Ringtone Download and Install Usability
Ringtones are a huge revenue opportunity. According to The Economist, ringtone sales globally hit USD 3.5 billion last year (2003). In the US alone, USD 80 million of ringtones were sold. However, ringtone download and install usability varies from handset to handset and carrier to carrier.

I evaluated handsets from three carriers: AT&T's Nokia 6800, T-Mobile's Motorola T720, and Verizon's LG VX400. In each case, ringtone downloads could not be initiated from within the ringtone setting feature, but instead from the 'special download place' on the main menu of each handset. In other words, one had to go to an obscure place in order to purchase a ringtone, rather than from within the ringtone assignment feature on the handset. T-Mobile's special place was 'Web Access', Verizon's was 'Get it Now', and AT&T's was 'mMode'.

The key methods for ringtone download and install are WAP, J2ME and BREW. Each has its advantages and disadvantages.

WAP offers a weak client experience, and is quite slow to use. However, it tends to force a certain amount of user interface consistency, due to its limited user interface widget set.

Java implementations are snappy to use, but require an initial download that can take up to a minute or longer. Though Java user interfaces are responsive and offer a richer widget set, they tend to be inconsistent. Java ringtone applications also tend to be 'environments', to encourage users to return to the same 'store' to purchase more ringtones, effectively owning the customer.

AT&T's Nokia 6800 flips open to reveal a QWERTY keypad, though I kept the phone closed for this task. I was able to purchase a ringtone easily, though I was completely unsuccessful at installing it. I even placed a Technical Support call, which resulted in the ringtone being re-sent to the handset, but I was still unable to install it. I then gave up. With USD 80 million at stake, it's in AT&T's best interests to improve this process.

T-Mobile's Motorola T720 is a flip phone that utilises WAP for the ringtone download and install process. I was successful in downloading and installing the ringtone, though it was not without its challenges. The key challenge for me was that I spent a good deal of time trying different starting points for the download, including the phone's 'Media Center', 'Personalise' within 'Settings', 'Services', and 'Ring Styles' within the 'More' category. None were successful.

'Web Access' was the winner, and my final attempt. From that point onward, the process was straightforward.

Verizon's LG VX4400 handset had a radically different ringtone download and install process, using BREW applications rather than WAP sites. The process was much easier, and the ringtone application featured the ability to try out the ringtones before making a purchase. It had its own usability problems though, as first one must purchase 'ringtone credits' and then shop. If one shops first, there is no opportunity to complete the purchase - the application instructs the user to go back and purchase ringtone credits and try again. I gave up.

In Verizon's case, the ringtone vendor is a media company that develops an application that Verizon stages. The application handles download-and-install, with its own UI. The opportunity is that better UI's will result in more downloads, but the downfall is that each vendor has to design and test its own user interface, adding tremendously to the cost.

On the other hand, the single download-and-install process on the AT&T Nokia 6800 was unusable, so all ringtone vendors faced an equal disadvantage.

Though I was successful at downloading and installing a ringtone only with T-Mobile, both T-Mobile and AT&T logged revenue. I was able to make the purchase on AT&T, but was unable to perform the install - the worst possible situation for the consumer, and a questionable one for the carrier.

In order to receive a credit, I would need to wait for the invoice to arrive, then call AT&T to request a credit. As we all know, that process is time consuming and painful - not worth it for USD 0.99. And so AT&T's cash register rang. How much of that USD 80 million in ringtone revenue is from unsuccessful customers?

What is the solution? Better design and usability testing, focusing on the customer. Meanwhile, here are three guidelines for Ringtone Download-and-Install service design:

1) Allow ringtone shopping/download from within the ringtone assignment UI on the phone. Have ringtone shopping be multi-entrant; think from the user's perspective.

2) Allow purchase before shopping AND shopping before purchase. Never require a user to back out of shopping in order to purchase credits.

3) Allow users to sample ringtones before purchase.