Research+Analysis

// Search, Record, Analyze //


 * For privacy concerns, one must erase all personal information before donating phones. This [|site]gives you the steps needed for each model.


 * ways to ensure security: run phones through a memory wiping magnetic-field. "This effectively wipes any data that might be stored in the cell phone memory, such as contacts, pictures and dictation."


 * Places where donated cell phones often go to are: oversea soldiers, [|survivors of domestic violence,] and people in developing nations.


 * Donated technology allows people to lead more independent and productive lives


 * Reasons to donate according to [|Reliatech]


 * "If you were to line up all the cell phones that are thrown in the trash every 12 months in the USA alone the line would span out over 1000 miles"


 * a communication tool __**must be people-driven**__ (designed with people in mind), not technology driven.


 * Cannot only have great **usability** ("You can have the most usable tool on the planet which seldom gets used if no-one wants to pick it up, play with it and talk about it to others"), **creative driven** (can't just "produce bright and shiny stuff that serves no real purpose")


 * Must see things in their perspective, not our own.


 * There's more than one answer - make prototypes, alternative options, test them out.


 * Consider your audience - they want a concise, compelling story.


 * Technology that is geared towards third world nations must be "labour saving, economize scarce resources, and or should create new opportunities for entrepreneurship, either in meeting local needs or generating income"


 * Paul Mountford: Libya is the next country to use information technology (IT) to speed up its development (in ways that Korea, Singapore and Taiwan did)


 * "The cell phone is by far the most important tool for connection in developing countries"


 * "The next five years will begin a golden era for technology to empower the poor"


 * It is important to educate and technologically involve third world countries because 'everyone knows information is a form of power. The Third World countries now know this more than ever.' (Mitchell, 2003) The Internet is used for almost everything today, 'digital technology can have an impact on the flow of investment, goods and global services in the global market place' (PlÃ¼ss, 2001) and if a country cannot participate and connect in these technologies then they are left behind.

=Sources analysis, what do they have in common?=


 * Concise/to the point with scannable text in instances with large amounts of text.


 * Interactive, user-navigation needed to travel through the site.Reliant on images and very simple/basic symbols


 * Both sides benefit (we benefit from this experience as well ie. in Free Rice, we not only donate rice to those who need it, but we can build our vocabulary, gain knowledge, study for other subjects).


 * Most important information is located in the first third of the page.


 * Use of Web 2.0 sites/social networking sites

8 facts about cell phone usage

 * As of December 2007 72.4% of households had at least [|one]cell phone.


 * 1 in 5 households have at least 2 cell phones.


 * 1 in 10 households at least 3 or more cell phones.


 * That means that more than 16.8 million people in Canada subscribe to a cell [|phone].


 * On average cellphones are replaced every 18 months.


 * However only about 5% of cellphones are [|recycled].


 * That means 14 million cellphones are entering the waste stream every 18 months.


 * The cellular phone's potential for sustainable disposal is significant, as approximately 96% of its weight is [|recyclable.]


 * According to [|Environment Canada], an estimated 140,000 tonnes of electronic waste are discarded annually in Canadian landfills, and this number continues to increase.