innovate 6 - Helen Hamlyn Centre - Royal College of Art

Mobile communciation devices havetransformed our lives. The mobile phonein particular is vital to the ability of disabledpeople to remain independent yet stay intouch. However, with each new model thefeatures multiply while the product shrinks insize in the mistaken belief that this is what allconsumers want.Seymourpowell stripped the mobilephone down to its essentials. Its design focuswas to create a device that would becommercially viable and intuitive to use andcapable of instilling confidence in the user.User inputMobile phone users and non-users witharthritis and visual or mobility impairments.User issues> Technophobia> Inability to access even simple functions> Operation not intuitive> Buttons too small, hampering quick andaccurate operation> Interface too complex.How does it work?> Compact folding device with easy-to-open‘book edges’ for one-handed use27