The subject for my master thesis project at Sony Ericsson (Lund, Sweden) originated from ergonomic problems with mobile phone keypads caused by mobile phone miniaturization. Both an improved keypad and mobile phone concept have been designed, prototyped and evaluated by studying ergonomic guidelines, carrying out user tests and applying insights from (latent) requirements and wishes.
Overview of keypad characteristics related to mobile phones used in the conducted user tests. During the analyzing of the results from the user tests, I could amongst others determine what keypad characteristics are important.
User testing in a laboratory environment determined for example an overview of the expected and experienced usability of the tested mobile phones. By observing with "new eyes and ears" I managed to get invaluable key insights aiding in the further design process.
Through analyses and insights from user tests, I simultaneously started the ideation and prototyping phase in an iterative design process. A number of innovative and useful features were explored, both for the keypad and concept phone design.
Overview of the main design features of the optimally integrated keypad and concept phone design. The keypad has a different working principle - with respect to current keypads - where the keys rotate instead of being pushed down entirely. This improves the overall keypad ergonomics. The concept phone aesthetics is inspired by the receiver from old (fixed) phones.
Design presentation of the final keypad and concept phone.
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Master Thesis Sony Ericsson
Master Thesis Sony Ericsson