A study on the use contexts of personal computing devices using a diary study method

Abstract

In this study, the use contexts of personal computing devices (desktops, laptops, net books, tablets, and smartphones) are investigated in order to verify the existence of use context differences between different devices. Based on previous research, categorizations for the use context and sub-use context factors are proposed. A diary study method with a large number of samples is used to extract and define the use contexts. Also, a cross-tabulation analysis is used in the hypothesis testing. The results of this study demonstrate that the use context differs for each device. Therefore, it appears that the use contexts may have an effect on user behavior regarding different devices and services. The use context can be applied and extended to future research in order to measure the use context and to examine the effect of the use context on user behavior with the devices and services. This research provides a significant contribution as the first empirical study to verify the use context of personal computing devices and it is a foundational study for the development of measurements for use contexts.