The User Experience of Smartphones: A Consumption Values Approach

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to complement previous research on the adoption and use of smart phones by introducing theories from consumer research. The focus is on both the intrinsic and extrinsic values that users experience when possessing, interacting, and using smart phones. We investigate smart phone usage in a six month field study with 16 participants. As such, it shows how the Theory of Consumption Values and its five value categories: functional, social, emotional, epistemic, and conditional are useful constructs to conceptualize and understand smart phone use experience. We show how smart phone use can be usefully articulated as in terms of consumption. This can be beneficial perspective 1) when designing smart phones and wireless devices in the future and 2) when describing and explaining the diffusion and adoption of smart phones and other technologies in general. The study also reveals that “use” as such is an end by itself and not only a mean to reach some other objectives, e.g. calling, texting or surfing. Furthermore, the study indicates that use as a construct (dependent variable) is too simplistic and needs further development and elaboration to include both the extent (e.g. what features of an artifacts is used) and nature (e.g. how well the artifact is used) of use.