An empirical study of use contexts in the mobile internet, focusing on the usability of information architecture

The mobile Internet-accessing the Internet via a mobile device-has become quite popular recently. The mobile Internet is mainly different from the stationary Internet because it may be used in various contexts, whereas the stationary Internet is mostly used in pre-determined environments. However, it is unclear when the mobile Internet is used most frequently, and in what context it is most useful. A greater understanding of the contexts for using the mobile Internet will relieve usability problems that mobile Internet users often encounter. This paper proposes a conceptual framework of use contexts, which includes various facets of contexts related to the mobile Internet. It then presents the results of an exploratory study in which the use contexts for the mobile Internet and corresponding usability problems have been empirically monitored. The results indicate that use of the mobile Internet is heavily clustered around a few key contexts, rather than dispersed widely in diverse contexts. Moreover, different contexts are found to cause different kinds of usability problems. The paper ends with theoretical and practical implications of the study results.