3G providers must understand 'mobile emotion' to succeed
February 23, 2003
The UMTS Forum publishes a new industry report entitled 'Social
Shaping of UMTS - Preparing the 3G Customer'. Commissioned by the
UMTS Forum, the report is based on empirical research conducted
by the Digital World Research Centre, University of Surrey, and
is intended to help UMTS Forum members with the planning and development
of their 3G offerings. Based on dialogue with business users and
consumers across several European countries and verified by senior
industry players, the study also provides recommendations for effective
strategies for shaping customer expectations.
The study reveals that mobile phones do not widen a person's social
connectivity, but instead drive more frequent and intensive relations
with existing contacts - colleagues, family and friends. Furthermore,
the primary value of the mobile phone is perceived to be for 'functional'
activities, for example talk and texting. Importantly relationships
with business clients over the mobile were found to be minimal (mostly
talk-based) - especially when compared to communication with business
colleagues. The existence of tiered professional relationships can
explain this trend. For example, calling a client on his or her
landline is perceived by the caller as non intrusive because it
represents business related access. In contrast, calling a client
on their mobile could result in the caller invading their client's
private life.
The research also indicates that 'person-to-information' communications
(similar to use of the web) does not carry the same emotional value
as 'person-to-person' communications by phone. The key implication
of this for UMTS is that GSM technology has been shaped to satisfy
the need for 'personal telephony' rather than 'mobile telephony'.
Nonetheless, there will be significant opportunity for expanding
and enriching the experience of personal communications (such as
through imaging).
In addition, the study suggests that people have a more 'emotional'
relationship with their mobile phone than they do with other forms
of computational device, for example a PC or PDA. There is a distinct
emotional attachment to the information contained on and delivered
via their mobile phone. Mobile phones are increasingly becoming
the only place people store their social and family phone numbers
and diary dates. Consequently, the potential loss can cause anguish
to owners. Indeed most of the people surveyed used emotional language
categories to explain their mobile usage: these categories include
panic, need, desire, anxiety, etc.
Based on the research findings it is probable that imaging applications
will find wide acceptance if they encourage users to develop a form
of use that is analogous to texting, for example 'pictures for play'.
If the shaping of consumer expectations is done effectively a considerable
market can emerge for imaging. However, the implications for video
telephony are that it will generate considerable resistance unless
radical improvements in the MMI (man machine interface) and the
form factor of hand-held devices is achieved which allow much more
flexible management of the social etiquette i.e. the acceptability
of use of picture taking in public places.
Overall the research demonstrates that mobile phones have become
incredibly valuable in modern society. But using emotional attachment
to maximise the potential of UMTS products and services is challenging
because it demands a level of understanding of customers - existing
and potential - that is not normally known. More particularly, it
demands knowledge of the purpose of the user's communications and
how those purposes deliver the emotional value that is so important
to them. In addition to understanding the basic relationship the
customer has with their mobile phone, providers must recognise the
need for wider social conditioning of new UMTS services and products,
for example etiquette shaping and cultural sensitivity.
Jean-Pierre Bienaimé, chairman of the UMTS Forum, said: "Social
Shaping provides an understanding of what people might or might
not expect from existing and new technology. It adds richness to
every layer of a 3G provider's technology development and marketing
processes and should be incorporated into all 3G service provision
roadmaps. Operators, equipment vendors and content providers alike
should use it to assist decision making in the launch process and
to help design improvements to 3G technology."
Jane Vincent, Research Fellow at the Digital World Research Centre
comments on the study: "It is clear from our results that providers
must balance their enthusiasm for 3G services with a new understanding
of how the market might react to them. A good way to do this is
to persuade people to experience the new services by understanding
and leveraging their needs and desires. Ignore the overwhelming
desire for social connectivity in favour of an anonymous world of
data and megabits and new products and services are unlikely to
survive beyond launch."
The research, which was conducted in three phases, aimed to identify
the key social drivers for the development and success of GSM that
may be applicable to the introduction of UMTS technology. It also
sought to provide a deeper understanding of a subset of themes that
were identified as key to the 'Social Shaping of 3G', and the implications
that these drivers would have for UMTS services and products. The
final stage of the study involved presenting those implications
to key industry players to test for their accuracy and relevance.
UMTS Forum Report 'Social Shaping of UMTS - Preparing the 3G Customer'
is available to UMTS Forum members only.
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