Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 12
How People Really Use
the Mobile Web:
A Framework for Understanding
Motivations, Behaviors, and Contexts
Carol A. Taylor
Motricity, Inc., USA
Nancy A. Samuels
University of Washington, USA
Judith A. Ramey
University of Washington, USA
ABSTRACT
Mobile data services offer a viable and growing alternative means of accessing the World Wide Web
and have drawn significant attention from the mobile industry. However, design efforts are hampered
by the fact that we do not fully understand people's motivations, behaviors, and contexts of use when
they access the Web on their phones in naturalistic settings. To help address this need, the authors con-
ducted a study to explore the following questions for U.S. mobile phone users: (1) What motivations
lead people to access the Web on their mobile phones?;(2) What do they do?; and (3) Where do they do
it? We studied active U.S. mobile Web users via questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and a field
diary system that participants used to record their daily Web activities. Based on the findings from Part
One of the study, they constructed a taxonomy of behaviors, motivations, and contexts associated with
mobile Web usage. In Parts Two and Three, the authors validated the taxonomy as well as compared
iPhone versus non-iPhone user behaviors. The authors conclude this report of the three-part study by
considering the design implications of their findings and future research directions for further under-
standing the mobile Web.
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