Lab+-+Week+3

** 1. **** In three paragraphs, describe the role of Jan Chipchase in defining the role of cellphones in the developing world for Nokia, and the benefits of analyzing and defining their use in different cultures as part of their market expansion. **

Jan Chipchase is a designer and also known as a “human-behaviour researcher” or a “user anthropologist”, who explores the world on behalf of Nokia, a cell phone company, in order to find new ways of innovating cell phone designs. Chipchase focuses on developing countries, takes lots of pictures to report back to head office as a way of research. Chipchase attempts to gain additional knowledge into the lives of other people.

The benefits of analyzing cellphone use in another part of the world allows for market expansion because the manufacturer becomes involved in the process of design. Companies are attempting to avoid universal products as there are no particular sets of people who are exactly the same. Instead of selling an existing product produced by the company, Nokia wants to understand the needs of their users to convince those who do not already have cell phones to purchase one as the cell phone has become our identity.

In human-centred design, companies want to understand their potential customers. By sending someone like Chipchase to other countries, he can provide detailed information on product design for its end user. The research of Chipchase becomes a piece of supporting document when a cellphone needs to innovate itself. By gaining more knowledge in a particular culture’s values, norms and standard of living, it creates smart designs to ensure that their products are user-friendly.


 * 2. ****How does the idea of microfinance support two of the key themes of sustainability as outlined in the diagram posted on your class wiki '5 Key Themes for Sustainability'? Write one paragraph for each of your chosen themes.**

 **// Achieving a Sustainable Economy //** Microfinance has assisted in injecting international aid money into developing countries economy in order to encourage economic growth. Instead of directly providing money, a top-down approach, where money is constantly filtered through, decreasing every level, money is now entering the economy in a bottom-up scenario (Corbette, 2008). An example of sustainable economy is when Grameen Bank began making mircoloans available for women in order for them to purchase revenue generation goods. Eventually, Grameen also began a phone company, Grameen Phone Ltd., and provided jobs to 250,000 women in Bangladesh. By directly providing those in need with appropriate resources, it generates many potential opportunities to generate revenue to sustain their own families.

// Ensuring a Strong, Healthy and Just Society // Microfinance makes way for a strong, healthy and just society because it provides those who are less fortunate with the opportunity to succeed. By having an increasing amount of finance available to the poor, this allows innovative ideas to take place. An example would be the transfer of money with the use of phone cards, through the phone ladies. Microfinance eliminates, or at least, bring people closer together from the growing income gaps.