The business of making gimmicky phones

What made the RAZR a huge success or the iPhone insanely popular? Why do business professionals choose Blackberries over Treos or vice versa? What design elements or features make a phone a hit or miss? These are all questions mobile phone makers want answered, so before they dive into the creation of a new phone, they hire professionals whose sole purpose is to tap into the consumer's psyche. The New York Times published an interesting article that gives us some insight into the things companies do to accomplish this.

Nokia, for example, gathered designers and researchers to discuss with top executives what they thought consumers will want in the the next 15 years. During a trip to China, one designer noticed people using their phone to illuminate dark hallways, so after discussing his observation with Nokia, the company added a penlight to some models.

Another Nokia designer, came across a crushed Nokia 1100 mobile phone laying in the middle of the road, and suggested the production of more eco-friendly products. So the company produced a prototype made of recycled materials like old tires and plastic soda bottles.

Both nice ideas, but will they actually help you make your final buying decision? I don't think so.

Once companies produce a prototype phone, they have to put it to the test so they hire focus groups. The article says LG Electronics, asks focus groups to keep a journal about features they like the most, set up a toll-free number so users can share their emotions about the phone they're testing, and asks the group to draw pictures that represent their mood when they hold the phone.

Whether the focus group's emotional input helps or not remains to be seen, but LG has managed to produce some pretty trendy phones like the Chocolate, and Voyager. The phones look great and seem to appeal to a younger demographic, but people complained about the same features or lack thereof.

When the Chocolate phone came out, reviewers hated the extremely sensitive controls and confusing interface. Others lamented the Voyager's lack of WiFi, and after getting their hands on the Juke, reviewers griped about the phone's quirky design that required them to close the phone to initialize the music player or turn the phone upside down to read the screen. I guess I just don't understand the point of having focus groups test prototypes, when companies will still release products with obvious flaws anyway, right?

Yes, consumers may be fickle now that there are more choices out there, but I think designers need to stop creating phones that focus on the gimmicks and not features. I mean, do we really need mobile phones with built-in breathalysers, fragrance dispensers, ovulation calendars, or rape alarms?