Constantinos K. Coursaris

A research agenda for mobile usability

The turn of this decade marked a renewed interest for mobile usability research within the field of Human Computer Interaction. A challenge, however, exists in that many scholars define and operationalize usability differently. With the introduction of mobile commerce circa 1999, a review of relevant peer-reviewed literature would highlight areas of past emphasis and opportunities for future empirical research specific to mobile usability.This work-in-progress presents a research agenda for mobile usability that consists of two parts. First, a framework is adapted for the taxonomy of empirical mobile usability studies. Second, results of a qualitative review of 45 empirical mobile usability studies include: i) a summary of the core and peripheral usability dimensions measured; ii) a detailed analysis of contextual factors studied; and iii) key findings that provide the basis for a research agenda in mobile usability.

Antecedents and consequents of a mobile website’s interactivity

The value proposition of mobile technology for education is expected to grow as forecasts speak of mobile internet users exceeding desktop internet users by 2014. A key concern for higher education administrators will be how to implement a mobile website that attracts and retains students in its use. To answer this question, a scenario-based study of 288 USA college students was conducted involving two wireframes of a mobile website design varying only in its degree of interactivity. A PLS-based data analysis offered support for the positive effects of interactivity on the perceived usefulness, ease of use, and enjoyment of the university’s mobile website, which in turn positively influenced their intention to use it. The measurement model offered high explanatory power (47% of the variance in the behavioral intention to use the university’s mobile website was explained by its three antecedents). Implications for both theory and practice are also discussed.

Web Aesthetics and Usability: An Empirical Study of the Effects of White Space

Usability has been an essential component of the Web User Experience UX and a focal research topic. In recent years, the penetration of interactive technologies in all aspects of everyday life challenges the way UX is understood and designed. The past decade, Human-Computer Interaction HCI scholars have been continuously attempting to introduce and explore new and non-traditional factors in the UX arena, such as aesthetics, emotions, affect, and trust. This study contributes to the field by exploring the relationship between aesthetics and UX; specifically the impact of the classical design element of white space on the perceived attractiveness and perceived usability of an e-commerce website. A between-subject research design involves the manipulation a websites white space. Three different versions were constructed using 25, 50 and 75% of the white space, respectively. Findings offer support for the relationship between aesthetics and the perceived usability of a website. The study results suggest that the usability of a website is impacted negatively when white space increases over 50%. Practitioners should consider that in the context of eCommerce Web design, reduction of content and shrinking of visual elements, in favor of white space, is likely to negatively impact the usability of a website.

Social Media Research: An Assessment of the Domain's Productivity and Intellectual Evolution

The purpose of this study is to conduct a bibliographic investigation and meta-analysis of the full body of social media scholarship produced over eight years, since the domains emergence in 2004. A total of 610 journal and conference papers were carefully reviewed and subjected to bibliometric and meta-analysis techniques. A number of research questions pertaining to country, institutional, and individual productivity, as well as research design and data practices in the social media field, were proposed and answered. Our results reveal two main challenges faced by the field. First, the social media domain displays limited intellectual diversity in terms of productive and impactful actors—individual, institutions, and countries—as well as publications that have hitherto skewed the domains focus in a limited direction. Second, the research design approaches and data practices characterizing the domain seem to reflect methodological singularity characterized by a strong tendency for cross-sectional, individual-level, survey or case-based studies. Furthermore, speculative and anecdotal evidence, based on personal opinions and armchair hypotheses, is extremely widespread and stand in the way of the domains methodological and theoretical advancement. These challenges not only help to improve ones understanding of the identity and intellectual core of social media as a distinct scientific field but can also further prompt academic debate and careful (re)examination of the domains scholarly practices and assumptions to ensure its future advancement in the most productive manner.

Twitter Users vs. Quitters: A Uses and Gratifications and Diffusion of Innovations Approach in Understanding the Role of Mobility in Microblogging

Twitter, the most popular microblogging service by the end of 2009, has gained much interest among Computer-Mediated Communication scholars and practitioners. As a new social medium, Twitter shows distinguished characteristics such as text-based posts of up to 140 characters delivered in real-time, and via multiple access modes including the Web, SMS, and mobile device applications. Interestingly, and in spite of an explosive growth in 2009, Twitter is also experiencing higher dropout rates compared to other social networking sites giving rise to the term Twitter Quitter. This study will examine which factors influence Twitter Quitters in their decision to discontinue Twitter’s use through the use of perceived motivations and innovation related constructs. Uses and Gratifications (UG) and Diffusion of Innovation theory (IDT) are employed to frame the theoretical background. Also, this study will offer support for the effects of mobile device usage to access Twitter on self-reported motivations and perceived outcomes of using Twitter. An online survey will be used to collect data from 300 undergraduate students at a large U.S. mid-western university. A Partial Least Squares (PLS)-based data analysis will be used to provide support for which constructs explain differences between Twitter users and Twitter quitters. Also, the influence of mobile device use on the continuance or discontinuance of Twitter will be examined. Implications for both theory and practice, as well as suggestions for further research will also be presented.

