9 Jul 2022 – Annabel
We (researchers at Aalto University) are running an interview-based study to better understand users of “dumbphones” and the people who use them.
Are you a “dumbphone” {1} user (or have previously used a dumbphone since 2017) and are you over age 18? We are researchers at Aalto University (Finland) investigating contemporary voluntary dumbphone use in high income {2} settings and would like to interview approximately 10 dumbphone users. Interviews will be held on Zoom, in English, and will last about an hour including a brief demographic survey. Participants will be compensated with a 20-euro gift card. If you are interested in enrolling in the study, please see this link to determine eligibility and to provide your contact information to schedule an interview. If you are not selected for an interview you will be informed and your eligibility data will not be used, aside from reporting the total number of interview candidates.
We are also specifically seeking individuals who have used a “designer dumbphone” (examples include the Light Phone and Punkt phone), or dumbphones developed by individuals, startups, or other small organizations. Further, we’d love to speak with individuals who have been engaged in the design or ideation process behind these devices.
{1} We define a dumbphone as any mobile phone that is not a smartphone (e.g., traditional flip phones, feature phones) – typically, they have a limited set of features and minimal hardware (e.g., no QWERT{Z/Y} keyboard). If you are not sure if your device qualifies, please email us.
{2} Our definition of high-income is having been able to purchase and use a smartphone, but have chosen to use a dumbphone instead. We are looking for individuals for whom using a smartphone would be the default, but they have actively sought to use a dumbphone instead.
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