Proposal+-+Rough+Draft

The mobile phone has increasingly become an integral component of first world social interactions over the past five years. With the financial flexibility to maintain technological pre-requisites, such as cellular towers and repair centers, modernized societies continuously rely upon mobile devices to maintain continuous communication links. In an attempt to integrate this standard of communication into impoverished areas for the ‘other 90%’ of the global population to benefit from, certain modifications had to be made to the average mobile telephone format. This proposal outlines the prototype for a universal cellular device, with modifications that address its physical design, user interface, technical support options, potential energy accommodations and service costs.

As previously specified, the objective of reconfiguring a first world mobile communication model would be to integrate it into underdeveloped populations. Generally, underdeveloped populations lack the economic means to acquire an elaborate technological platform for mobile communication. However, in addition to financial constraints, the proposed prototype would be conscious of environmental obstacles such as disease and natural disasters. By identifying a wide variety of social realities, a communication platform could be redesigned to accommodate for the widest possible user group. For example, the consequences of poverty may range from illiteracy to untreated sensory disabilities. Such issues could be proactively countered through the implementation of a user interface that included voice command options, braille and enlarged text. In the effort to develop a cost efficient prototype that follows the principles of a universal design, variables such as user abilities and environmental obstacles would not prevent its implementation into an underdeveloped population.

The construction and physical design of the mobile phone would be a primary factor in dictating its success within underdeveloped and impoverished areas. Today’s most popular smart phones come equipped with numerous advantageous functions, but require it’s users to study extensive manuals in order to efficiently utilize the device regularly. Thus, a primary goal in developing the prototype would be to design an interface that could enable users to immediately execute basic functions and explore more intricate interface applications with very minimal assistance. As previously mentioned, the interface layout would be advantageous to those with disabilities by including braille, enlarged text and voice command options.

By taking into account social realities that plague underdeveloped populations, standard mobile applications could be modified in order to be more advantageous and equally accessible to users. Additional mobile applications could include a compass, calendar, unit converter, calculator, alarm clock and stop watch. Because the prototype would be designed to be accessible to the largest group of users, these applications would rely upon familiar icons in order to convey their purpose, but also be equipped with a wide variety of language options in order to ensure a universal design.

Due to the higher software demands of the prototype, a reasonable strategy for balancing production costs would be to construct the prototype’s casing, buttons, screen and other packaging necessities with affordable materials. However, this is a balancing act in itself, as the prototype must be very durable. Durability is a significant prerequisite for the prototype to be successful because of the intended geographical locations in which it would be utilized. The most efficient method for developing a universal prototype would be to proactively cater to the worst case scenario. In such a scenario, accessibility to repair services would be minimal, while the potential threat of environmental variables to damage technology would be maximized. By researching a highly durable, yet cost efficient variation of plastic, the prototype could maximize the physical reliability of the phone. However, by simultaneously acknowledging the scarcity of telecommunication repair services and maintaining minimal production costs, the prototype could make the option of replacing a mobile phone more cost efficient than repairing it.

Energy is one of the final logistical issues that must be addressed when attempting to make this prototype available to the widest range of underdeveloped environments. Because the targeted user may have accessibility to electricity, the prototype would be provided with chargers and electrical socket converters to enable electric recharging. However, the mobile phone would also hope to enable the option to run solely on solar power, as this would prove effective in areas of urban isolation or those struck by natural disasters. As a standby method for maintaining communication between mobile phone users, the prototype’s inclusion of handheld receivers could enable nearby devices to serve as walkie-talkie’s. The most cost effective method to charge users for talking time would seem to be a premium Pay-as-You-Go model, as different users would be free to purchase varying amounts of talking minutes that cater to their communication needs. These Pay-as-You-Go models could also serve as mobile banking systems for users. By enabling the phone to store 'cash credits', users could make payments, purchase or withdraw cash through the mobile device itself. (Corbet, 2008). For example, overseas relatives would be able to transfer monetary sums directly to the devices of Pay-as-You-Go users.

Appendix A.

When researching the needs of impoverished communities, one would immediately look to address the most basic of necessities, such as shelter and drinking water. However, when the resolution of these environmental issues have commenced, equally significant social issues can be approached. Inspired by the ‘One Laptop per Child’ program, this prototype highlights the significance of communication as a tool for improving the living conditions of disadvantaged populations. Living in well developed urban cities, our daily lifestyles have become oriented around instant voice and text accessibility to our peers. Such accessibility seems even more vital to communities suffering from technological or spatial isolation. The universal mobile phone would serve to facilitate safety in areas where security is an issue, and improve work efficiency in areas where environmental development is in process.

Corbet, Sarah. "Can The Cellphone Help End Gobal Poverty?" The New York times 13 APR. 2008. 7 MARCH.2010. <[]>
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