LG's cellphone for the elderly
By Peter Rojas 
posted Jul 28th 2004 10:15AM
posted Jul 28th 2004 10:15AM
From LG, a brand new cellphone for the elderly with extra large keys that—gasp!—only makes phone calls and sends
text messages. We won't stand for our seniors to be treated like second-class citizens, and we're starting an online
petition demanding that LG throw a digital camera or an MP3 player or a TV tuner in there somewhere.
[Via Textually.org]
It makes me wonder if LG actually consulted any experts on what a design that would actually be helpful for the elderly... Just taking out features and making the buttons bigger isn't necessarily going to make this much more helpful. Take a look at the send and hangup buttons. They look so much alike. The number buttons all visually run together instead of looking like a familiar touch tone phone.
Good move by LG for producing stuff for this rapidly increasing market - we are all living in an aging population after all. It'll be interesting how this thing sells, especially now that the "Baby Boomers" are reaching retirement age - will they want devices that perform bare bones functions or will they want the whole shebang, camera and all?
I see lots of middle-aged and older people with cell phones. It's obviously a good idea to have larger sized buttons but couldn't they have made it a little more stylish. The typical cell phone using oldster wants to look cool to their kids and grandkids. The styling is a bit too early 90s.
Elderly? Heck, I'm 30, and I don't want any of these extra features. I have a digital camera. I have an iPod. In a cell, I want:
1a) small size (think Mot v.8162 but slimmer)
1b) long battery life (i mean > 3 days, real life use)
1c) great reception
4) virtually indestructable (think StarTac, except for the flimsy antenna)
5) nifty design, ease of use
I don't care about a color screen. I don't care about these entertainment features. I have specialized devices for those functions that excel at them-- a phone will never be more than a kludge.
Elderly? Heck, I'm 30, and I don't want any of these extra features. I have a digital camera. I have an iPod. In a cell, I want:
1a) small size (think Mot v.8162 but slimmer)
1b) long battery life (i mean > 3 days, real life use)
1c) great reception
4) virtually indestructable (think StarTac, except for the flimsy antenna)
5) nifty design, ease of use
I don't care about a color screen. I don't care about these entertainment features. I have specialized devices for those functions that excel at them-- a phone will never be more than a kludge.
My mom has a very old Nokia and she thinks it's too small to talk on. She constantly moves the phone up and down (up for listening, down for talking) as she wants the mic to be right on top of her mouth. It took her months to figure out how to check her voicemail. There is a huge market for simple cell phones.
She loved using my Treo 300 because of the huge buttons on the screen and the fact that, with the flip open, it feels like you are talking on a "real" phone. Of course, she has no idea that it might happen to do anything else besides make telephone calls....
This movement for "Universal Design" seems like a joke to the phone designers. It's just another one of those "low fat", "zero calories" tags they put on the product to either jack up the price or sell to a new consumer.
Bigger keys, brighter colors, bigger screens are just the tip of the iceberg. How about reconfiguring the keys? Maybe not have them crammed together like that? I wonder what sorts of "user testing" they used on this phone.
Consider that all products should inherantly be comfortable to use, easy to see, non fatiguing etc... let's talk about the real meat of the problem with designing for the older generation.
I've been thinking about this a lot recently. My mother in law is in a nursing home, still mentally active but wheelchair bound and with severe arthritis in both hands. We've failed so far to find a mobile phone that she can hold, let alone use. Installing a land line is not allowed in the nursing home (the home claims that phone bills are difficult to monitor and that residents change rooms too often to make it practical). I think this is a common problem, in the UK at least.
What she (and surely millions of others across the world) need is a mobile phone that:
1. can be clipped securely to a chair, night stand or wheelchair
2. secure voice recognition activated calls (calls can only be made by the owner)
3. large, clear keys and display
4. oral caller id (can't think of the correct term, it's the facility that announces the name of the caller)
5. adjustable volume
If any mobile phone manufacturers are reading this, research the figures for the number of elderly (70+?) living in their own homes, in residential care and in sheltered accommodation. The market for such a phone is definitely there.
Check out Jitterbug.com
I saw this ad in an AARP magazine and it looks promising. Can also be set up for voice recognition dialing
Good Luck
The market for the older generation is DEFINATELY there. If you take a note from the Gerantologist Patricia Moore (designer of the oxo goodgrip) she would discuss the baby boomer generation and how it is quickly approaching the 65+ age bracket. Their generation is going to create the greatest surge in 65+ patients in history.
You can already see the effects in Japan as designers scramble to build robotics and other products to handle the growing demand of the elderly that need personal medical attention (i.e. robotic showers, power suits, and asimo/qrio robotic assistants).
since the keys have been made larger why not place 'braille' symbols on them for those who need it, at any age, old or young.
