Doro - News and articles

Doro’s Seniors Panel

At Doro we work closely with the people we develop our products for, constantly gathering input from our most valuable source of knowledge: the users themselves[more]. One example is a collaboration with 60plus.se, a Swedish online community for people over the age of 60. Four men and women of different ages and mobile phone experience continuously test and review our latest models. The panel has in-depth knowledge of what seniors should consider when looking for an easy to use mobile phone.

All tests are carried out according to selected criteria touching mainly on four principle areas: user instructions, initial start up and settings, user-friendliness and proper function. This is followed by an overall assessment and phones that are considered worthy are awarded with the 60plus stamp of approval (shown right).

Our Seniors Panel is made up of:

Monica

Age: 68
Occupation: Active pensioner who manages a hostel.
Mobile phone experience: About 11 years.
Words of wisdom: If you can’t jump, crawl under!
My best mobile phone tip: As most regular mobile phones don’t offer sound that is adapted for people with hearing loss, send a text message.

Bernt-Erik

Age: 62
Occupation: 34 years as a technician at Swedish air force base; now prematurely pensioned due to work shortage.
Mobile phone experience: Lots.
Words of wisdom: Live what you preach.
My best mobile phone tip: Don’t buy a mobile phone from a salesperson that calls you over the phone. Go to the store instead, so you can look, touch and ask.

Carin

Age: 61
Occupation: Prematurely retired, formerly a supervisor and pantry chef.
Mobile phone experience: I’m now on my second mobile phone (for the last seven years) without a camera. I can only call. I can send text messages, but have trouble seeing the text; I can also use the alarm function and add my friends’ numbers to the list of contacts.
Words of wisdom: Take it a little easy, live in the ‘now’, learn!
My best mobile phone tip: Test different mobile phones and find one that suits your needs. Don’t buy an iPhone just because everyone has one; choose a phone with functions that you will actually use.

Bo

Age: 68
Occupation: High school teacher, now unfortunately retired.
Mobile phone experience: I have always been interested in the development of electronic devices suitable for people who, for example, have never owned a mobile phone.
Words of wisdom: You can learn anything, if only you try.
My best mobile phone tip: Don’t really have one, but I am accustomed to teaching other people how to use electric devices so ask me anything and I’ll find the answer.

Meet Doro Product Manager Peter Cullin

It’s time we present some of the people behind our products, beginning with Peter Cullin, product manager here at Doro®. Peter is responsible for developing our entire range of easy to use mobile phones[more].

What does your position at Doro involve?

It means I am responsible for Doro’s mobile phones throughout the development process – from initial concept to market launch.

How does the development process begin?

I gather ideas and turn them into a concept. For example, “Easy mobile phone with camera" or “Easy mobile phone with alarm function." Then, a larger process is initiated in which different partners are invited to contribute with specific expertise. I have the overall responsibility in the cooperation between these parties to manage the project and make sure that we reach our goals.

What projects are you currently working on?

Right now we’re busy working on mHeatlh - mobile devices to support health services. The development of our Doro PhoneEasy® 680/682 is the first step in this direction. We also have a number of other projects in the works, but it’s too early to reveal anything about those now.

What else have you worked with at Doro before?

I began as a service technician here in 1983 and advanced to service manager and project manager before becoming a product manager ten years ago. During these past ten years I have developed much of Doro's Care range, which includes both home phones and mobile phones.

Is there a product that you are especially proud of?

I am most proud of the Doro HearPlus 318w. It follows our philosophy the entire way - no compromises. It is very easy and practical to use. Among our mobile phones I would say the Doro PhoneEasy® 410gsm and, of course, our new model, Doro PhoneEasy® 615, which is our first handset for 3G networks.

What do you do in your spare time?

Mostly I do things with my wife and two sons at home in Staffanstorp. I also cycle a lot - about 100 kilometres a week!

Designing success

Some products are designed for some people, others for everyone. ‘Inclusive Design’ focuses on reaching a broader user group, and is the key to Doro’s successful product development strategy[more].

