‘Function fatigue’ plagues cellphone users, study finds

Cellphone users are increasingly overwhelmed with the assortment of advanced features and functions on their phones, so much so that they rarely make use of services beyond simply placing a call, according to a new study by the CMO Council’s Forum to Advance the Mobile Experience.
The study of at least 15,000 consumers in 37 countries concluded that “function fatigue” is the No. 1 problem with mobile devices throughout the world. Furthermore, it found that disappointments in the buying and user experience are compounding the problem. Respondents also gave low marks to retailers and carriers for lack of product demonstrations, sales associate knowledge and slow service at the point of sale.
Web sites are now the most important source for researching devices due to growing consumer disappointment at the retail end, according to the report.
Among other conclusions the report made, Americans and Western Europeans came on top as the most bothered by loud cellphone conversations. The United States also lags behind all other regions in “mobile device ownership, advanced feature adoption, intent to buy and dependency. There is also less interest in personalizing devices with ringtones, wallpapers and accessories.”
CMO Council claims it was most surprised to find that consumers in developing countries reported the highest levels of device dependence and the greatest reception to the latest applications and services. The report, CMO Council’s Global Mobile Mindset Audit, was released at the 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.