Title: User characteristics and performance with automated mobile phone systems

Authors: Mark Howell, Steve Love, Mark Turner

Addresses: School of Information Systems, Computing and Mathematics, Brunel University, West London, Uxbridge UB8 PH, UK. ' School of Information Systems, Computing and Mathematics, Brunel University, West London, Uxbridge UB8 PH, UK. ' Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, King Henry Building, Portsmouth, PO1 2DY, UK

Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of individual differences (such as gender and attitude towards mobile phone use in public places) on the usability of a speech-activated mobile city guide service in various context of use (e.g. cafe, train). A Wizard of Oz methodology was used to provide the service functionality for the mobile city guide service. Participants in the study completed specific tasks over a six-week period in public and private locations. The results highlight the importance of considering the effects of individual differences on the context of use in system design and evaluation.

Keywords: context of use; individual differences; mobile phone services; usability; gender; public use; mobile phones; cell phones; public locations; private locations; system design; evaluation; user characteristics; performance; mobile communications.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMC.2008.015994

International Journal of Mobile Communications, 2008 Vol.6 No.1, pp.1 - 15

Published online: 02 Dec 2007 *

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