Feasibility of a Text Messaging Intervention to Promote Self-Management for Patients Prescribed Oral Anticancer Agents

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To determine proof of concept of a mobile health (mHealth) intervention delivering text messages (texts) to self-manage among patients prescribed oral anticancer agents (OAs) and to examine preliminary efficacy on symptoms and medication adherence. DESIGN A longitudinal randomized, controlled trial. SETTING Two community cancer centers in the midwestern United States and a national specialty pharmacy. SAMPLE 80 adults with cancer who were newly prescribed OAs
. METHODS Adherence and symptoms were assessed weekly for 10 weeks in both groups. The intervention group received daily texts for adherence and weekly for symptoms for 21-28 days, and satisfaction with the intervention was assessed
. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES Medication adherence and symptom severity. FINDINGS Mean age was 58.5 years (SD = 10.7 years), 48 participants were female, and 48 were Caucasian. Fewer symptoms were found in the intervention group with a moderate effect size. Adherence was higher in the text group using medical record and prescription data (n = 26) with greater relative dose intensity of moderate to large effect size. Regarding acceptability, 57% (83 of 145) of eligible participants consented, 39 of 40 participants completed the entire intervention, 30 participants read texts all of the time, and 34 participants were satisfied with the intervention.
 CONCLUSIONS Proof of concept and preliminary efficacy of an mHealth intervention using texts to promote self-management for patients prescribed OAs was demonstrated. Patients had high satisfaction with the texts, and adherence and symptoms improved after the intervention. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING Texts show promise for patients with cancer who must manage their OAs. Additional research is needed prior to use in practice.

A randomized controlled trial of the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a texting intervention on medication adherence in adults prescribed oral anti-cancer agents: study protocol

AIM The aim of this study was to report a study protocol that examines feasibility, preliminary efficacy and satisfaction of a text message intervention on the outcome of medication adherence in adult patients prescribed oral anti-cancer agents. BACKGROUND Administration of oral anti-cancer agents occurs in the home setting, requiring patients to self-manage the regimen as prescribed. However, many barriers to medication adherence exist: regimens are often complex, with cycling of two or more medications; side effects of treatment; most cancer patients are older with comorbid conditions and competing demands; and cognitive decline and forgetfulness may occur. Research indicates patients miss nearly one-third of the prescribed oral anti-cancer agent dosages. Text message interventions have been shown to improve medication adherence in chronic conditions other than cancer. However, a majority of those patients were less than 50 years of age and most cancer patients are diagnosed later in life. DESIGN A two-group randomized controlled trial with repeated measures. METHODS Seventy-five adult patients newly prescribed an oral anti-cancer agent will be recruited (project funded in April 2013) from community cancer centres and a specialty pharmacy. Participants will be randomized to either a control group (n = 25; usual care) or an intervention group (n = 50; usual care plus text messages timed to medication regimen). Outcome measures include: medication adherence, feasibility and satisfaction with the intervention. Data will be collected over 8 weeks: baseline, weekly and exit. DISCUSSION Standardized text message intervention protocol and detailed study procedures have been developed in this study to improve medication adherence.

Effects of Message Characteristics, Age, and Gender on Perceptions of Mobile Advertising An Empirical Investigation among College Students

A tremendous opportunity emerges for marketers to push effective advertisements to target audiences. One forecast suggests mobile advertising will represent one-fifth of the global Internet advertising revenue by 2011, generating

Mobile Technologies and the Value Chain: Participants, Activities and Value Creation

14.4 billion of revenue. Hence, the need for knowledge advances in this fairly young area is warranted. A study of 344 U.S. college students was conducted to answer two questions in the context of mobile message advertising via SMS: i) How does a mobile advertisement’s message length affect the receiving mobile user’s attitude toward the advertisement? Ii) Are there age and gender differences in the evaluation of SMS-based mobile advertisements? A PLS-based data analysis offers support for the positive effects of mobile ads’ message length on the perceived informativeness and entertainment of the mobile ad, which in turn positively influence both attitude toward the mobile ad and the mobile user’s intention to click through it and learn more about the advertised brand. Gender effects were found regarding perceptions of a mobile ad’s informativeness. Specifically, women reported higher levels for all dependent constructs, i.e. informativeness and entertainment of the mobile ads, attitude toward the ads, and intention to click through and learn more. Also, age was shown to negatively influence the attitude toward the mobile ad, i.e. older users reported lower levels regarding the mobile ad’s value, their attitude toward the ads, and their likelihood to click through than younger users. Implications for both theory and practice are also discussed, including an expanded model regarding mobile advertising effectiveness with high explanatory power (i.e. 69% of the variance in the attitude toward mobile ads and 54% of the variance in the behavioral intention to respond to the ad by clicking through was explained).

A Meta-analysis of Theories and Topics in Social Media Research

Mobile business (m-Business) has the potential to provide value to the modern organization throughout its primary and support activities, by enhancing the many types of interactions that take place between employees, customers and systems. This paper presents a business-centric model of mobile interactions and further explores these interactions across organizational activities within the framework of Porters value chain. Several illustrative real-world examples are outlined to demonstrate how mobile technologies are deployed within organizations. Finally, a discussion is provided for the expected benefits and relevant concerns of using mobile technologies within organizations.