GreatCall, Inc., a provider of wireless products and services for aging consumers and their families, has announced the launch of the Jitterbug Touch 2, the latest version of GreatCall's original simplified smartphone.
With its custom interface and Android operating system, the Jitterbug Touch 2 is an ideal entry-level smartphone for people looking to transition from a basic feature phone, the Company noted in a release.
GreatCall said that the launch of the original Jitterbug Touch in 2012 allowed GreatCall to understand what aging consumers wanted and needed in order to make the transition from a basic phone to a smartphone. According to a 2013 AARP Media Sales and GreatCall study, more than 40 percent of respondents surveyed said that smartphones are too complicated to use. The Jitterbug Touch 2 will help bridge this gap in the market, by offering all the features of a modern smartphone in a simplified format.
As described by the Company: The new Jitterbug Touch 2 offers a customized, easy-to-use user interface, featuring the phone's main functions organized in a single list format with large, legible letters. The home screen allows customers to access their favorite apps and contacts quickly, without wading through multiple screens and small icons. Yet the phone's open environment provides full functionality and the ability to quickly connect to apps, websites and more.
GreatCall determined that users want access to all the technological advancements that a mainstream smartphone offers but they need a version that is easy to navigate and simple to set-up. For example, users found traditional verbiage and icons confusing because they lacked extensive experience with cell phones. For this reason, GreatCall made friendly changes specifically highlighted by their customers - such as relabeling confusing terms and visuals like changing the name of the "browser" function to "Internet." Additionally, the voicemail icon was not recognizable to this audience, so it was changed to the word "voicemail". By listening to its customers, GreatCall was able to make the smartphone experience more friendly with the Jitterbug Touch 2 for this audience of aging Americans.
"When we released the original Jitterbug Touch, we put it in the hands of our customers to learn firsthand how we could improve their smartphone experience," said Dean Williams, Vice President of Technology at GreatCall. "This customer feedback proved to be crucial in the development of this second generation phone, allowing us to see into the minds of our customers to determine what would add the most value and functionality for them." Another key learning since launching the original Jitterbug Touch was an understanding of how customers use data, and how much they need. GreatCall allows customers to only pay for data they need, instead of a costly plan with data they'll likely never use.
