South Koreans are enthusiastic mobile-phone users and eager to try new applications. Many are early adopters of new technology, particularly young people. Word-of-mouth recommendations and a desire to be the first to try the latest gadgets and applications promote rapid diffusion of new technology.
Anyone who wants to design and sell new applications must understand what underlying needs compel advanced users to embrace certain applications or devices. A senior advisor at Ericsson ConsumerLab, Erik Kruse’s study of mobile phone users in South Korea identifies the needs of users and groups them into three categories: Me and My Phone, Convenience, and Never Lonely or Bored.
Applications that appeal to the Me and My Phone way of thinking enable users to personalize their phone as much as possible. The applications promote the user's image and personality. Ringtones and ring backs are typical ways for users to personalize their phones. One young male South Korean said about ringtones and ring backs: "I change ring backs in the morning and afternoon. In the morning, I want to express my mood. Because my mood changes throughout the day, I have to change ring backs, too."
The applications that best fulfill the need for convenience are those that are easy to use and highly practical. Advanced users in South Korea use the calendar and alarm clock more frequently than any other functions on mobile phones, not counting voice and SMS functionality.
Kruse says: "Calendar, camera and alarm clock functionality are popular because they appeal to the convenience factor that so many consumers demand. The people we surveyed use them because they are practical, easy to use and replace other devices. In this case, a watch or clock and an analog version of a calendar."
Users who want to avoid feeling lonely or bored want applications that keep them occupied and in touch with friends. These kinds of users equate quiet time with anxiety. They want a way to "kill time," whether playing games, surfing the mobile internet, tracking down friends or info via location-based functionality or text messaging. The phrase, "I communicate, therefore I am," sums up their attitude to telecom and other technology.
The survey showed that young people use their mobile phones for voice and SMS more often than any other applications. The most popular applications among advanced users in Kruse's study are as follows:
- Ring backs
- Ringtones
- Taking and sending photos
- Playing and downloading games
- Listening and downloading music
- Watching video clips.
South Korea is the world leader in broadband internet access, with 84 percent of internet subscribers (30 million) using DSL or cable modems. As mobile applications in the country continue to become more sophisticated, the country looks set to remain at the forefront of the mobile broadband boom as well.