Bill Alexander, Ottawa, On. Canada
My mother needs a phone this simple:
A green dial button with icon, a red hang up button with icon, a screen with a slide show of people to call.
Number buttons should be covered so they are not pushed inadvertently.
GREAT innovation - just how does one buy one?? Sure haven't seen any shops on the internet or phone stores with them
Indeed, this phone is only a half step in the correct direction. It still has fifty percent more buttons than a traditional home phone. The buttons still contain a fair bit of tiny writing. The button labels are not high contrast, but are black-on-metallic-gray. The microphone is still on the bottom, which works fine but leaves some older users wondering "what part do I talk into?" It's a fine start, but the designers still have a lot of bad habits left to break.
Why can't the phone look and handle like a traditional phone with dial and handset, so the elderly can use it like a familiar item but just not be locked to a land line? My mum is in a nursing home too and I've tried to get her to use a large mobile without success but I know she could use an old fashioned style(looking)phone with more confidence.
There has obviously been now user-centered design incorporated into the creation of this phone. Now color coding, ambiguos button function and that tiny screen! No obvious tactile info
As a senior "tween" (62) I want a mobile phone I don't need reading glasses and a stylus to use, preferably a flip-phone that lights up. Tell the designers, K.I.S.S.--Keep it simple sweetheart (or stupid, as the case may be).
As a student currently developing a communication 'device' for the elderly, this phone (from first impressions) is an absolute joke! There is a market for 'simplified' interfaces on mobiles, however this shouldnt be to the detriment of the features on the phone. With this, LG has decieded on what a "typical" old person would "want" and left it as that. The buttons have poor definition between them, and an awful contrast between the silver and black, surely making it harder for elderly eyesight. And dont get me started on the display screen!
Several posters have stated the biggest problem that I see (with my old eyes) - dial CONTRAST. I am starting to have problems with some of the colors and backlighting on today's mobile phones, so this is vital to me, and probably countless others. Also the poor transmission/reception quality continues to be a problem (damn - another call dropped after 3 seconds ...). And make 'em more rugged - we're getting clumsier as we age!
I'm a freelance writer for The New York Times working on a story about the elderly and cell phones. I'd like to talk to some of the people who posted here, particularly those who are older or with elderly parents who have had experiences -- good or bad -- with cell phones (also John Vines, I'm interested in your project). Please contact me at jeff (at) selingo (dot) com.
Numerous mobile phones my wife and I have tried
using fail to arouse our attention, when ringing. I miss incoming calls and tend to respond too late. Nevertheless, I am usually capable of hearing and do net yet require a hearing aid. There must be lots of people like me, but the cellular industry only offers fancy gadgets for the young; nothing for the elderly.
Where can I find one of these phones, have been unsuccessful.
I need a large button phone for my 83 year old mom who is confined to bed but moves rooms now and then at the convalescent home.
Well it is obvious that most of us see the need for a product which is genuinely designed for the older user, I agree with most, this has not fully achieved its goal. I think it would be Really useful to utilise the extra space that can be created by using a flip phone and this would also help out with making the phone more robust. This device needs to be designed from scratch 'back to the drawing board' and get rid of all the preconceptions of what a mobile phone is! come on LG break the paradigm
:)
I like the idea that LG have chosen to design for the elderly it is a market segment that has been largly ignored by manufactures. i am not entirely convinced they have done a good job, some of the idiograms used are a bit confusing and the general stlying is a bit dated and slightly patronising.
I am currently designing a remote control for a PVR (personal video remote) aimed at the 60+. If anyone who reads this has any comments to help me in my project i would really appreciate it if you could e-mail your comments to patrick.j.carnell@student.shu.ac.uk
Thanks
What is needed:
Phone is approx 9 inches in length.
Has secure grasp.
Similar in shape to familiar handheld telephone.
High contrast number keys which light up and are 1/2 inch in size.
Obvious and easy "On/Off" button.
Easy to read battery charge indicator.
The 70+ age group have little need for cameras in their cell phones.
Window has approx 14 or 16 point size font.
The dim window feature saves battery power but also makes the elderly person think the phone is turned off when it is actually in power save mode.
J.W. in Austin, Texas.
Has anyone run across somewhere you can buy a large button cell phone? My husband is just turning 50 but his hands are large as well and he is having difficulty with small buttons/phones. Definitely a market for this is there is not one in manufacture yet. Great specs, I would add a no slip rubberized edge like a Nextel has so it is easier to hold. Or perhaps a cushioned side so it could be gripped by arthritic fingers.