Keeping it simple

Peter Cullin is chief of product development for Doro’s popular easy to use mobile phones.
“Making things easier to use than mainstream products brings out a lot of different reactions. Some say, ‘Finally!’, others say, ‘That’s good, but what if you add this or that?’, and others assume they can’t be good-looking. We respond to those reactions by working with the best designers in the field of Inclusive Design.”

For as many people as possible

Cullin is referring to Doro’s close collaboration with Ergonomidesign, one of the world’s foremost design consultancies devoted to ‘adapting the world of things to the world of people.’

“Inclusive Design is about making sure that as many people as possible are able to use the technology regardless of any physical or other difficulties,” says acclaimed designer Maria Benktzon at Ergonomidesign. “By developing products for people not considered a main target group by everyone else, Doro really exhibits what Inclusive Design is all about.”

Easy, Yes! Ugly, No!

Building on the success of previous generations of easy mobile phones, Doro continues to develop and introduce new models with a firm focus on Inclusive Design.
“Whenever we introduce a new generation featuring more functions than before, such as text messaging or a built-in camera,” says Cullin, “we always start with ‘how can we make these functions easier to use?’ If it isn’t easy to use, it doesn’t belong in our products.”
In their latest products, extra attention has also been given to aesthetic details to offset the idea that easy mobile phones can’t be very appealing to look at. “Lots of younger people appreciate ease of use, too,” says Cullin, “but don’t want a phone that looks like something their grandmother would use. And neither do many grandmothers, by the way.”

Doro adds red dot to celebrated design awards

Doro’s ergonomically designed products continue to receive some of the world’s most distinguished design awards. After receiving Janus, IDEA and iF Gold Awards, Doro has now received honourable mention in one of the toughest international design competitions[more].

Doro’s first clamshell mobile phone, Doro PhoneEasy® 410gsm, has received honourable mention in the red dot award: communication design 2010 competition. The jury of design experts awards honourable mentions to products that distinguish themselves through particularly successful design details. The highly popular GSM phone was among more than 4,200 entries submitted from nearly 60 countries. The red dot award is regarded as one of the world’s toughest design competitions.

A long list of praise

The recognition follows a series of earlier awards acknowledging the exceptional design and innovative approach captured in these Doro products. In the 2009 opening of the CeBIT exhibition, Doro CEO Jérôme Arnaud was presented with the prestigious iF Gold Award. Weeks earlier Stevie Wonder had presented him with the “Wonder Vision Award”. And that came after a 2008 highlighted by the Janus Award, a BIO 21 Honorable Mention and, most notably, the IDEA® Bronze Award.

Specialists in Inclusive Design

The Doro products receiving all the attention were developed specifically for seniors, and have been designed in collaboration with Ergonomidesign. The Stockholm firm is home to renowned specialists in the field of Inclusive Design, or design for everyone, including individuals with special needs. The cooperation has resulted in several award-winning telephones and mobile phones. “We set out to develop products that are very easy to use and to understand, but also attractive,” says Jérôme Arnaud. “These awards tell us that we have succeeded”.

Mobile phones for everyone

Doro mobile phones are created with the philosophy that a mobile phone should be easy enough for anyone to use, and still be good-looking. By teaming up with sound experts with award winning industrial designers, and involving users in the process, we have succeeded in developing a range that meets real needs[more].

Easy to use

Our mobile phones are so easy to handle and understand that truly anyone can use them. Large buttons simplify operation, and some models also have one-touch memory buttons, a feature not found with ordinary mobile phones. Menus are kept simple and straightforward, and shown on large, clear displays. Selected models also have options for removing unwanted or unused functions, to simplify menus even more.

Easy to read display

One key to making mobile phones easier to use is making them easier to read. That’s why we focus so strongly on increasing readability. Our phones bring users clearer displays with larger characters that are easier to distinguish. Display types vary from high contrast white on black to sharp colour, depending on model and user preference.

Large separated buttons

Big buttons are a standard key feature on all of our mobile phones. And with our latest models we’ve gone one step further by separating the buttons. In spreading them out we created a keypad more like that of a normal telephone, providing optimal ease when dialling or messaging.

