There are hundreds of mobile phones out in the market that come in many shapes, sizes, and colors. With so many choices when it comes to mobile phone design, purchasing a mobile phone to match your fancy and unique personality has indeed become a fun challenge for the discerning mobile phone aficionado.
But more than design, users now look for the kind of experience the phone can bring them – from the phone’s user interface to its practical features. Nokia N97 designer Shunjiro Eguchi shares the immense Internet possibilities of the new multimedia device:
Who did you design the Nokia N97 for?
The Nokia N97 is designed around how people will use it on the move – they can easily hold it, pocket it, and share it. It was tested and developed with real people around the world – focus groups in Mumbai, Rio, New York, San Francisco, Shanghai, Manila and London. For the placing of the keys, we changed the size, shape and height based on feedback e.g. the lock key as well as the home key which is designed to drive you to your media. We also tested several different layouts and sizes for the keys, picking the one that people found the best for typing quickly and accurately. We created a contemporary design with crafted curves, lines, and rounded edges to make it comfortable in your hand and pocket.
What about the user interaction?
The Nokia N97 has an intuitive interaction with touch and full QWERTY keyboard – you can choose which one to use and whether to use one or 2 hands. Set it on a desk and the tilted angle of the 3.5” 16:9 widescreen provides for a great viewing (and sharing) experience, be it movies, videos, surfing the web, video conferencing or just to check out your friends’ updates in Facebook via the widget. The Nokia N97’s slide and tilt feature provides tools for easy communication with your contacts as well as a natural platform for creating content for the web. Its ergonomically tested QWERTY and predictive qwerty text input make typing easier and faster.
How can the user personalize the Nokia N97?
You can easily customize its home screen with the widgets you frequently use such as news feeds or Facebook. If you want to keep things clean and private, you can make the home screen icons disappear with just a swipe across the screen. You can also quickly access the top 4 people in your life with just a touch of a button.
What is the idea behind the sliding tilt display?
Unlike the usual ‘landslides’ (the slide sliding in the same angle as the display) the Nokia N97’s ‘sliding tilt’ design provides an optimum display angle for holding the device in two hands. In practice, the tilted angle enables the wrists to be in a more natural position and keeps the reflection of lights away from the screen. Further, the tilted display also enables the device to stand ‘on its own’, for example, for showing photographs or watching video.
How do you expect people to operate the device?
This depends on what people are most comfortable with. There is no right or wrong way. Our consumer insights show that when exposed for the first time to Touch user interfaces, people tend to start with “index finger tapping” i.e. hold the device from the bottom and use the index finger of their stronger hand to tap the screen. In our consumer testing people very quickly gravitate from “index finger tapping’ to “one-thumbing” and “two-thumbing.”
Two-thumbing” means holding the device in two hands in landscape mode so that the touch controls and QWERTY are easily operable with which ever of the thumbs is closer to the action. This mode enables very fast and efficient action. “One-thumbing” means holding the device with one hand in portrait mode and operating the device with the thumb of that hand, enabled by the narrower width of the “wide but narrow” screen shape.
Nokia N97 to-do list
The Nokia N97 is more than just a phone – it’s your best mobile buddy! There are more things to do with the Nokia N97 than text and call. Here are a few fun tasks you should try out:
Personalize your home screen with your favorite widgets.
Call your 4 favorite people by touching their picture (Contacts Bar)
See your 3 newest emails on the homescreen (email widget)
Create your own shortcuts to your favorite N97 widgets and applications
See your latest Facebook updates.
Check the latest events in the metro via click the city widget
Get the latest news around the clock (Reuters and Bloomberg widgets)
Use your favorite photos as animated wallpaper
Unclutter your life at the swipe of a finger (“hide widgets”)
Refresh all widgets by going online
Lost? Use the digital compass to guide you when you’re walking or driving
Make sure you get the most of your vacation with (digital) LUX and Lonely Planet City Guides.
Geo-Tag your pictures and place them on the map.
32GB = 24,000 songs / 4,000 photos!
Play any popular music format – MP3, WMA, AAC, WB-NMR Polytone, etc…
Make your own playlist and share it with your friends
Play it loud on the built-in stereo speakers
Play it louder by connecting it to speakers (3.5 mm connector )
Listen to your favorite talk radio programs on FM radio
Record and play music videos in widescreen
Transfer/Synch music easily via USB from your PC Library with using Ovi Suite
Enjoy music privately using your favorite headset, wired or bluetooth
Love music -- Add the music player shortcut to your homescreen
Capture on the go with its 5MP camera
One click upload to your Ovi channel
Put all your pictures in slideshow.
Flick from picture to picture with your finger
Edit pictures – crop, remove red eye, fix contrast, and save
Organize your pictures by theme, place, event, and subject
Transfer and move pictures easily between PC and device via USB
Put your Ovi channel on your homescreen
Put your videos and images on the big screen with the TV connector cable
Go old (art) school and draw using the stylus… (Draw Application)
Type long messages without shortcuts using the qwerty key board
Need to send a quick text one handed? Use the touch screen and virtual keyboard
Feeling emotional: Script in your message with handwriting recognition
Get Nokia Messaging and read your Ovi Mail, Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, and Hotmail in real time
Read your corporate Outlook email (with attachments!) using Mail For Exchange.
Send your pictures via email or mms.
Get then newest freshest applications, widgets, wallpaper and videos for free at the Ovi Store.
Love to shop ? Put Ovi Store on your home-screen.