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Week 8: Human-Centred Design Case Study of Cellphones in Developing Countries
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 * Read the online article 'Can the Cellphone end Global Poverty?**' at

In three paragraphs, describe the role of Jan Chipchase in defining the role of cellphones in the developing world for Nokia, and the benefits of analyzing and defining cellphone use and design in different cultures as part of their market expansion.

Jan Chipchase is a "human behaviour researcher" for Nokia, and travels around the world to anthropologically research how people live and what they look for in cell phones. Things that might not be so important are sometimes actually the most important points in his research. He takes photographs and writes about his experiences and gained knowledge, and sends them back to the Nokia headquarters and other offices (as well as keep a blog). These bits of information are extremely helpful and important to the creative prossessing & making of Nokia phones. Even pictures of the contents of a woman's handbag/a poster of prostitutes with their phone numbers are not only interesting but also helpful, as they identify different aspects of society. Nokia then tries to create cell phones, or improve their existing cell phones to cater to people in developing nations and to their needs. Jan Chipchase is not an ordinary and aggressive marketer. He actually listens to people's needs and wants, especially in developing nations, where 68% of cell phone users are.

There are many benefits to analyzing and defining cell phone use in different cultures. Even people within the same culture have their own needs and wants - therefore, there is a definite difference in needs and wants among different cultures. An example used in the article was of the people in the Dharavi slum of Mumbai, who wanted (sketched) cell phones that could inform them of the weather. This is because they do not own a radio or a TV, but a cell phone - by combining these two they would benefit a lot, and would not have to spend a fortune buying another product. Chipchase went around countries and asked people to sketch the kinds of cell phones they need and want, so that Nokia could effectively come up with solutions and potential cell phones that directly cater to people like them. This way, there is no waste in marketing strategies and the makers will definitely know that there is an audience out there who would definitely appreciate them.

By having someone like Jan Chipchase, many companies can expand their clientele and products to cater towards more people. They can not only create and market towards people in developed nations, but also for people in developing nations and also offer them for a cheaper price (if they mass produce). Cell phones have become a crucial yet taken-for-granted items in our lives but for people in developing nations, they are still prerogative items. And by adding more features into them that could assist them in their lives, the cell phones would become more useful and helpful.