Business
In the given task, we have been asked to present a summary of our observation and interview data collection in a report form. We visited the Student Union to observe the cell phones habits of students. We stayed there for an hour to make a keen and rational observation. We also asked interview questions from chosen sample of students so as to get a better understanding of the mobile phone usage pattern and technological perception of the young generation. We have been asked to develop a better understanding of customer empathy map by the use of several interview questions so that we can generate well-informed concepts of customer’s behaviors and perceptions about cell phone usage habits.
We understand that cell phones have become an essential part of our lives. No matter which social class, age group or geographical location an individual belongs to, he has to have a mobile phone to stay in touch with family, friends and employers. Goggin also mentioned that in this era of technological advancement, no one can imagine life without having a cell phone. Just like an individual belonging to any walk of life has to mention his home address, email address in a bio-data form, he now has to mention his cell number as well so that he could be contacted any time by the concerned person. During our observation process, we noticed that students rely on cell phones quite a lot for contacting their friends and group mates for working on assignments, projects and carrying out group study sessions. They also use cell phones to contact their teachers in case they require any kind of guidance in some task. We observed that cell phone was carried by each and every student on the campus. The brand, style, and price of every cell phone varied depending on the purchasing power of every student however, the basic features were similar and the purpose for which it was used was also related.
We asked several questions in an interview form from the students. Some questions received open-ended response whereas some received closed-ended response. When we summarized the response from interview questions, we broadened our understanding of cell phone habits of the college students. We found that students spend quite a lot of time on their phones while playing games, sending messages to chat groups of family and friends and staying updated with social media. Social media has been playing a very crucial role in our lives and people of all ages prefer to stay updated on political, social, legal, cultural and economic trends through social media. Mobile phone compatible applications of Facebook and Twitter have made it easy for students to interact on social media. Students keep on checking the latest trends several times a day on Twitter and Facebook so as to stay up to date and involved. Because cell phone usage is mandatory on a daily basis so students have to ensure that their devices are always charged-portable chargers also make charging simple at the campus. Technology is changing the communication pattern as any news floats fast from one mobile phone to several mobile phones by the use of social groups. The cell phone has several negative effects too, for instance, people prefer to spend more time on phones rather than hanging out with friends as they find solace in the virtual world. In order words, cell phones have made people less social in real life. Sleep pattern has also been disturbed because of the excess use of cell phones because every beep sound marks the announcement of an important update on which participation from students is considered as mandatory. Those who tend to use less cell phone are considered as conventional and old fashioned. We also learned that although the college students agree that cell phone usage affects their eyesight and their real-life relationships in a depressing manner, they would still use it because they see these devices as the sole medium to stay in touch with the current global trends.
In view of the empathy questions map, we were able to divide our observation and response from college students in mentioned categories. In the context of think and feel, we observed that college students are addicted to cell phones and they consider it an essential part of their lives. They consider it as a necessity without which they cannot live. We saw that all students at the college campus were holding their phones in the hands when they were not in classes and even when friends were walking together, instead of talking and laughing with each other, their eyes and minds were glued to the screens of their iPhone sets. This was quite an upsetting sight as technology seems to be destroying patterns of social interactions.
During the observation and interviewing sessions, we could hear that cell phones were ringing all around us or college students were seen busy talking to their loved ones in low to high volumes. We also noticed that songs were being played on some phones with and without headphones and students were enjoying the beat in their spare time. The beep sound when a text comes was also quite loud at the campus. Students agree with the negative effect of using a cell phone as it interferes with their relationships with family, give them less time for concentrating on assignments and quizzes and putting the cell phone on charging is full of hassle. People enjoy spending time on their cell phones and also use it to check the weather, updating their status on social websites, doing assignments and using the internet for information search. Entertainment, networking, navigation, doing things in a more efficient manner and making new friends were viewed as some of the core advantages of using the cell phone by college students. However, the trend of cell phone usage should not exceed the limit as it is likely that it will penetrate deeper into our lives and enslave us severely.
Work Cited
Goggin, Gerard. Cell phone culture: Mobile technology in everyday life. Routledge, 2012.