A move in the right direction, but not a great design. Why do cell phones (LG VX3200) use the "End" button to turn power on? Sort of like clicking "Start" to turn off your Windows system (more poor design). I am 63. I use a Treo 600 for its Palm OS. I wanted another phone to slip in the bicycle jersey pocket when I am riding. I don't need color screens with pictures that obscure the info on the screen. I don't want to down load ring tones. I don't want to down load pictures for the screen. I don't want text messaging. Or email. Or ....
I want to be able to make calls on a small phone without my reading glasses (perhaps I need my Oakely's with bifocals).
Ask the seniors what they want. My Dad would never give up his Sharp calculator (I bought it in 1970) because of the large numbers. Companies need to realise that raised designs in the same color are not adequate labelling.
From:- maryhuggard@eircom.net.
Your LG cellphone seems just what I have been
looking for, as I have seen several on the Internet. I just wish I knew where I can purchase on one of yours.
Sincerely,
Mary huggard
MY 82 YEAR old mother uses a regular cell phone, but has extreme arthritis and her thumbs are bent in half... We've decided that the best phone for her is the new phone out for kids that has a button for mom and dad and 911 ... up to 20 numbers can be programmed into it but the main buttons can be for my brother and I... the buttons are large and there are only 5 to choose from... much better for her.
This a start. My 87 yo mother has arthritis in her hands, difficulty seeing and hard of hearing. The simple format and large keys are important. Also important would be a very loud volume for voice and the ring tone. It would help if you could plug in flasher to help alert the cell phone owner that the phone is ringing.
Fantastic Idea. I need a phone for my 95 year old father who is still very active, but cannot work a normal cellphone .. The only buttons needed are
On/Off
Answer call / End call
Plus 6 pre programmable buttons to contact friends / family
Great I'm sold on it for my Mum in law.
Now where can I buy it in UK???
My mother has just moved into a Residential Home. She is aged 97 years and really misses her phone as she is still very capable. However an ordinary mobile phone would be useless as they seem to be getting smaller and smaller which is perfecly ok for the rest of us. I have made enquiries in the local mobile phone stores and they say I am not the first to ask this. Have also asked in Ableworld who also said they have other enquiries. Do you know where I could get something suitable for her please as she is very willing to learn to use it! thankyou.
This phone would be wonderful for my father.....I live in Canada and have no idea where to get one though!!! Any suggestions?
This is a great discussion.I am looking for a mobile for my mum who is 83. She lives on her own and I am woried about her falling. She wants a really light simple phone that she could wear around her neck and use as an alarm to get help. Her memory is really going so it would have to be very very simple to use. For instance - have a red panic button configured to dial my phone number. Any suggestions?
BIG READOUT!!!!! The babyboomers, a huge market, cannot read small print anymore. My next phone will be based solely on clear readout and clearly marked number pad. Sure, the rest of the bells and whistles would be great, but I would sacrifice them for a phone that doesn't require reading glasses!
I am difficult in hearing and wearing hearing aids, so I consistently looking for cellphone for special needs.
Nokia, Motorola have 'accessibility' website for people deaf, difficult hearing, blind, and people can't use their hands like they can dial/ handup phone with voice command or push a stick.
I also see a site has a regular landline phone handset (amplified) that can plug to cellphone's headset 2.5mm jack so elder people
can grab on it easily.
I would suggest cellphone manufacturer to make a phone with PICTURE ID so after programmed, elderly can push a button to shuffle among these pictures to place a call without looking at words/numbers, then the elderly can hold on the regular phone shaped handset in conversation. Large color/lighted buttons are good for elderly to tell which is which, like, OFF, SEND, and SCROLL LEFT/RIGHT, UP/DOWN.
I like one suggestion to keep the number keys covered since most of time the elderly simply use 3-4 buttons for choose who to call in the picture ID, then send and disconnect.
LG makes a large yellow cellphone for the eldefly. Mr Rojas wrote a fearure for you. Heres the problem; I can't find WHERE to buy it. You never even gave the product number. OK, neat phone, thank you, now where the hell can we buy it? I've spent 4 hrs on Google! Thanks Ted
I am just getting new hearing aids. The FCC requires that all line phones and cordless phones (but not Cell Phones), be "Hearing Aid Compatible". My hearing aids have a telecoil which is detected by the telephone and communicates with the hearing aid via this device, allowing the telelphone to act as an extension of the hearing aid. I would like to see cell phones that are hearing aid compatible.
In fairness, I am just learning this new technology, I am discovering headsets, which probably can be used with my cell phone, that are hearing aid compatible. I suspect I will be able to use bluetooth as well. I just wish I would have got a bluetooth compatible cell phone in the first place now!!
God bless and Happy New year
Love can still be the sunrise in the twilight of a person's life.