Mobile Behavior Report, Essay Example

Summary

Research reveals the key difference between smart-phone use and tablet use can be identified in the activities offered by the devices, the perceived ideal location for device usage, and whether user has a communication need or a content consumption need. Tablets have functions that are considered to outperform smart-phones, specifically in regards to their ability to display dynamic content. Research further shows the public prefers using smart-phones for communication based activities, specifically activities that involve interacting with others through social media outlets, checking and responding to e-mails, making phone calls, texting, video chatting or other forms of instant messaging. In respect to location it can be concluded that consumers prefer smart-phone usage when they are traveling,  while tablet usage is preferred in leisurely settings like sitting on the couch. Section 1, covers smart-phone usage, by presenting a study by Antti Oulasvirta and authors that assesses the use of mobile devices in general and how they are habit forming.  Section 2, evaluates tablet use and the specific preferences of tablet users. Section 3, evaluates smart-phone Vs tablet use and identifies the key differences such as the difference between content base use and communication based usage. Section 4, covers smart-phone and tablet similarities & their impact on society. Topics like bridging the digital divide and how mobile devices like tablets and smart-phones are making the internet more accessible in third world countries is addressed. Finally, the concluding results show that while tablets and smart-phones have many similar functions, users prefer each device for their own ideal activities. In some cases, the aesthetic advantages offered by tablets outweigh the smart-phone for use in transit, similar to the way users might prefer using their smart-phone at home on the couch over a tablet if they were engaging in a communication based activity like a phone call or a video chat.

Introduction

The widespread use of both smart-phones and tablets in today’s society is undeniable. The fact of the matter is that there are distinct differences between the two devices that enable user to perform similar activities while still providing that these activities be executed in aesthetically and functionally different ways. Both devices tap into what is becoming known as the m-commerce, or mobile commerce, marketplace, a market targeting mobile device users. Research shows that individuals on the go looking for convenient ways to interact with one another are more likely to utilize smart-phones to satisfy their communication needs , while those seeking to access media and other content are more prone to using tablet devices to perform these tasks. Findings show that users themselves can also be distinctly different in regards to those who might prefer one device over the other. All of this ties into marketing and business models designed by brands to access users of both devices in the hopes of converting them to consumers. There is also an industry within the m-commerce market that focuses on adapting smart-phone and tablets to function as supplemental tools within technical fields like medical, aviation, scientific research, and enhancing face to face merchant/consumer transactions. The following will take a look at the tablet versus the smart-phone to better assess these differences and similarities and what they reveal about society now and its future.

Section 1: Smart-phone Use

In their study on why habits make smart-phone use more pervasive, Antti Oulasvirta and authors note that the use of mobile devices in general are habit forming. The form of habits the authors analyze are referred to as checking habits, specifically, the practice of briefly  or repetitively inspecting dynamic content from the device. The authors find that these same checking habits result in alternative or additional usage of the device which lead to enhanced use. The main finding the authors uncover is that through feeding off the addictive nature of smart-phone usage, application developers and mobile commerce marketers have an opportunity to enhance the already pervasive use of smart-phones. The authors note that, “smartphones—handheld personal computers—represent the most recent step in the evolution of portable information and communication technology. Smartphones—equipped with persistent network connectivity and supporting the installation of new applications—have the potential to produce new habits related to Internet use” (Oulasvirta et al., 105). The study reports that smart-phones are used an estimated 2.7 hours per day, which is longer than standard levels of computing.  Their report finds that smartphone use is most applicably  characterized in the SIRB category, which standa for short duration, isolated, reward-based sessions. This is the primary difference between smart-phone use, tablet use and laptop use. Oulasvirta et al attribute this relationship consumers have with their smart-phones to the fact that unlike laptops, smart-phones are substantially more pervasive in everyday life since they are carried around.  Constantly carrying a smartphone, which is essentially a personal computer results in a higher level of usage throughout the day, even if this usage is isolated to brief e-mail chekcs, phone calls, internet searches, or texting.  Due to this this main aspect of smart-phone usage, they are a much more constant and present in situations where a user could benefit from their functions than one might expect with a laptop or even a tablet. Furthermore, smartphones offer a wider range of avenues for users to connect to remote information than laptops through the innovations provided by applications. This increases the overall reward value of  smart-phone user ‘‘checking’’ habits.

The main difference this presents between smart-phone and tablets is that tablets, due to having larger screens for enhanced content accessing experience, tablet owners will stay on their tablets for longer durations than they would with their smart-phone. Research shows that tablets have a higher duration of use than smart-phones, despite the prevailing high frequency of use reported by most tech analysts.

