Identifying drivers and hindrances of social user experience in web services

ABSTRACT Social activity is becoming a central contributor to user experience (UX) in many modern Web services. The motivations, norms and rules of online communities have been widely researched, however, social activity and its UX in modern Web services is a less studied area. We conducted a four-week-long field study with three Web services -Facebook, Nokia Sports Tracker and Dopplrwhich all support social activity. The aim of this study was to identify the central drivers and hindrances of social UX, user experience of online social activity. Our results show that the main drivers of social UX include self-expression, reciprocity, learning and curiosity, whereas unsuitability of content and functionality, incompleteness of user networks and lack of trust and privacy are often experienced as hindrances for social UX. Our findings also reveal the pragmatic and hedonic nature of the drivers and hindrances. The results can be used to inform design and evaluation of social UX in Web services

Expanding customer base of mobile sustainable services

Sustainability is an emerging topic discussed and debated by host of communities like academicians, industries and business leaders, designers and policy makers. The recent dramatic changes in environment might have caused a great concern towards sustainability. There are many services offered around the sustainability domain like energy management consultation. As with other domains, it has also adopted technology as a platform to accentuate the effectiveness of its services. The high penetration of mobile technology in rural and urban areas plays a vital role in taking sustainable services to masses. However, few studies highlight that there are many challenges in deploying sustainable services using mobile technology like poor infrastructure in mobile network and electricity, low acceptance levels and service discoverability problems. These challenges inhibit the usage of the services by mass customers. The objective of this study is to identify avenues augmenting the usage of sustainable services using mobile technology by customers. This is carried in two fold ways, by first identifying potential gaps in the sustainable services using mobile technology which could be tapped to attract customer usage. Secondly, the drivers and hindrances in using these services, as experienced by the customers are analyzed. This would pave way to effective design of these services, thereby accentuating the customer usage. The literature discussion on sustainable services using mobile technology is in its infancy; therefore, a theoretical framework is developed and used as a guiding theme for empirical data analysis. The landscape of sustainable services using mobile technology in market reality is way ahead of the literature discussion. New services identified from empirical data indicate a need for literature discussion about those services. Customer perspectives on the theoretical driving forces framework comprising of drivers and hindrances, provided insights on how these driving forces are seen in reality. The approach used in this study, would pave way to make informed service design decisions resulting in mass customer usage of the services

Next Generation Access in a Rural Community Context: An Innovation Analysis

This thesis explores how to resolve the digital divide in Wales. This is important because access to advanced broadband is considered an essential requirement, particularly post-COVID19. UK Government is advocating next generation access (NGA) to capitalise on Industry 4.0. However, the financial costs and complexities of connecting the final few rural areas is a persisting problem area. Hence, this thesis explores new innovative approaches to provide NGA (product) to a final few (market). Studies revealed superfast broadband in remote rural communities has four-fold human, social, environmental and financial capital benefits. Analysis resulted in a new conceptual framework which combines neo-endogenous theories alongside a four-fold capital model to characterise the complex ecosystem. Previous literature focused on either supply or demand, but few studies had investigated both together at the local level. Human & social capital were identified as critical success factors in community-led initiatives, thus providing a theoretical underpinning for this thesis. This study employed a novel mutual business approach utilising the Hybrid Value System (HVS) as an ecosystem connecting the core assets of several stakeholders. Furthermore, the World Bank Social Capital Assessment Tool was modified to investigate social capital fertility to enhance investment. Henceforth, a qualitative multi-method and in-depth intrinsic case study was used to explore the ecosystem. The contribution to knowledge is how to engage multi-stakeholder and multi-capital analysis to resolve the problem area. The results identified human capital productivity, social capital collective action, and shared financial capital are required at the local level to reach the final few. The mutual business paradigm challenges all stakeholders to value non-financial capital alongside financial capital for problem area resolution. This thesis concludes that HVS methodology coupled with complex ecosystem-network visualisation techniques, provide academics, management and government policy makers with practical tools to value four-fold capital resources and bridge the digital divide

