In the past year, more of our lives have gone online, with remote working, education, entertainment and shopping all done through our devices.
One company is catering to the older people in society who are buying smartphones for the first time.
Doro is creating phones "designed with seniors in mind and feature extra loud and clear sound, large separated keys and a high visual contrast that make them easier to use than other phones".
Speaking to Tech Talk with Jess Kelly, Peter Marsden, Doro's Managing Director in the UK and Ireland, and Richard Parry, Key Account Manager/ Forecast Analyst at Doro, outlined the ethos of the business.
"Doro is a company that is quite unique, a little bit different to some of the other mobile phone brands out there because we are very much focused on the seniors," Mr Marsden said.
"We regard ourselves very much as a specialist so we target and produce products are services for people that are 65-plus, so quite different but a fantastic part of the market and we've been doing this for the last 12 years."
The demand for easy-to-use smartphones is capitalised on by Doro who adapt their products "to make the senior's life easier".
When producing the phones, the company takes into account that when people get older, their hearing, sight or dexterity may decline.
"What we try to do is make super high-quality products that last a long time and do what they're designed to do," he explained.
This includes ensuring call volumes are clear and loud enough, that the phone bounces when dropped, that the products have great radio output, long battery lives and large buttons.
Mr Parry added that the company spends a lot of time focusing on those areas.
"Our guys, it's their sole job to make sure our devices work better for seniors so this niche that we look after is really catered very carefully and very consciously rather than just making a device that might appeal to a larger audience," he said.
The firm does a lot of focus groups in Europe to ensure their phones adhere to their customers' demands.
Mr Marsden added that over the last 12 months, they have seen a shift in seniors' behaviour, with many more elderly people purchasing goods and services online than ever before.
"I think people are a lot more willing and open to use technology and coincidentally some of the tools and services we've launched over the last 24 months have been recognised and enjoyed more," he said.
For example, one of their key features, the assistance button, been taken to "the next level".
This button allows easy access to contact a person's predefined help numbers on their phone.
All our phones feature our unique and patented Assistance Button. When pressed, it sends an alert to your pre-set contacts, letting them know you require help, should you ever need it. There's an option for everyone at the link below.
— Doro UK & Ireland (@DoroUK_Ireland) January 29, 2021
"We've also introduced new services on our smartphones called remote assistance, what that means is that you as a smartphone user can get to grips with the functionality of making and receiving calls and texts," he explained.
"But if something needs to be adjusted or changed, we give you, the family member or relative, the ability to control your senior's phone from your smartphone and you could be on the other side of the world."
This means the relative could inform the phone-user that their battery is low, that their ringtone volume needs to be turned up or that the font size can be increased.
This remote tool, set up with permission, is free of charge, as is 'Response by Doro'.
This is a button on the back of the phone that when used, sends out an alert to up to three emergency contacts letting them know the person requires help.
This will allow the person on the other end to see where the phone-user is on a map, and can even override the 'do not disturb' functions on their own device.
You can find out more information on Doro and where to purchase their phones here.
