The Impact of Distractions on the Usability and the Adoption of Mobile Devices for Wireless Data Services

Mobile devices are becoming increasingly popular, having already reached over 1.5 billion mobile subscribers. Although progress has been made in terms of technological innovations, usability challenges still face m-Business (mobile business) application. This paper explores how the context of use impacts the usability of mobile devices. An empirical study was undertaken to investigate the impact of distractions on the usability and its subsequent effect on consumers’ behavioural intention towards using a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) for wireless data services. Distractions were simulated in this study in the form of either user motion or environmental noise (i.e. background auditory and visual stimuli). A structural equation modelling analysis confirmed the impacts of distractions on perceived usability (i.e. efficiency and effectiveness) of, and in turn the users’ satisfaction with and behavioural intention to use, a PDA for wireless data services. Implications of these findings for theory, practice, and future research are outlined.