Evaluating Preferences for Mobile Phone Features

Abstract

Mobile (or cellular) phone usage has grown substantially over recent years. Products continue to become smaller while the number of features that they contain increases. Recently, manufacturers have begun to market products toward specific demographic groups, like children or older adults. However, there is relatively little research concerning individual differences in feature preferences, particularly with respect to age. The present research explores self-reported preferences for 24 mobile phone features. Participants ( N = 194) rated each feature on a scale indicating their likelihood to use the feature if it was available in their mobile phone. Mean ratings indicated that Phonebook, Voicemail, Caller ID, and Call History were the features individuals reported most likely to be used. Approximately half of the features had mean ratings that indicated that they were not likely to be used. Pearson correlation coefficients between age and feature ratings resulted in 18 (out of 24) negative and significant correlations, indicating that most features are reportedly less likely to be used with increasing age. This notion was further confirmed by a positive correlation between age and the number of features rated as unlikely to be used. Analysis of variance also revealed effects of gender, age category, student status, and parental status on preference ratings. Implications for the design of mobile phones for different users are discussed.