ABSTRACT

Since the introduction of the first mobile devices these have evolved quickly and meaningfully, approaching the regular user to complex technologies (such as sensors, accelerometers and wireless access). The applicability of the concept of context awareness to the mobile field is intimately linked with the available technological infrastructure and the popularity of mobile phones among the population. This situation enhances the use of context to provide relevant content and services, including the detection and interpretation of contextual information in real time, which can lead to a modification/adaptation in the application behaviour and functionalities, to match the context of use. In what concerns usability and user experience, if the context awareness sensibility provides new opportunities and new variables to the mobile applications, it simultaneously leads to potential problems and threats. This study intends to explore this premise by conducting a field trial of a context-aware mobile application – the C-Cast application – with the involvement of participants, in order to collect data to perceive the influence of context-awareness in the user experience of the tested application.