<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><sec id="j_jdis.201608_s_007_w2aab2b8b8b1b7b1aab1c15b1Aa"><h3>Purpose</h3><p>This study explores how search motivation and context influence mobile Web search behaviors.</p></sec><sec id="j_jdis.201608_s_008_w2aab2b8b8b1b7b1aab1c15b2Aa"><h3>Design/methodology/approach</h3><p>We studied 30 experienced mobile Web users via questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and an online diary tool that participants used to record their daily search activities. SQLite Developer was used to extract data from the users’ phone logs for correlation analysis in Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS).</p></sec><sec id="j_jdis.201608_s_009_w2aab2b8b8b1b7b1aab1c15b3Aa"><h3>Findings</h3><p>One quarter of mobile search sessions were driven by two or more search motivations. It was especially difficult to distinguish curiosity from time killing in particular user reporting. Multi-dimensional contexts and motivations influenced mobile search behaviors, and among the context dimensions, gender, place, activities they engaged in while searching, task importance, portal, and interpersonal relations (whether accompanied or alone when searching) correlated with each other.</p></sec><sec id="j_jdis.201608_s_010_w2aab2b8b8b1b7b1aab1c15b4Aa"><h3>Research limitations</h3><p>The sample was comprised entirely of college students, so our findings may not generalize to other populations. More participants and longer experimental duration will improve the accuracy and objectivity of the research.</p></sec><sec id="j_jdis.201608_s_011_w2aab2b8b8b1b7b1aab1c15b5Aa"><h3>Practical implications</h3><p>Motivation analysis and search context recognition can help mobile service providers design applications and services for particular mobile contexts and usages.</p></sec><sec id="j_jdis.201608_s_012_w2aab2b8b8b1b7b1aab1c15b6Aa"><h3>Originality/value</h3><p>Most current research focuses on specific contexts, such as studies on place, or other contextual influences on mobile search, and lacks a systematic analysis of mobile search context. Based on analysis of the impact of mobile search motivations and search context on search behaviors, we built a multi-dimensional model of mobile search behaviors.</p></sec></abstract>

PurposeThis study explores how search motivation and context influence mobile Web search behaviors.Design/methodology/approachWe studied 30 experienced mobile Web users via questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and an online diary tool that participants used to record their daily search activities. SQLite Developer was used to extract data from the users’ phone logs for correlation analysis in Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS).FindingsOne quarter of mobile search sessions were driven by two or more search motivations. It was especially difficult to distinguish curiosity from time killing in particular user reporting. Multi-dimensional contexts and motivations influenced mobile search behaviors, and among the context dimensions, gender, place, activities they engaged in while searching, task importance, portal, and interpersonal relations (whether accompanied or alone when searching) correlated with each other.Research limitationsThe sample was comprised entirely of college students, so our findings may not generalize to other populations. More participants and longer experimental duration will improve the accuracy and objectivity of the research.Practical implicationsMotivation analysis and search context recognition can help mobile service providers design applications and services for particular mobile contexts and usages.Originality/valueMost current research focuses on specific contexts, such as studies on place, or other contextual influences on mobile search, and lacks a systematic analysis of mobile search context. Based on analysis of the impact of mobile search motivations and search context on search behaviors, we built a multi-dimensional model of mobile search behaviors.

How Users Search the Mobile Web: A Model for Understanding the Impact of Motivation and Context on Search Behaviors

Journal of Data and Information Science

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

PurposeThis study explores how search motivation and context influence mobile Web search behaviors.Design/methodology/approachWe studied 30 experienced mobile...

How Users Search the Mobile Web: A Model for Understanding the Impact of Motivation and Context on Search Behaviors

Article Category: Research Paper

Published Online: Sep 01, 2017

Page range: 98 - 122

Received: Jan 03, 2016

Accepted: Mar 03, 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.20309/jdis.201608

Keywords
Mobile search, Query formulation, Search motivation, Search context, Contextual dimension

© 2016 Dan Wu, Man Zhu, Aihua Ran

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

How Users Search the Mobile Web: A Model for Understanding the Impact of Motivation and Context on Search Behaviors

Article Category: Research Paper

Published Online: Sep 01, 2017

Page range: 98 - 122

Received: Jan 03, 2016

Accepted: Mar 03, 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.20309/jdis.201608

KeywordsMobile search, Query formulation, Search motivation, Search context, Contextual dimension

© 2016 Dan Wu, Man Zhu, Aihua Ran

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Keywords
Mobile search, Query formulation, Search motivation, Search context, Contextual dimension