Who actually wants to use ‘the killer app’? Perceptions of location based services in the young and old

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Abstract

This paper describes the results of two qualitative case studies that assessed the perceptions of Location Based Services (LBS) with two UK user groups: a family with a behaviour-disordered teenager, and a group of older adults. The family (n=2) and older adults (n=13) were interviewed individually after experiencing LBS. The data from the interviews were thematically analysed with the aid of Nvivo software, and organised into themes to better understand attitudes towards LBS technology. Whilst both groups had the opportunity to use, adapt to and experience LBS, perceptions of ‘cool’ and ‘trendiness’ affected judgments of it, and their subsequent usage intentions. The family adopted the LBS system fully, with the device aiding navigation, and ultimately developing trust. Their teenage son also embraced the technology, aided in part by the unobtrusive and ‘trendy’ nature of the mobile phone the LBS was deployed on. In contrast, the older adults felt that LBS could not assist them in any way, and were concerned about the potential for invasions of privacy. This work highlights clear generational differences in the acceptance of LBS, and suggests consideration is needed for the future design of LBS to ensure suitability for the user.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)63-71
JournalPsychNology
Volume10
Issue number2
Publication statusPublished - 2012

Keywords

  • Location based services
  • technology use
  • design
  • cool

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