experience deep frustration associated with their cell phone's interface
according to a study revealed today by Bowen Research, a firm that researches
and evaluates consumer attitudes and behavior about high tech products,
software and electronics. The study
indicates a digital divide between people under 30 or over 30 who use standard
cell phones, with the under 30 set experiencing problems much less frequently
and resolving issues quickly by simply asking a friend how to do it.
Cell users are invited to sound off at http
increasingly
complex features and unique interfaces, yet consumers over 30 have this
frustrating sense of 'enough already,'"
said Hugh Bowen, of Bowen Research.
"That demographic wants features that are easily accessible, not
lost in multiple levels of menus within menus; they want large fonts they can
read; and they want a simpler button setup so they're not so confused about
what they're doing, hitting keys by accident, etc."
Even basic features like dialing, speakerphone and using the
address book prove difficult and confusing for users 30 and up, a group that
number more than 40 million in the
Many of these fed up phone users spend time
reading manuals and contacting customer service only to give up trying to
determine how to use phone capabilities like texting, synching with their
computer, email, games and ringtones.
While participants in the under 30 category indicated they used 52% of
their phone's features, that figure dropped a full 12% for their more mature
counterparts.
one-on-one interviews with cell phone users on both sides of the age 30 cell
phone divide communicated their frustration in interview after interview, with
comments from over 30 users such as
- "I never quite know what I'm doing after a year and a half."
- "If it's too complicated, it just really isn't worth it."
- "Not intuitive at all."
- "To this day, I don't know how to check voicemail."
A repeated sentiment from the over 30 group was that a great many
cell phone features are impossible to learn and that cell phones are
"out of your control" because you try to do one thing, and something different
happens. Or, if you do learn how to do
something, it's so complicated that you forget several months later when you
want to do it again.
More information about the study can be found at
www.bowenresearch.com.