The recently published Handbook of Mobile Communication Studies looks like it has a lot of interesting pieces in it.
Digital Divides and Social Mobility
The Mobile Makes Its Mark – Lara Srivastava
Shrinking Fourth World? Mobiles, Development, and Inclusion – Jonathan Donner
Mobile Traders and Mobile Phones in Ghana – Ragnhild Overå
Mobile Networks: Migrant Workers in Southern China – [...]
Book about how mobile communication devices are changing social relationships.
“The message of this book is simple: the mobile phone strengthens social bonds among family and friends. With a traditional land-line telephone, we place calls to a location and ask hopefully if someone is “there”; with a mobile phone, we have instant and perpetual access to [...]
Nokia’s design director, Antti Kujala, talks about design and emerging markets.
“In India, there’s a lot of aspiration in a purchase. It’s about looks, style, and projecting the right image. [A phone is] not just a status symbol but about people trying to acquire things to move to the next level…It has to be the right [...]
The folks at Adaptive Path have put together a concept for an implanted insulin pump for diabetics and dubbed it “Charmr”. It’s a nice concept piece that showcases the process and design thinking that went into the idea. (Though I hope Web 2.0 nomenclature for physical products isn’t a sign of things to come).
Link: Charmr [...]
Based on an earlier study of phone carrying habits, Jan Chipchase has published a broader study (covering more countries) of the things people carry with them.
“The use of wallets and purses to cluster, contain and protect the things we carry varied considerably ranging from 98% in Tokyo, 54% in Beijing to 35% in Ji Lin. [...]
Jan Chipchase and Indri Tulusan have just published an ethnographic report on shared phone use, based on research primarily carried out in Uganda.
“The research team identified 6 shared use practices: an informal service called Sente that essentially enables a mobile phone owner to function as an ATM machine; mediated communication that neatly side-steps issues of [...]
BusinessWeek has just published a couple of interesting articles about designing across cultures. The first one looks at the challenges bringing OXO products to Japan, the second at design in India. I’ve discussed culturally sensitive design with several people over the last few years, and I feel these design challenges require an interesting balance of [...]
Jan Chipchase talks about ethnography and methodology.
“I do have a habit of trying new things to experience the experience – having my ears cleaned in a Hue barber’s shop springs to mind. Sitting in the chair mentally breaking down the composite parts of the experience – the tools he used including a customized razor blade [...]
Richard F Cecil writes about challenges facing the next step of mobile sevices.
“Achieving simplicity and speed of access is the key to expanding people’s perceptions of the mobile Web to include information, entertainment, and commerce services. If people are to use these services while they are on the go, we must avoid cramming as many [...]
“User experience needs to take better account of context and the environment of the customer. MEX articles recently seem to overlook this backdrop – the contextual user environment (CUE) – and how mobile usage can be optimised for best effect. In this article I’ll look at some CUE situations for the car, shopping mall, street [...]
“Bystanders rated mobile-phone conversations as dramatically more noticeable, intrusive, and annoying than conversations conducted face-to-face. While volume was an issue, hearing only half a discussion also seemed to up the irritation factor.”
Link: Why Mobile Phones are Annoying (useit.com)
Something completely different: how people in the military are using consumer technology while on mission in Iraq.
“He does admit, though, that all the electronics can interfere with a soldier’s primary mission. “If you can’t be comfortable being miserable, as it were, then you just won’t make a good soldier. Technotoys are wonderful distractions, to be [...]
“Connecting people. Disconnecting people. Reconnecting people. analyses how people cope with being in touch 24/7 and how personal time and space are defined in a context where availability is always expected. It starts off with a description of the existing behaviors, personal strategies and complaints, to conclude with a proposal for alternative solutions oriented to [...]
Published by Gabriel White.