I met the inventor of the mobile!!

Mobile Phones for the Senior Market

Yesterday I was at this conference, organised by Simon Rockman. It was an interesting day of talks by business and academic experts, and a compelling argument to focus more attention on developing mobile devices for the aging population. Opening talks came from wireless legend Arlene Harris of Jitterbug and Dyna LLC, and Chris Cowpe from Age Concern Enterprises (formerly Chief Exec of DDB advertisers). Arlene's husband, Martin Cooper (the dude in the picture), inventor of the mobile phone, was also in attendance, but not speaking.

I'm proud to say that the best slide presentations came from the Cambridge lads. Prof John Clarkson explained the astonishing demographic shift that has been occurring over the last few decades, the number of seniors just keeps on growing, yet this wealthy segment is constantly failed by poor design. Ian Hosking then later explained how designing for older consumers is so much more than "big buttons" - they are a sophisticated, multi-segmented, proud, intelligent group of individuals, yet specialist mobile product offerings often miss the point - stigmatising or patronising instead of simplifying and including.

The other presentations were interesting, but badly delivered, with presenters reading out bullet points from slides that looked like they were from 1996. I got tired of squinting at badly labeled graphs or tables and cringing at lo-res stock photos, clip-art and slide transitions. In order to be taken seriously, this domain is in dire need of a bit of graphic design and/or public speaking classes. That seems superficial, but a modern, professional standard is really necessary if this opportunity is to be convincingly pitched to the networks.

There are a number of other obstacles to overcome before networks and retailers will commit to taking on the senior segment. In the UK with the abundance of subsidised phones (e.g. free on contract) and the narrow margins available in talk and text, it is a challenge to convince consumers to pay extra for a specialist device. Furthermore, the networks will be reluctant to fork out on extra support services for what is typically a low-usage category.

If somebody can nail this market, then they will not only make a lot of money, but also enable older people to connect with their families and friends - everyone wins! The answer lies in designing the complete user experience, from initial awareness of the product through to purchase, usage and support, to disposal or replacement - every aspect should be simple, intuitive, even enjoyable. The beauty of inclusive design is that learning from older or impaired people can lead to solutions that benefit all users. I personally think that a great solution might inadvertently appear sideways from another usage category - perhaps an outdoors or youth product - or perhaps it will happen the other way round.