Assignment 2

Product: Keypad mobile phone [Fig 1.1]

Usage: Mobile phones have become an essential ingredient of our life. It has its users from all the age group. It has given us the freedom to communicate anywhere and anyone at any time. Other the calling and messaging it is incorporated with features like high resolution camera, radio, internet connectivity, games, torch and lot more. It is used to carry out office work, basic calculations and getting information from net.

Carrying: Generally mobile phones are placed in the pockets of shirt, t-shirt or pants. There are special carrier cases and handcrafted carrying bags for mobile phones. [Fig 1.2]

Cleaning: We often clean mobile phone with handkerchief, swipe it on our trousers or clean it with a cleaning cloth to remove stains from screen.

Accessories: Normally a mobile phone is assisted with charger, earphones and sometimes a blue tooth device.

Values: Mobile phones are more than just a communicating device. I) They act as an company and daily assistant as it allows to set alarms, notes, calendar, reminder, calculator, stopwatch etc. II) Source of Entertainment with easy radio and media player access. III) Source of Infotainment with easy net connectivity. IV) Provide personalized experience by allowing us to set various ringtones, take pictures and video through camera. V) Gives sense of independency and security altogether as we are always in connect with our near ones and help through GPS Navigation and is a sole communication medium in emergency situation.

Materials that make up mobile: Plastic mostly makes up outer body/case, adapters, and headsets. Screen consists of LCD screen. Circuit board consists of Fibre-Glass.

DIFFERENT USER GROUP FOR MOBILE PHONES

User Group: Completely Blind People

User Group Analysis and their experience with mobile phones: Completely Blind People are unable to have any visual ability. They carry their mobile phones daily with them to their workplace and mostly keep it in their pocket. They use normal keypad mobile phones just like we do and don’t have more hardware or software features other then the accessibility option. Also, from the primary research conducted in Andhjan Mandal we found that they use mobile phone only for calling purpose. They use wrist watch to listen to time and use physical radio for listening to songs (both the things are present in mobile phones but not used as it is not easy to use).

Pain Points:

Big screen

Small button

Torch

Fig1.1 Fig1.2

It takes time to dial a number as for every digit they have to navigate through number ‘5’. With no feedback they are not sure whether the number they dialled is wrong or right.

Mobile needs to be handled with both hands while dialling, one for holding the mobile phone and other for navigating buttons. Even buttons are too small.

Handling of mobile phone is difficult due to slippery plastic case. A lot of space taken by screen whereas it is not actually needed.

Changes made in mobile phones:Looking at above pain points I have designed a different model of mobile phone shown in the image below. [Concept of non-slippery finished panel is taken from Peter Lau]

As screen is not required therefore, we reduced the screen size. Now, screen has 1.5cm of height. It is not completely removed so that if blind people need some help from others then others can have visual feedback from mobile.

Dialling keypad has Braille engraved buttons and on pressing they give sound feedback of which button is pressed.

Other essential features of speaking clock and radio have been given in exclusive button. To add new contact, they have to press ‘New Contact’ button. Then, they have to speak out person’s name

and his phone number. Existing contacts can be voice-searched on pressing ‘Contact List’ button. Each keypad button will have speed dial number. Other features have been described in the image below.

Material used:Non-slippery rugged plastic will be used as case of mobile making grip handy and strong. Screen will be LCD based. Buttons will be made of solid-plastic but will be such that they are neither too hard to push nor to delicate, it will have a gentle touch effect.

Values represented by the modified mobile phone: No more it is used only for calling. Now, they can easily listen to radio and know the current time. Hence, for

them also it becomes a source of entertainment. Mobile is mainly a source of security and emergency contacts for blind people. It will make accessing mobile phones and features easier, with easy and fast identification of button. Reduces dependency on others for entering new number and calling already existing number

Note: Features of messaging has not been explored

Kavi Pandya - 131020