Exploring multi digital device usage: A sociomaterial perspective

The number of digital devices is already greater than the number of people on the planet. This means most users use multiple digital devices every day, which is bound to have an impact on their daily practices. However, very little research has been conducted on this emerging phenomenon. This research in progress aims to explore the impact of multi digital device usage on practices and productivity, both at work and at home. As our research goals are deeply rooted in practice, we use sociomateriality as our theoretical lens. To collect data we employ electronic experience sampling, a quasi-naturalistic method that involves signaling users to share their experiences at multiple intervals. Preliminary analysis points to three emerging practices – (1) selection of device based on relative affordances, (2) selection of a combination of devices based on their ability to create positive synergies, and (3) Use of devices as a distraction. Exploring multi digital device usage Thirty Sixth International Conference on Information Systems, Fort Worth 2015 2 Introduction The number of mobile devices has exceeded the number of people on the planet, a phenomenon called multi-device ownership (Boren 2014). This in turn has created another phenomenonmulti-digital device usage, where people employ multiple digital devices simultaneously. For example, a recent report shows that more than 60% of online users in the US use at least two devices every day, often for both work and leisure (Robinson 2014). This new phenomenon will impact organizations in numerous ways. For example, traditional web analytics packages that marketers use to understand online consumer behavior assume the user employs a single device, not multiple devices. They are furthermore not equipped to track cross-device behavior (Hogan 2014). Similarly, it is increasingly important for web designers to build applications and supporting interfaces that provide a seamless transition when users move between devices (Antila et al. 2011; Levin 2014). As one example, students need ways to copy information obtained from a web search on one device onto a word-processed essay mounted on another device. Moreover, though digital devices have been designed as all-purpose devices, users do not view devices as interchangeable. For example, the second author’s children perceive the Microsoft Surface tablet as a better device for developing reports and visual presentations, and the iPad as a better device for taking photos. Very little research has been conducted on multi-device usage. For example, it is not yet clear if multidevice usage is beneficial or detrimental to users’ productivity and well-being. We already know that humans are not generally good at multitasking (Atchley 2010). Modern day workspaces are full of interruptions that lead users to have fragmented attention creating a phenomenon called digital distraction. For example, on average, users spend three minutes on a task before switching to another task (Gonzalez et al. 2004). To date, most studies on digital distraction have looked at a single device and multiple tasks as the context, while little or no research looks at the context of multiple devices. The use of multiple connected devices has the potential to significantly increase digital distraction. For example, every time a user gets a message, the number of notifications will multiply based on the number of devices used by the user. However, multi-device use is not necessarily multitasking, i.e., one can work on the same task through multiple devices. As one example, we observe children using three devices simultaneously to write a report. An iPad is used to surf the web for materials, a Microsoft Surface tablet is used to write the report, and WeChat on an Android phone is used to converse with group mates. Accordingly, this pilot study attempts to explore the phenomenon of multi-device usage. Specifically, our research question is “to understand the impact of the usage of multiple digital devices on practices and productivity (both work and leisure). ” To understand the phenomenon, we use electronic experience sampling (Csikszentmihalyi et al. 1987), a methodology generally unfamiliar to information systems, but popular in sociology and psychology. Experience sampling is a quasi-naturalistic data collection technique that involves signaling users to share their experiences at multiple intervals throughout the day. In electronic experience sampling, the signals are communicated to users via their mobile devices (Raento et al. 2009). This method is relevant for the study as it allows us to capture within-person variance, a trait traditional surveys or interviews fall short on (Collopy 1996; Eisenhardt et al. 2007; Melone 1990). Within-person variance captures variations in response of a single person across time. This is contrasted with between-person variance, where variations across individuals are captured. Although cross sectional surveys account for between-person variance they don’t account for within-person variance. We aim to use the sociomateriality lens (Orlikowski 2007) to guide our analysis as our research goals are deeply rooted in studying the practice of multi-device usage, where usage behavior and the devices themselves are inextricably entangled and have to be treated as one phenomenon instead of two. The paper proceeds as follows. We first explore the extant literature on multi-device usage. We then describe the sociomateriality lens and explain how this lens will be used for the study. Next we explain the experience sampling methodology in detail. Finally, we describe our preliminary findings and lay out our future plans. Exploring multi digital device usage Thirty Sixth International Conference on Information Systems, Fort Worth 2015 3 Background literature Very little academic literature has investigated multi-device usage (Hess et al. 2011). However, there is substantive evidence from the practitioner literature demonstrating that multi-device usage is an emerging phenomenon (Google 2012; Robinson 2014). Multi-device usage is a situation where a user uses multiple devices for completing one or more tasks. Two such usage modes have been identified in the practitioner literature– (1) Sequential multi-device usage, where users move between different devices at different times, and (2) Simultaneous usage, where users use more than one device at the same time (Google 2012). Examples of sequential usage include e-commerce activities where users start their research on a smart phone but eventually complete the purchase on the computer (Wolny et al. 2014). Examples of simultaneous usage include new paradigms such as social TV where a user is able to watch a television program on the TV and interact with other viewers of the same program through a web application on their tablet, creating the illusion of social viewing (Hu et al. 2014). Furthermore, users may perform a single task, or multiple tasks when using multiple devices. Although the difference between multi-device-multiple tasks and multi-device-single task is subtle, understanding these subtleties is important, as such understanding will potentially have a profound impact on design of future workspaces. Table 1 summarizes these differences. Table 1: Kinds of Multi-Device Usage