Process for designing kids’ smartphones
With reference to our last meeting, this memo illustrates the process required to design kids’ smartphones. In the last few decades, technology has led to a number of inventions focusing on making life easier and improving the quality of life. Among the inventions that have made communication easier are smartphones. With the increasing demand for smartphones by kids, we should focus on designing gadgets that are cheap and perform the most basic functions in limited ways.
The process of designing kids’ smartphones will be broken into several phases. The phases are conceptual, fabrication, construction, and software. During the conceptual phase, drawings and wireframes will be designed. The drawings will determine the gadget’s heaviness, scale, bulk, and portability. At this stage, the designers should come up with a prototype to be adopted. The prototype should meet the needs required by the kids.
Some of the major factors to consider when designing the prototype include clarity of instructions, limited access to the internet, and customized features. Clarity of instructions is a factor that helps the parents and children to utilize the gadget. Moreover, clear instructions facilitate the effective use of the device by the children and reduce confusion.
After the conceptual phase, the designers should create electronic parts. The features selected on the theoretical phase will govern the electronics to be used. In our project, a printed circuit board, a smart screen, a source of power, and the software will be required. When coming up with the appropriate software, the programmers should consider the targeted audience. The software should be able to meet the interest of children and minimize any possible negative impacts.
Poor time management and insufficient sleep are some of the common challenges associated with the ineffective use of the device by the kids. To reduce the above challenges, the software should follow a design that enables the children to use them conveniently. Additionally, the software needs to have features that match the demand presented by the children. Since smartphones will be useful for children, its instructions and use must be easy, convenient, and the price should be slightly lower than the usual common smartphones.
The last process will be assembling. In this process, different parts created separately are collected together to come up with a smartphone. After assembling all the parts, the software is loaded into the gadget. To minimize the problems related to the access of illegal or unethical sites, the operating system will follow a design that prevents access to suspicious sites. Conversely, the gadget will be set to access sites that have educational content, games, and features that promote good behavior.
The phone should have customized features that ease its use and operation from both children and parents. Apparently, the wise use and management of a smartphone designed for kids should have benefits that outweigh its negative impacts. Thereafter, the gadget is tested to ensure that it meets the quality regulations.
Instruction manual for the consumers
The smartphone will have various features that are suitable for children and their parents. The features are limited, unlike those found in smartphones used by adults. The following are systematic instructions for use by the consumers.
Setting up your phone
Before using the gadget, it is essential to install all the accessories into their respective internal compartments. It is important to highlight that installation requires attention so that the user does not tamper with the parts and its functionality. For the installation of the battery, the user should remove the back cover of the phone and carefully slide it as indicated by the arrow on the cover. The battery has to be aligned with the copper contacts. To insert the MicroSD card, the user should remove the back cover and ensure that the gold contacts are facing downwards. Thereafter, the card should be pushed until it clicks into the right position.
Switching on
To turn on the phone, the user should press the power button, which is usually at the bottom right part of the device. Thereafter, the user should set the phone’s time, date, and internet connection by going to the settings folder and changing the necessary adjustments.
Use and operation
The phone has the front, back, top, and bottom panels, which have different parts designed for diverse purposes. On the front panel of the phone, there is the earpiece, call button, power button, and icons that indicate features such as trackballs, home, and search. The back panel of the phone has the speakers and the camera. On the sides of the phone, there are buttons that the kids can use in controlling the device’s volume.
- Camera
- Proximity sensors
- Application icons
- Primary short cuts
- Menu key
- Home key
- Back key
- Search key
- Homescreen indicator
- Google quick search bar
- Indicator icons
- External speaker
Storage of information
The phone comes with its own internal memory of 4GB. In addition, the phone comes with an external of 10 GB. The phone has a USB extension for transferring data from external sources like computers.
Power management
After installing the battery for the first time, users should charge the phone before their first use. When charging, the phone indicates the percentage of power on the battery icon. The users should not remove the device when charging is in progress, and they should always use adapters designed for the device.
Maintenance of the smartphone
Maintenance involves battery and SD card removal and replacement. The battery and MicroSD card need to be removed carefully during replacement in order to maintain the performance of the device. The act of turning off the screen does not only minimize the use of power but also helps in maintaining the device.
Switching off the smartphone
Switching off the device not only helps in the storage of power but also facilitates successful maintenance. Moreover, parents need to exercise the switching-off procedure since it helps the kids do other activities. In addition, parents should decide the time their kids should access their phones.
Progress report
After the company noted the need to design a smartphone that meets the kids’ expectations, necessary infrastructure and funds were put in place to realize the ambition. The first smartphone for kids is expected to be in the market by mid this year. As such, this memo focuses on the progress realized so far.
The process of creating the smartphone has been broken into several phases. The phases are conceptual, fabrication, construction, and software. Each phase has been assigned to a number of specialists. So far, engineers and architects are done with working on the phone’s drawings and wireframes. With the completion of the conceptual phase, clients can view the phone’s prototype on our website. Similarly, the expected user manual is available on our website. Similarly, the different parts to be assembled have been completed. Notably, the parts are yet to be shipped to the factory for assembling.
Equally, the programmers are done with working on the appropriate software for the smartphone. Notably, the software meets the interest of children and minimizes any possible negative impacts. To reduce the challenges and improve their importance in the lives of kids, the software developed follows a design that enables the children to use them conveniently.
Poor time management and insufficient sleep are some of the common challenges associated with the ineffective use of the device by the kids. Since smartphones will be useful for children, the instructions developed are easy, convenient, and cheap compared with the usual common smartphones.
The only process remaining for the first phone to reach the market is assembling. The process will be completed in the next month. So far, all the different parts created separately are waiting to be shipped to the factory for assembling. After assembling all the parts, the software will be installed in the gadget. Considered the time left for the completion of the project, it should be noted that the project would be completed within the provided timeframe and budget.