Loud and clear sound

All of our easy mobile phones provide loud, clear sound for easier conversation. Some models also offer enhanced sound level adjustments and amplified handset volume levels for users with reduced hearing.

HAC – Hearing Aid Compatibility

For hearing aid users we offer several mobile phones marked with the HAC symbol signifying hearing aid compatibility. All of these are rated M3/T3 or higher, and most are compliant with the HAC ‘preferred levels’, making them virtually interference free.

Emergency functions

For those who consider security an important issue, we offer mobile phones with various built-in security functions such as automatic emergency SMS alert messages and call dialling.

Some models also offer a dedicated SOS button for one-touch dialling to pre-registered emergency services.

Doro PhoneEasy® 410gsm on display at Sweden pavilion in Shanghai

Sweden’s contribution to the 2010 world’s fair was a tribute to the ‘Spirit of Innovation.’ Fifty examples of Swedish inventiveness were specially selected to represent the country, and Doro’s popular easy to use mobile phone was one of them[more].

The 2008 Olympic Games in Peking was a huge event for China, but Expo 2010 Shanghai was even bigger. An estimated 70 million visitors, 95% of them Chinese, were expected to visit the world’s fair between May 1 and October 31, 2010.

In keeping with the fair’s theme of ‘Better City, Better Life,’ visitors to the Swedish pavilion were welcomed to an experience in ‘Sustainability, Innovation and Communication’. The pavilion’s four, interconnected structures were designed and built to symbolise the harmonious interaction between city and countryside.

Doro on display

The Swedish pavilion illustrated how Sweden’s ‘Spirit of Innovation’ improves urban environments and living standards, and demonstrated the importance of communication in today’s technological world. It showcased fifty examples of Swedish ingenuity, including the popular Doro PhoneEasy® 410gsm.

The easy to use mobile phone was in good company, sharing the spotlight with well-known achievements by Sweden’s most successful global companies such as Tetra Pak, Volvo and IKEA. New ideas from lesser-known companies were also on display, including an innovative solar powered water purification unit for households in areas where clean water is scarce.

The exhibition was intended to build on Sweden’s positive image in China and promoted the creativity of Swedish trade and industry. You can read more about Sweden’s participation by using the links to the right.

Chris Edwards, 410gsm

At the age of 80, Chris Edwards’ family wanted him to use a mobile phone so they could keep in touch with them, and he could reach them if needed. But because he didn’t like using the phone he had, the “dreaded unit” was virtually never switched on. But things changed when he got his Doro PhoneEasy® 410s gsm[more].

He says: “My new Doro phone is a revelation to me. It’s easy to use and has a clear picture with large, easy to read and use, buttons – the flap opening is good and I have no trouble in hearing and speaking. It is a great little unit for us older guys”.

Chris Edwards is retired and lives near London, England. He enjoys spending time with grandson Sacha.

Colin Orman, 410gsm

Colin, 59, says: “I work outside in all weathers, but I need to be available on the phone when customers and suppliers call me. On my old phone I was finding it harder and harder to read the caller display.”[more] Switching to a Doro PhoneEasy® 410gsm, Colin has noticed a huge difference. “The text displays are fantastic and I can see at a glance now who is calling.”

And Colin has also noticed other benefits. “Often I have cold fingers or am wearing gloves at work. But the buttons on the Doro are much easier to feel, and the text is much easier to see, so I now use text a lot more.” He adds: “I wish I’d discovered Doro years ago. The phone is ideal for me. And because it folds closed, I know that the keypad is locked and I am not going to misdial.”

Karin Moberg, 410gsm

Last spring our father fell in the middle of the night on his way to the bathroom. He called my brother, who in turn called the ambulance. Dad returned home from the hospital after a probable mini-stroke and was active and healthy, but living on his own. What if it happened again[more]? He was not eligible for an alarm system, so we bought him a Doro PhoneEasy® 410gsm with an alarm button to make us all feel more secure.

It turned out to be his saviour. Six months later he had a stroke. He couldn’t read the numbers on his regular phone, but he remembered to push the alarm button on his Doro mobile, which alerted my brother. After a long recovery, he now takes his mobile with him whenever he goes out.