User Centered

For those who are tired of waiting for their gadgets to converge into a super device, and just want a phone to make calls with, I present the Vodafone Simply. (Found via Asa Dotzler's blog)

From the website:

Vodafone Simply mobile phones are designed for you if you want:
-An easy-to-use phone only for voice calls and texting.
-To keep in touch easily with your family and friends.
-And uncomplicated phone with built-in helpful tips.

Seems like they have focused on the "phone" related tasks and facilitated the flow. I appreciate focusing the UI on the users instead of simply adding new features to the existing menu structure in the phone's UI. But I think the biggest advancement in mobile phone usability isn't going to come from the phone itself, but from how we use them. I think it's going to come from Donald Norman.

I love his ideas along the lines of "near real time" interaction (a great read), these simple phones would be a perfect place to implement some of his ideas (well, any phone really, but since these are focusing on making life simply, lets start there).

I like the idea of SMS/MMS messaging. I just don't want a keyboard on my phone. I have "spoon thumbs" that don't make it easy to type. But I love the near-real time interaction. I've been making due with SMS/MMS messaging and seriously considering getting a phone with qwerty as my next purchase, but still that doesn't mean I don't think there's a better way.

I also hate voice mail with a passion. I've enabled the "quick prompts" (VM prompts are not so verbose) on my VM box so that alleviates some of the hassle, but still:
1)Dail in
2)You have one new message and two saved messages
3)The following message has not been heard
4)...ugh...

As Donald Norman suggests- I'd like the flexibility of text messaging applied to voice. You don't need to have a keyboard, you don't need to "dail in," you don't need to be present (like the two-way radio cell phones). I pick up my phone, press a button and record a message. Select someone from my phone book and click send. They get a "new voice note from Eddie" message and click play and listen at their convenience. I guess we could start with the interface that most phones have for recording voice notes. But I've always wondered why I have to hold the button down the whole time I'm recording. Makes it a bit more cumbersome and restricted.

Quick, easy, voice messaging. Now THAT would be a killer feature for me.

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