Wen Yong Chua

Location Based Services and Information Privacy Concerns among Literate and Semi-literate Users

Location-based services mobile applications are becoming increasingly prevalent to the large population of semi-literate users living in emerging economies due to the low costs and ubiquity. However, usage of location-based services is still threatened by information privacy concerns. Studies typically only addressed how to mitigate information privacy concerns for the literate users and not the semi-literate users. To fill that gap and better understand information privacy concerns among different communities, this study draws upon theories of perceptual control and familiarity to identify the antecedents of information privacy concerns related to location-based service and user literacy. The proposed research model is empirically tested in a laboratory experiment. The findings show that the two location-based service channels (push and pull) affect the degree of information privacy concerns between the literate and semi-literate users. Implications for enhancing usage intentions and mitigating information privacy concerns for different types of mobile applications are discussed.

An Investigation of Usability of Push Notifications on Mobile Devices for Novice and Expert Users

Mobile devices in developing countries come in various platforms that require applications to be developed in various languages. Some examples of the platforms are iOS (Apple iPhone), Android and Symbian. Developers have tried to resolve the issue by introducing responsive web programming languages that can be supported by mobile devices. However, such languages do not have access to native platform resources such as push notifications. Push notifications is a critical feature for distribution of information. To fill that gap and better understand the usage behavior of novice and expert users, this studies draws upon cognitive fit theory to identify the importance of push notifications. We validated the effects of push notifications on usability on novice and expert users empirically. The findings provide significant theoretical and practical implications for the presence of push notifications.

Location Privacy Apprehensions in Location-Based Services Among Literate and Semi-literate Users

Personalized services provided by Location Based Services (LBS) are becoming increasingly prevalent to the large population of semi-literate users living in emerging economies due to the low costs and ubiquity. However, usage of LBS is still threatened by location privacy threats as it keeps track of the individuals’ location. Studies typically only addressed how to mitigate location privacy apprehensions for the literate users and not the semi-literate users. To fill that gap and better understand location privacy apprehensions among different communities, this study draws upon theories of Restrict Access/Limited Control and Familiarity to identify the antecedents of location privacy apprehensions related to personalized services provided by LBS and user literacy. The proposed research model is empirically tested in a laboratory experiment. The findings show that the different types of LBS do affect the degree of location privacy apprehensions between the literate and semi-literate users. Implications for enhancing usage intentions and mitigating location privacy apprehensions for different types of mobile applications are discussed.

Cognitive Load and Attention for Mobile Applications: A Design Perspective

Aesthetics has been the success factor of Apple products. Despite of knowing aesthetics as a success factor, researchers and practitioners have limited aesthetics to purely defining it without any factors of practicability being instilled to it. Two factors of practicability could be design balance and complexity. To fill the gap of the need for practicability factors to be instilled into the understanding of aesthetics, this studies draws upon the Gestalt theory to examine how design balance and complexity could be applied on mobile app design. As a research in progress, we plan to validate the effects of design balance and complexity empirically.

Representation Strategies Adopted by Participants in a Population Stereotype Hunt: A Case Study for Icon Design

Population Stereotype tells interaction designers just one-half of the complete story. It informs them only about the level of general consensus regarding each representation generated by different participants. It does not provide answers to those questions, which ask how the representation is to be achieved. Identification of different representation strategies adopted by different participants can reveal the rest of the story. In the presence of more than one or no strong contenders (population stereotype), adoption of the right representation strategy can be really beneficial. As most of the representational strategies are complementary to each other, the combination of different representational strategies can lead towards a more representative icon development.

Mobile and Sensor Integration for Increased Interactivity and Expandability in Mobile Gaming and Virtual Instruments

AerialBeats is an interactive system that brings air drumming into reality. It comprises a set of drumsticks and feet bands equipped with motion sensors and a mobile application. AerialBeats brings a higher level of interactivity over standalone virtual drum mobile apps and digital drumsticks, yet retains the high ubiquity that is missing from physical drum sets. This creates a platform for learning, games and delivering entertaining performances. The integration of sensory hardware with mobile platform provides infinite possibilities for expansion interaction and customization surpassing physical instruments and mobile apps. In the larger context, this project seeks to 1) explore the benefits of bringing mobile interfaces into current standalone sensor equipment/toys and 2) utilize the addition of portable sensory hardware (e.g. wearables) to bring about a dimension to popular mobile gaming.