| Summary: | 碩士 === 大同大學 === 工業設計學系(所) === 95 === 4G (4th-Generation) mobile communication is the latest mobile communication system, with a transfer rate of over 100Mbps. It is expected that a standard specification will be proposed in 2007 for the world, and 2014 will see the promotion of commercial products. 4G can provide network services with even greater speed, broader coverage; it is imaginable that future appearance of 4G mobile phones will totally change our existing ways of life, to provide new usage values for human beings.
This study uses the literature exploration of mobile communication developmental trends to understand 4G mobile communication techniques and summarize feasible ranges, to conduct investigation for users between 15~54 (students and white-collar workers). The first stage is the mobile phone condition and needs questionnaire, which includes the four parts of basic data of users, mobile phone usage experience, 4G functional needs, mobile phone form considerations, and basic mobile phone specification needs. Questionnaire results are used to summarize differences between the two groups in terms of their needs.
The interview portion uses the model of focus groups in scenario designs to conduct operational scenario descriptions. Each participant brainstorms the scenario by combining people events, things, and the environment. Participants are given roles as students or workers, who use text descriptions under the selection of each function to demonstrate usage scenarios and methods, and use the scenarios to explore potential problems in using the functions, and propose possible solutions.
Based on the functional operation and scenario models proposed by focus groups, this study divides mobile phones into five functional elements in terms of hardware operation, which are screen type, button format type, menu operation type, input media type, and security identification type. The combination of these five functional elements is complemented with the opinions of focus groups to inspire design concepts for 4G mobile phones. By complementing questionnaire results in the first stage and focus group discussion, this study designed 8 types of future 4G mobile phone forms; the functional needs of each group are displayed by image simulation to demonstrate the functional operation scenarios.
Finally, the designs proposed by this study are evaluated through the second stage design verification questionnaire, which includes the four aspects of external appearance, ergonomics, product functions, and 4G added functions. It was found that designs proposed by this study could generally fulfill the needs of these two groups. In terms of design preferences, students preferred Design A and Design D; workers preferred Design E and Design F. Of which, Design D and Design E, selected by both groups, were both folding mobile phone designs; Design A is a block mobile phone design; Design F is a sliding-cover mobile phone design, which confirms the sequence of preferences of these two groups, as found in the first stage questionnaire. However, it was found that students have lower overall acceptance for the eight designs; workers have relatively higher acceptance for the eight designs. Among all the designs, the function simulation operations in this study, the student group gave both Design G and Design H scores of lower than 3, which means that these two designs need to be enhanced and improved upon for appeal to student groups. This study also emphasizes the four designs preferred by students and workers, to make product usage scenarios and operation simulation display boards to further improve the designs.
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