Users complain of mobile phone complexity

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Mobile phone makers and operators are making the uptake and usage of mobile applications and services too complicated, according to research.

The vast majority (95 per cent) of 4,000 UK and US mobile users surveyed said they would be more likely to try new mobile services if setting them up was easier.

A further 45 per cent told researcher Coleman Parkes that complex setup issues were putting them off upgrading to new, more sophisticated mobile handsets, while 61 per cent said phone setup was as frustrating as changing banks.

Nearly two thirds (65 per cent) of respondents agreed that mobile operators were losing out on additional revenue as a result, where even more (78 per cent) said they would change their handsets more regularly if the setup process was less painful.

A whopping 96 per cent said they would value a service that automatically copies an old phone’s numbers, content and other data to a new one, and over three quarters (78 per cent) were worried about mobile data loss when changing handsets.

The survey also revealed, on average, that people expect to be able to set up a new mobile phone and feel confident it is working in less than 15 minutes. But in reality, the average time spent on this task is nearly an hour.

Basic additional services emerged as the top applications and services reported as not always working ‘out of the box’. These includ email (mentioned by 46 per cent), internet browsing (40 per cent), instant messaging (30 per cent) and picture messaging (29 per cent).

As a result, 61 per cent stopped using such mobile applications because they could not solve problems they had experienced with them. And 88 per cent agreed that they would use these services more if setup was less painful.

Rob Dalgety, commercial director at mobile device management (MDM) provider and survey sponsor Mformation Technologies said the survey suggested that developers and operators should redouble their efforts around mobile usability and support.

"The key foundation of a great user experience in any mobile setup process is that it is either automatic or intuitive," he added. "The industry needs to better segment its applications and service propositions according to different user needs, be they business users or consumers with advanced or basic needs.”

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