19 April 2007: This week, more than 800 New York metropolitan area survey respondents were asked about the importance of several factors when considering the purchase of a new phone. 70% rated Ease of Use Very Important as compared to 46% rating Appearance Very Important. This finding is astounding, because it shatters the commonly-held belief that appearance is more important to consumers than usability.

Included in the survey were Internet Access, Mobile Television Features, and MP3 Player Capabilities. Only 9% rated Mobile Television Features Very Important, and 14% rated MP3 Player Capabilities Very Important… The highest percentage of respondents (33%) rated Mobile Television Features and MP3 Player Capabilities as Neither Important nor Unimportant in their mobile phone purchase decisions. Internet Access was rated Very Important by 34% of respondents.

Mobile usability is hard to gauge in stores, but impossible to miss once the phone is purchased. According to WDS Global's 2006 survey in the UK, one in seven mobile phones is returned within the first year of purchase by subscribers as faulty, but 63% of the devices being returned are found to be without fault, costing the mobile industry $4.5 Billion per year. Usability is a big deal.