Section 2: Tablet Use

In their study on Tablet use Muller and authors evaluate the emergence of tablet use and its impact. The researchers look at a total of 33 tablet users across three locations, specifically ten users in the Milwaukee area, twelve users in San Francisco, and eleven users in New York. The study shows that, “of all 33 participants who took part in the diary study, 39% (13) were men and 61% (20) were women. They ranged in age from 18 to 70, with the following distribution across the different age ranges: 18-23 (18%), 24-30 (30%), 31-40 (39%), 41-70 (12%). All participants owned a tablet: 73% (24) owned an Apple iPad and 27% (9) owned an Androidbased tablet” (Müller et al., 2)  The study further notes that for 82% of the respondents, the tablet they used during the study was the first tablet they ever purchased, and 62 % of the total respondents had owned their tablets for more than three months.  From the collection of 157 video diaries and 774 written diary entries, and 18 detailed write-ups provided by the participants,  the study was able to comprise a list of 90% of overall tablet usage in the following.

As the table reveals the most common uses of tablets can be attributed to checking e-mails, social networking, gaming, listening to music, low level content creation, searching for information online, checking the weather, watching television/movies/videos. Much of this report confirms the similar findings of a recent Nielsen report which credited watching videos, listening to music, searching for information online and gaming as the top three tablet uses. In evaluating the difference between tablet use and usage of smart-phones and traditional or laptop computers, the authors point out that previous research on the subject reveals that the use of mobile phones and computers can differ depending on the day of the week. The authors found that the context of week day also applied to tablet use as tablets were used for a wider range of activities during the week day. When comparing tablet usage on a typical week day, it was found that 61% of the tablet usage occurred during weekdays, while 39% of the usage occurred during weekends.

The above table reveals that the majority of tablet usage occurs in comfortable or leisurely settings, like the couch or the bed. The study states that the majority of e-mail checking on tablets occurs on the couch or bed, while gaming occurs in the car or at home in general. The study finds that most tablet users listen to music in the office or in the kitchen, while reading happens in virtually every location. The key factor to notice in tablet usage is that the device is not used for communication tasks such as social networking, making video calls, or responding to e-mails. The researchers note that responding to e-mails is done lightly if not at all. This is very different from the findings on smart-phone usage as  mobile phone devices tend to supplement communication based activities.

The findings on tablet usage provide industries with the information necessary to create software and applications specifically applicable to the common locations of tablet usage. Likewise, non-tablet usage activities can also give insight into potential markets or future uses of the device. For example, Muller and authors found that the most common non-tablet activities that occurred simultaneously with tablet use, were eating or drinking, watching television, waiting in a location, holding a conversation, getting dressed, and exercising. The finding implies that tablet usage has supplemental aspects in regards to these activities and it presents and opportunity for innovation to further enhance tablet usage in respect to common non-tablet activities.

Section 3: Smartphone Vs Tablet Use

In Sarah Etter’s research report on the difference between Smartphones and Tablets, she notes are universally different devices and the first place to identify this difference is by assessing conversion rates. Etter notes that the majority of retailers who report conversion rates reveal that tablet conversion rates come in at 2.4% while smart-phone conversion rates only reach 1% on average. The report attributes this finding to the possibility that consumers identify the use of tablets at the point of checkout as being more convenient and user friendly. Etter is also keen to note that the type of content accessed through tablets is different from that which is accessed by smart-phone users. Etter states that tablet users use their tablets for “lazy internet” consumption, specifically for the consuming of content, media and browsing, while smart-phone users tend to use their devices for communication tasks and to stay connected.

The report attributes these  differences in uses of both tablet and smart-phone devices to the fact that  smart-phones  are pocketable while tablets are portable. This means that tablets are seen as being a convenient alternative to a laptop in traditional environments that one might utilize a lap top for media consumption purposes, like on the couch in the living room, or in the kitchen. On the other hand, smart-phones have the have the convenience of being easily pocketable so as to be kept on one’ person as they travel.  This concept reaffirms Sarah Etter’s argument that smart-phones and tablets have overlapping uses; but as Etter also points out, these overlapping uses have led many marketers to lump smart-phones and tablets into one collective mobile device group and the distinct differences in their common uses  clearly shows this is a mistake.

While smart-phones and tablets provide some of the same functions, depending on the context of the situation and the nature of the function, it would be sensible  to choose using one device over another. For example, in a situation where an individual owns both devices, and they find themselves traveling with both devices on their person, there are a wide range of situations that could merit using either device over the other. It can be logically inferred that the convenience a smart-phone provides to be easily accessible and within reach of one’s pocket might make a traveler who is lost traveling by foot use a smart-phone for its GPS or Google map function, even if they have access to a tablet in their suitcase or backpack. Likewise, due to the enhanced screen of the tablet and the wide range of accessories that contribute to making the device stable  to support viewing, the same  lost traveler is likely to prefer the tablet over the smart-phone for the same navigational function if they were traveling by car.

