "In the UK, seniors expressed strong interest in environmental sensing features, such as automatic ringtone boost for noisy surroundings and a display that automatically adjusts to compliment surrounding lighting. In Spain, strong vibrating alert, voicemail slow-motion and text-to-speech readout were among the most valuable features according to seniors."

David Kerr, VP of the Strategy Analytics Global Wireless Practice, added, "Although many Seniors still inherit their mobile from family members who have upgraded, there is clearly a willingness to pay for devices with features which overcome--or at least alleviate the problems of weak audio and glared screens. Vendors and operators should not confuse this segment's demands for simplicity with a willingness to accept oversized or dated industrial designs, such as the Jitterbug."

Posted to the site on 7th February 2008