How do you carry your mobile phone?

Nokia surveys reveal habits of users around the world

Posted in Mobile, 7th May 2007 16:52 GMT

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Data on how people carry their mobile phones, gathered by Nokia over the last four years, is being presented at HCI International 2007 in Beijing. It reveals that women are missing more calls than men, and that belt-pouches are a sign of middle age.

Nokia interviewed more than 1500 people around the world, in cities including New York, Milan, Kampala, Tokyo and Beijing, to understand how people carry their mobile phones and why they carry them that way.

Turns out that most men (60 per cent) carry their phone in their right front trouser pocket; easy to reach, though when middle age spread starts to bite belt pouches become more common as the trouser pocket becomes stretched. 61 per cent of women like keep their phone in a handbag, despite 50 per cent missing calls 'cos they can't get to it in time.

In Kampala 32 per cent like to keep their phones in protective covers, perhaps to protect resale value. Only three per cent of those in Tokyo try to protect their handsets from scratches and bumps.

Most anomalous is the attachment of ornamental straps or charms to handsets - this is endemic in Asia and pretty much unknown anywhere else. Females are prone to attaching straps of distinctive fabric so they can find their phone in a bag, but otherwise the straps serve only to individualise the technology. Why that should remain an Asian preserve is unknown.

Nokia also looked at other items carried by respondents, such as purses or credit cards. More details here. ®

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