An Empirical Investigation of the Antecedents and Consequences of Privacy Uncertainty in the Context of Mobile Apps

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 1037-1063
Author(s):  
Sameh Al-Natour ◽  
Hasan Cavusoglu ◽  
Izak Benbasat ◽  
Usman Aleem

When using mobile apps that extensively collect user information, privacy uncertainty, which is consumers’ difficulty in assessing the privacy of the data they entrust to others, is a major concern. Using a simulated app-buying experiment, we find that privacy uncertainty, which is mainly driven by uncertainty about what data are collected and how they are used and protected, is indeed a significant influencer of one’s intentions to use a mobile app and the perceived risk associated with that use, as well as the price a potential consumer is willing to pay for an app. Our results further show that the uncertainty concerning the data collected while using a mobile app drives consumers’ decisions more than the uncertainty regarding data that are collected at the time an app is downloaded. To investigate whether privacy uncertainty continues to be a factor after a consumer has already started using an app, we conducted a survey of users of wellness and personal finance apps. The results indicate that privacy uncertainty is a lingering concern because it continues to influence a user’s intention to continue using an app and the perceived risk associated with that continued use.

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 415-430
Author(s):  
José-Alberto Castañeda ◽  
María-José Martínez-Heredia ◽  
Miguel-Ángel Rodríguez-Molina

Purpose The overall tourist experience is changing because of the development of mobile devices, ubiquitous internet access and applications (apps) designed specifically for tourism. The aim of this study is to identify the determinants of continued use and recommendation of such apps (loyalty), framed within the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2) model, considering innate user traits (innovativeness) and one of the principal attributes of mobile phones (portability). Design/methodology/approach The sample comprised 285 Spanish tourists who owned a smartphone and were using some kind of mobile app in connection with their stay. Findings The results show that the UTAUT2 model is effective in explaining loyalty toward tourism apps and that its variables mediate the effect of user and mobile device characteristics. Research limitations/implications To ensure continued use of a tourism app, it should possess the following core attributes: deliver a positive cost–benefit trade-off, be fun to use, provide up-to-date and useful information and generate a degree of dependency in the user. Originality/value The present research is particularly relevant because of its focus on the use of apps during the stay, given that most of the extant literature centers on previous stages (such as service booking).


10.2196/18447 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (10) ◽  
pp. e18447 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Shakespeare-Finch ◽  
Karolina K Alichniewicz ◽  
Esben Strodl ◽  
Kelly Brown ◽  
Catherine Quinn ◽  
...  

Background PTSD Coach Australia is an app for serving and ex-serving defense members and was adapted for the Australian context in 2013 from PTSD Coach, which was created in the United States. Objective This study aimed to provide a user-centered evaluation of the app from the perspective of serving and ex-serving members of the Australian Defence Force. Methods Qualitative data were collected in response to questions to participants in 1 of 5 workshops (n=29) or in telephone interviews (n=24). Quantitative data were collected using the user version of Mobile Apps Rating Scale (uMARS). Results Analysis of the qualitative data demonstrated mixed support for the app. While some people found it extremely useful, especially as an adjunct to therapy, others pointed out limitations and cautioned against the app potentially triggering symptoms in people with PTSD. This perceived risk was usually found to stem from frustration with the app’s functionality rather than its content. Participants spoke about the helpful and unhelpful aspects of the app and barriers to its use and made suggestions for improvement. Many participants encouraged its continued use and highlighted the need for it to be promoted more broadly, as many were not aware of it until they were invited to participate in this research. Conclusions PTSD Coach Australia was seen in a positive light by some participants, but others thought it had too much text and the potential to trigger a traumatic response in users with PTSD. A need to update the app was also a common comment as was the need to increase awareness of the app’s existence.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Shakespeare-Finch ◽  
Karolina K Alichniewicz ◽  
Esben Strodl ◽  
Kelly Brown ◽  
Catherine Quinn ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND PTSD Coach Australia is an app for serving and ex-serving defense members and was adapted for the Australian context in 2013 from PTSD Coach, which was created in the United States. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to provide a user-centered evaluation of the app from the perspective of serving and ex-serving members of the Australian Defence Force. METHODS Qualitative data were collected in response to questions to participants in 1 of 5 workshops (n=29) or in telephone interviews (n=24). Quantitative data were collected using the user version of Mobile Apps Rating Scale (uMARS). RESULTS Analysis of the qualitative data demonstrated mixed support for the app. While some people found it extremely useful, especially as an adjunct to therapy, others pointed out limitations and cautioned against the app potentially triggering symptoms in people with PTSD. This perceived risk was usually found to stem from frustration with the app’s functionality rather than its content. Participants spoke about the helpful and unhelpful aspects of the app and barriers to its use and made suggestions for improvement. Many participants encouraged its continued use and highlighted the need for it to be promoted more broadly, as many were not aware of it until they were invited to participate in this research. CONCLUSIONS PTSD Coach Australia was seen in a positive light by some participants, but others thought it had too much text and the potential to trigger a traumatic response in users with PTSD. A need to update the app was also a common comment as was the need to increase awareness of the app’s existence.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 1584-1597
Author(s):  
Jaeun Choi ◽  
Dongho Yoo

This paper explores how different self-construals interact with perceived risk and influence tourism consumers’ technology readiness toward tourism mobile apps. The study used 284 tourist participants to show that tourism consumers, regardless of self-construal type, have a negative perception of technology readiness when they perceive a high level of risk. Furthermore, those with independent self-construal have a more positive perception of technology readiness than those with an interdependent self-construal when they perceive a low level of risk. The results also show that technology readiness mediates the relationship between self-construal and use intention toward mobile apps. Based on these results, we proposed the following practical implications. First, companies need to find and lower potential risks that can be perceived in tourism mobile apps. They must also deliver different messages according to consumers’ self-construal. Companies should provide independents with information related to the positive benefits obtained through the mobile app, and interdependents should be provided with information that reduces perceived losses.


