Christine von Seelen Schou Industrial PhD Telenor and University of Copenhagen, MCC Smartphones – relevance and diffusion

operating system network operator handset manufacturer OTT services end user A RARE MOMENT IN TIME All stakeholders are interdependent – for better and for worse No positions are exclusive or sacred and no standards New and unprecedented alliances are established BUT established collaboration are also broken/altered Wifi services – who and where? A possible 5th stakeholder?

uncover and understand user behavior and motives for smartphone users methodology explore and evaluate possible sources and methods user behavior development of future research design for media studies (incl. mobile industry) possible commercialization of findings TWO MAIN OBJECTIVES The project has a two-sided objective since both fields are inadequately explored

Brutto sampling of 4 selected TN segments (out of 8). Cluster analysis of customer data 1 Application reporting smart phone behaviour invitation Netto sample: y+ 2 Analysis + selection criteria for qualitative informants 3 (segment 1) (segment 2) (segment 3) (segment 4) Qualitative observation and interview Sample: FIELDWORK PROCESS Sample NOT representative – neither regarding market nor demographics

..correlation supersedes causation, and science can advance even without coherent models, unified theories, or really any mechanistic explanation at all. (Anderson, 2008) 5

6 Cleaning data where to begin? What is the possible sources for flaws? (handset, OS, service, network etc) You dont know what you dont find! cf KBJ: Lost, found and made

7 Only way forward is a semistructured iterative process of exploration and hypothesis testing

8 ASKING WHY – AND THE RISK OF NOT ASKING What does the patterns and behaviour uncovered from the behavioural data actually represent? People do this, therefore this is what they want?! To what extent is it a picture of failed interaction and negative user experience rather than a reflection of the users ideal use of a smartphone? What is the relation between high and low frequency usage and user experience and value? What are the criteria for being valuable (relevant) – are there other criteria than positive user experience – for example reciprocal interdependence? And is it even possible to be innovative and ahead of NEW customer needs without asking why?

Medium theory Diffusion process of (new) services (Diffusion Theory) 1. Awareness 2. Relevance assesment (Relevance Theory) 3. Trial and error 4. Evaluation 5. Accept & service is continously evaluated always at risk of being rejected No awareness, no diffusion No relevance, no diffusion Error, no diffusion Experience not relevant, no diffusion Potential services DIFFUSION! THE VALUE OF AN ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK Describing and understanding the diffusion process and underlying motives over time Diffusion of innovations (Rogers) and Relevance Theory (Sperber & Wilson)

Methodological cross paradigm and theoretical understanding of human behaviour and reasoning has always been preferable in the process of trying to understand why – and it still is! 10