An overview of electronic personal health records

© 2018 Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine Electronic Personal Health Record systems are providing health consumers with greater access and control to their health records by shifting these records from being a health provider-centred Electronic Health Record, to a patient-centred, Electronic Personal Health Record (ePHR). Based on the delivery system, ePHR systems are classified into standalone, tethered, and integrated or unified ePHRs. While national approaches of implementing integrated ePHR vary, the middle out method has been recognised as the ideal approach. It is worth considering the adoption of ePHRs has been slow due to several factors, including technical, individual, environmental, social, and legal factors. This paper provides a representative overview of an ePHR system, outlining its definition, types, architectures, and nationwide approaches of its implementation. Additionally, the drivers and hindrances to health consumer adoption are discussed

Information literacy: conceptions, context and the formation of a discipline

In this article the authors argue that progress in the development of information literacy (IL) has been hindered by tendencies such as: denying that information literacy is even a subject, paying exclusive attention to forces outside the discipline and forming information literacy silos. The authors start by reflecting on formative developments in information literacy outside North America in the late 1990s-early 2000s, and noting that IL has not evolved from that period as much as one might expect. They identify hindrances to information literacy’s formation as a discipline, and relate their discussion to changing notions of disciplinarity. The authors present ‘Information Literacy in the lifecourse’ as an example focus which could stimulate engagement from researchers and practitioners who are currently situated in different information literacy silos. They conclude that taking a disciplinary and lifecourse approach to information literacy would open up opportunities for working in a collegiate way, both within the information literacy community and with those outside it, and provide a more robust foundation for influencing policy

Managing the outsourcing of information security processes: the 'cloud' solution

Information security processes and systems are relevant for any organization and involve medium-to-high investment; however, the current economic downturn is causing a dramatic reduction in spending on Information Technology (IT). Cloud computing (i.e., externalization of one or more IT services) might be a solution for organizations keen to maintain a good level of security. In this paper we discuss whether cloud computing is a valid alternative to in-house security processes and systems drawing on four mini-case studies of higher education institutions in New England, US. Our findings show that the organization’s IT spending capacity affects the choice to move to the cloud; however, the perceived security of the cloud and the perceived in-house capacity to provide high quality IT (and security) services moderate this relationship. Moreover, other variables such as (low) quality of technical support, relatively incomplete contracts, poor defined Service License Agreements (SLA), and ambiguities over data ownership affect the choice to outsource IT (and security) using the cloud. We suggest that, while cloud computing could be a useful means of IT outsourcing, there needs to be a number of changes and improvements to how the service is currently delivered

Client’s championing characteristics that promote construction innovation

Purpose: clients or users of products, processes or services are being identified as potential sources of innovation in construction. There are concerns on the degree of innovation within the construction industry, despite having potential to be innovative. The role that can be played by the construction client to promote innovation in the industry is well documented. However, lack of knowledge on the desirable characteristics of the construction client was identified as one of the barriers for the construction client to be an effective innovation promoter. Accordingly, the paper evaluates the characteristics of the construction client that promotes innovation. Research Methodology: the multiple holistic case studies were used as the research strategy and semi-structured interviews were used as the principal data collection technique. Code-based content analysis and cognitive mapping were used to analyse the interviews. Data analysis was supported by two computer aided software namely NVivo and Decision explorer. Findings: clients can increase the efficiency of work carried out towards the construction process, stimulate team dynamics and team action through the championing characteristics which in turn can strengthen the innovation process that lead to the innovative product. Being a team player, promoting respect for people, and knowledge and information dissemination are identified as constituents of the championing characteristics of clients that promote innovation in construction projects. The personal skills of clients such as competence, value judgement, flexibility, and self motivation will energise the success of the championing characteristics. Originality/value: the client characteristics identified from the study widen the knowledge base of the client to successfully engage in construction innovation

Service models for IT management, IT alignment and IT governance

The working relationship between business and IT is predominantly a product life cycle based approach for meeting IT requirements through the specification of product and production management methods. There is evidence that this is an incomplete and unsatisfactory model. We illustrate how a service based relationship model using new concepts, validated in practice, can improve the business experience and provide more comprehensive methods of alignment and governance. The research method used is based on two overlapping and interacting phases: empirical, situated research and Grounded Theory development. The findings are timely because the convergence with business and the commoditisation of IT are changing the dynamics between the two and changing the nature of the IT supply industry. We discuss the emerging business-focused approach to IT management, alignment, and governance as it applies today and in the context of self-adaptive and self-managing systems