Author(s):  
Shankar Chaudhary

Despite being in nascent stage m-commerce is gaining momentum in India. The explosive growth of smart-phone users has made India much loved business destination for whole world. Indian internet user is becoming the second largest in the world next to China surpassing US, which throws open plenty of e-commerce opportunities, not only for Indian players, offshore players as well. Mobile commerce is likely to overtake e-commerce in the next few years, spurred by the continued uptrend in online shopping and increasing use of mobile apps.The optimism comes from the fact that people accessing the Internet through their mobiles had jumped 33 per cent in 2014 to 173 million and is expected to grow 21 per cent year-on-year till 2019 to touch 457 million. e-Commerce brands are eyeing on the mobile app segment by developing user-friendly and secure mobile apps offering a risk-free and easy shopping experience to its users. Budget 4G smart phones coupled with affordable plans, can very well drive 4G growth in India.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fazwa M. Fadzilah ◽  
Noreen Izza Arshad ◽  
Izuddin Zainal-Abidin ◽  
Hui Min Low ◽  
Ahmad Kamil Mahmood ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Mobile applications (apps) that offer a variety of techniques to improve stuttering have been flourishing in the digital marketplace. In evidence-based clinical practice, speech therapists will recommend audio-enriched mobile apps to individuals with stuttering problems based on empirical research evidence. Unfortunately, many stuttering mobile apps available in the market are developed without a substantial research base. Hence, speech therapists necessitate a guideline which they could use to assess the quality of a stuttering mobile app before recommending the app to stutterers. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study is to develop a rubric for assessing the quality of the stuttering mobile app in assisting speech therapists to make informed recommendations METHODS The rubric was initially developed based on a set of criteria reviewed from the literature. Online surveys and focused group discussion were then conducted for results verification. RESULTS The outcome of this study is a rubric designed with four categories and 18-evaluative dimensions tailored to analyze the quality of stuttering mobile apps. The stuttering mobile app assessment rubric presented in the serve multiple purposes, including an evaluation instrument, providing guidelines for developing stuttering mobile apps and for creating a standard form that can be shared with professionals to facilitate a collective effort. CONCLUSIONS This rubric also offers a guidance to steer drive the future development of stuttering mobile apps that are evidence-based, and theoretically grounded


2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beth K Jaworski ◽  
Katherine Taylor ◽  
Kelly M Ramsey ◽  
Adrienne J Heinz ◽  
Sarah Steinmetz ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Although the pandemic has not led to a uniform increase of mental health concerns among older adults, there is evidence to suggest that some older veterans did experience an exacerbation of pre-existing mental health conditions, and that mental health difficulties were associated with a lack of social support and increasing numbers of pandemic-related stressors. Mobile mental health apps are scalable, may be a helpful resource for managing stress during the pandemic and beyond, and could potentially provide services that are not accessible due to the pandemic. However, overall comfort with mobile devices and factors influencing the uptake and usage of mobile apps during the pandemic among older veterans are not well known. COVID Coach is a free, evidence-informed mobile app designed for pandemic-related stress. Public usage data have been evaluated, but its uptake and usage among older veterans has not been explored. OBJECTIVE The purpose of the current study was to characterize smartphone ownership rates among U.S. veterans, identify veteran characteristics associated with downloading and use of COVID Coach, and characterize key content usage within the app. METHODS Data were analyzed from the 2019-2020 National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study (NHRVS), which surveyed a nationally representative, prospective cohort of 3,078 U.S. military veterans before and one year into the pandemic. The NHRVS sample was drawn from KnowledgePanel®, a research panel of more than 50,000 households maintained by Ipsos, Inc. Median time to complete the survey was nearly 32 minutes. The research version of COVID Coach was offered to all veterans who completed the peri-pandemic follow-up assessment on a mobile device (n = 814; weighted 34.2% of total sample). App usage data from all respondents who downloaded the app (n = 34; weighted 3.3% of the mobile completers sample) were collected between November 14, 2020 and November 7, 2021. RESULTS We found that most U.S. veterans own smartphones and veterans with higher education, greater number of adverse childhood experiences, higher extraversion, and greater severity of pandemic-related PTSD symptoms were more likely to download COVID Coach. Although uptake and usage of COVID Coach was relatively low (3.3% of eligible participants, n = 34), 50% of the participants returned to the app for more than one day of use. The interactive tools for managing stress were used most frequently. CONCLUSIONS Although the coronavirus pandemic has increased the need for and creation of digital mental health tools, these resources may require tailoring for older veteran populations. Future research is needed to better understand how to optimize digital mental health tools, such as apps, to ensure uptake and usage among older adults, particularly those who have experienced traumas across the lifespan.


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