ferniej_week8

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.

Nokia's researcher Jan Chipchase job was to venture into the world of developing countries with his cellphone in hand to capture the lifestyles of different cultures and their use of technology.**

Jan Chipchase's work for Nokia as a "human-behavior researcher" entrails him traveling around the world to gather information about cellphone consumers in an effort to create human-centered designed cellphones for specific lifestyles and cultures. The research gathered by Chipchase aids the designers, technologist and marketers in the production of "people phones" designed for the individual of each location instead of the average high-income individual of developing countries. Companies have been catering the the rich and powerful well ignoring the other "90%" that can't afford or realistically use the average cellphone. The documentation of the lifestyle and cultures of the people he meets is presented to Nokia in the form of written reports and/or PowerPoint presentations.

Chipchase also makes note of the environment that people live in. Analyzing cellphone usage in developing countries gives Nokia insight into the very different lifestyles here as opposed to the West opening up a potential Market. An example of a different lifestyle is a salesman who kept his cellphone in a plastic bag to protect it from seasonal rains and hung it on a wall to prevent damage from monsoon water that floods their dwellings. In this situation, Nokia could design a cellphone that could include a "hook as an accessory so it, like everything else in the home could be suspended above the floor". Muslims could also use a cell phone that incorporates G.P.S. devices to help orient their prayers towards Mecca. Many areas are without power, so a cellphone with a "whirlybird antenna on top that when rotated by the user generates enough power for 15 minutes" could be very useful.

Cellphones can connect developing countries to the world economy. As more people are connected by cellphones so are the businesses in that country. Businesses in Mumbai would have to be mobile due to the weather. Cellphones would provide the means to connect to villages far away and create a network of customers over a large distance. Businesses can also determine the cost of seed for their farm from across the country and eliminate the phrase "middle of nowhere". The poverty stricken individuals would no longer be "in the middle of nowhere". Cellphones would connect every village, every farm, every business to every customer potentially networking everyone.