Title: User attachment to smartphones and design guidelines

Authors: Gísli Thorsteinsson; Tom Page

Addresses: University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland ' Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK

Abstract: This research examines the emotional attachments that users have towards their smartphones. An online survey and a case study were undertaken, in order to determine the degree to which users were attached to their smartphones, and the results of both studies highlighted that all participants displayed emotional attachment to their smartphones. Conclusions may be drawn from the results of the studies, in identifying how emotional attachments can be formed, the roles smartphone brands play in emotional attachment and the social implications of such attachment. The information gathered was utilised to offer advice to designers, in order to assist them in strengthening the emotional attachment of users to their smartphone.

Keywords: smartphones; attachment theory; phone design; emotion; user attachment; emotional attachment; smartphone brands; social implications.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMLO.2014.067020

International Journal of Mobile Learning and Organisation, 2014 Vol.8 No.3/4, pp.201 - 215

Received: 30 Jun 2014
Accepted: 10 Sep 2014
Published online: 22 Jan 2015 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article