Section 4: Smart-Phone and Tablet use Similarities & Their Impact

The main similarity between smart-phones and tablets is that they are mobile devices that provide digital content during an age of rampant media convergence. In Henry Jenkins report on “The Cultural Logic of Media Convergence”, he evaluates the digital age and the role mobile devices have played in its current capacity to spread information. He argues that through mobile devices like smart-phones and tablets, media is actually converging to dynamically impact industries.  He states that, “media convergence is more than simply a technological shift. Convergence alters the relationship between existing technologies, industries, markets, genres, and audiences. Convergence alters the logic by which media industries operate and by which media consumers process news and entertainment” (Jenkins, 34). Jenkins notes that there is currently a power shift occurring through the use of mobile devices and the natural progression of consumer needs that develops out of the increased usage. For example, when Apple released the Apple Store and iTunes, conflict emerged within the music industry that made it significantly more difficult for record companies and music stores to stay in business without adjusting their business models to follow the trends set by Apple iPod, iTunes, and Apple store technology. Jenkins notes, “for the foreseeable future, convergence will be a kind of kulge – a jerry-rigged relationship between different media technologies – rather than a fully integrated system. The way in which those various transitions play themselves out will determine the balance of power within this new media era” (Jenkins, 34) . This concept by Jenkins corresponds with Etters view that the cross-uses of tablets and smart-phones has created a complex environment where marketers and industries are having difficulty identifying the distinct differences between these devices and their actual usage.

The increased use of smart-phones and tablets is also playing a major role in reducing what scholars refer to as the digital divide.  The global digital divide refers to the gap in technological advances from region to region. This is a gap that can be directly correlated to a regions internet accessibility. Greater access to the internet means enhanced communication as well as access to valuable information and education that can uplift a regions technology, and in tern economy.  The digital divide between nations is a defining example of the difference between traditional telecommunication methods and new forms. This is most common in emerging markets like Sub-Saharan Africa, where mobile device use, specifically the use of smart phones, ultimately results in an enhanced use of the internet. Consensus among academic studies on the topic find that technology and its world influence can be measured in respect to the current global divide in digital technology based on a cross-national difference in internet usage.  Mauro and Suárez note that the difference between developed and developing nations is the result of “the economic, regulatory and sociopolitical characteristics of countries and their evolution over time” (Mauro and Suarez, 681). In their study they examined data of over 118 countries between 1997 and 2001. The study revealed that a substantial number of cases support the argument that mobile device use directly influences levels of internet usage in emerging markets, which in turn has a dynamic impact on increasing world-system status, democracy, cosmopolitanism, competition in telecommunications,  and privatization within markets (Mauro and Suarez, 681). Furthermore, differences in sociopolitical characteristics between countries that have increased access to mobile devices and those that still rely on landlines for communication, demonstrates the dynamic impact new technology has on societal and economic development, and it foreshadows the pre-digital era. The long term influence these devices have on third world countries is that they bring enhanced access to education and technology.

Conclusion

In sum, research shows that the main difference between smart-phone use and tablet use can be seen in the wider range of activities offered by the tablet as opposed to the smart-phone, the perceived ideal location for device usage, and whether user is performing a communication based activity or a content consumption based activity. Tablets outperform smart-phones when it comes to accessing dynamic content, specifically content in the form of movies, music, or video. Research shows the public prefers using smart-phones for communication based activities such as social networking, checking and responding to e-mails, making phone calls, texting, video chatting or other forms of instant messaging. In respect to location it can be concluded that consumers prefer smart-phone usage when they are on the go, either in their cars or in transit, while tablet usage is preferred in leisurely settings. Most importantly, the simultaneous advantages both tablets and smart-phones are providing in today’s economy and global environment is increased access to internet through the use of affordable technology. While many people in areas like Africa and some parts of China may not be able to afford computers, they can afford smart-phones, and in some cases tablets, making it more likely they will have access to valuable information which was previously inaccessible.

References

“2014 Mobile Behavior Report” Sales Force Marketing Cloud. <Retrieved From>http://www.exacttarget.com/sites/exacttarget/files/deliverables/etmc-2014mobilebehaviorreport.pdf

Guillén, Mauro F., and Sandra L. Suárez. “Explaining the global digital divide: Economic, political and sociological drivers of cross-national Internet use.” Social Forces 84.2 (2005): 681-708. <Retreived From> http://www.socsci.umn.edu/~uggen/guillen_sf_05.pdf

Jenkins, Henry. “The cultural logic of media convergence.” International journal of cultural studies 7.1 (2004): 33-43. http://eng1131adaptations.pbworks.com/f/Jenkins,+Henry++-+The+Cultural+Logic+of+Media+Convergence.pdf

Müller, Hendrik, Jennifer Gove, and John Webb. “Understanding tablet use: a multi-method exploration.” Proceedings of the 14th international conference on Human-computer interaction with mobile devices and services. ACM, 2012. <Retrieved From> http://www.cse.chalmers.se/research/group/idc/ituniv/courses/13/mc/p1-muller.pdf

Oulasvirta, Antti, et al. “Habits make smartphone use more pervasive.”Personal and Ubiquitous Computing 16.1 (2012): 105-114. <Retrieved From>http://www.hiit.fi/u/oulasvir/scipubs/Oulasvirta_2011_PUC_HabitsMakeSmartphoneUseMorePervasive.pdf

Sarah, Etter. “Smartphones vs. Tablets: Forrester Reveals the Differences.” Monetate. (2011).<Retrieved From> http://www.monetate.com/2013/05/smartphones-vs-tablets-forrester-reveals-the-differences/