Ever looked at your cellphone menu and wondered what the heck the wrench is for? Or the clipboard? Or any other random icon put there to help, but which sometimes makes using a cellphone even more confusing? Well, imagine your sight is not what it used to be, your hearing is on the outs and you’ve never played a video game. Yes, senior citizens are the population sector in question. And carriers, always on the hunt for customers, are honing in on this group to figure out how to make cellphones more user friendly for any user.
The solution? A tutorial, well for AT&T Mobility anyway. In honor of Older Americans Month (May), AT&T Mobility is offering free technology classes to senior citizens, focusing on accessing information online, billing and identity theft issues. The classes are an offshoot of a program the carrier has been offering since November 2007. Mike Bennett, executive director of external affairs for AT&T Mobility, said the classes are actually one-on-one, 20-minute sessions where a senior citizen can sit with an AT&T Mobility employee, ask questions and learn how to use their handset.
“In a classroom setting, seniors are less inclined to ask questions,” Bennett said. “They get embarrassed or think their questions are dumb.”
Bennett said this all began during AT&T Mobility’s efforts to meet “key influencers” in the market to make them aware of the carrier’s initiatives. When AT&T Mobility execs met with Oasis, a nonprofit organization in Missouri designed to help improve the life of mature adults, the two decided to team up to offer senior citizens some wireless guidance.
AT&T Mobility now offers the one-day sessions in 26 cities where Oasis has chapters. Oasis markets the event through senior facilities in the selected cities. Seniors sign up, pick a time slot, show up and learn. Session attendees must be at least 50 years old, but Bennett thinks it’s a good move for all ages.
“I mean, we’re not going to check I.D.s at the door.”
In locations where Oasis doesn’t have a chapter, AT&T Mobility plans to partner with SeniorNet, a senior citizen technological education organization.
Bennett said as phones gain more features and capabilities they naturally become more complicated to use, stating that some handsets today come with 100-page manuals, making using the phone a daunting task for the elderly.
“It’s really heartwarming,” Bennett said, “to hear someone say ‘I want to be the cool grandma and text-message my grandkids.'”
The K-I-S-S approach
This very issue is something that Arlene Harris, founder of mobile virtual network operator Jitterbug, has been building her career around. However, she takes the opposite approach, creating phones that are not difficult to use or to understand.
“It doesn’t take a class to learn how to use our services,” Harris said.
Jitterbug is aimed at older America, with the goal of being familiar. There are two phones, the Jitterbug and the Jitterbug OneTouch. Both phones have large buttons, a clear and readable display screens and soft ear cushions equipped to be louder. Both phones do not have signal bars and instead have – what Harris thinks is most important – a dial tone.
“It’s a classic example and when you think about it, it tells you if a phone works or if it doesn’t.” Harris said. “Bars tell you more and make you a technologist, you need to look at the bars and our customers probably don’t care about that. They just want to know, ‘can I make a call or can’t I?'”
The Jitterbug is a bare-bones looking phone. It has number buttons, a yes button, a no button and the zero key acts as a direct connect to an operator. The Jitterbug OneTouch has only three buttons total, an operator button, a personal connection button and the 911 button.
“Phones today include icons, buttons on the side you push by mistake and it’s really frustrating,” Harris said. “You can’t see the fonts on the screen and you can’t hear because some phones are so flat. It’s like putting a deck of cards up to ear.”
The big carriers however have taken these hurdles into consideration. Besides the one-on-one sessions, AT&T Mobility has also recently released the Pantech Breeze, an easy-to-use cell phone with that antique look so many carriers stray from these days. Bennett said the new phone isn’t necessarily designed for the elderly, but has the attractive large fonts and big keys that seniors tend to prefer.
Verizon Wireless also offers a phone, the Coupe, and price plan targeted at seniors.
Creating these simpler, more direct phones seems to be on target. In recent monthly surveys conducted by iSuppli Mobile Handset ConsumerTrak, results showed older adults are mainly concerned with cellphones serving a utilitarian purpose for basic communication. The older group, 65 and up, also was least active in text messaging and e-mailing. Jonathan Cassell, editorial director and manager of public relations for iSuppli, said carriers better hop on board if they want to attract these customers.
“With 1.29 billion mobile phones set to be shipped in 2008, there’s a lot of opportunity for smart companies to tailor their products to the preferences of specific groups,” Cassell said.
