Capturing Mobile Phone Usage: Research Methods for Mobile Studies

Carolyn Y. Wei
Google
weicar@google.com

Abstract
The small form factor and constant presence of mobile
phones create unique challenges to the study of their use.
Mobile phone use can be difficult for outsiders to observe
because of the intimate nature of the devices. Mobile use
can also be multimodal (voice and text), further
complicating data collection. The mobility and multitasking that are facilitated with the device pose logistical
challenges for data capture as well. This paper presents a
literature review of innovative methodologies for mobile
phone studies. Some of these methods include cameras
and other recording devices, diary studies, and controlled
experiments. This paper also presents the multimethod
approach that was used in an original field study of
mobile phone use for supporting personal and romantic
relationships in India: questionnaire, interview,
participant observation, and mobile diary.
Keywords: mobile phones, data collection, research
methods

Introduction
Mobile phones are a unique technology that has
become seamlessly stitched into users lives. They are a
simple tool yet also an integrative, all-in-one lifestyle
technology. Because of their small size, mobile phones
can be with their owners at all times and used around the
clock. That constant presence and availability affect and
shape the habits of daily life for the user as well as the
people who surround them. Befitting a device that is
changing habits and society with each use, innovative
methods are needed to study mobile phone use effectively.
Studying mobile phone use requires creativity and
multiple data collection techniques. Some of the
characteristics of mobile phone use that challenge study
design are the small form factor and screen of the mobile,
the mobility of the user, the large range of environments a
user may find herself in, the many activities and channels
of communication that are possible over the phone, and

1-4244-1243-9/07/$25.00 2007 IEEE

the likelihood that the user will be multi-tasking in some

way such as walking, talking, and carrying things. Classic
research techniques often do not suit mobiles. For
example, directly observing mobile phone use can be
clumsy because of the small size of the device and
because important context is often missing from the
perspective of the researcher (e.g., she can hear the users
phone ring but does not know who is calling).
In the literature review of this paper, the research
designs of several mobile studies are reported,
emphasizing the methods that were adapted especially for
mobile phones. Many mobile studies are qualitative
projects that rely on the classic methods of participant
observation, interviews, or focus groups for their data
collection. Some studies, however, have employed data
collection techniques that specifically respond to the
unique qualities of the mobile phone. Some of the
approaches that are discussed include the use of small
cameras mounted on the mobile phone to record activity
on screens and keypads, expressions on users faces, or
surrounding environments, e.g., [1], diary studies, e.g.,
[2], sensor-based monitoring systems in mobile phones,
e.g., [3], and controlled experiments in the field, e.g., [4].
Cultural considerations of mobile phone studies are also
reviewed, notably the challenges of studying mobile
phone use in foreign situations, e.g., [5], and of adults
studying young people, e.g., [6].
Then, the methods of an original study of mobile phone
use in Bangalore, India, are presented. The project
investigated mobile phone use for supporting romantic
relationships. The topic is highly personal in any setting,
but in India, with its socially conservative culture and
strong traditions of arranged marriage, the topic is
especially sensitive. For that reason, the studys
multimethod approach aimed to extract detailed
information about attitudes towards and actual use of
mobile phones for romantic purposes while maintaining a
level of discretion. Finally, the effectiveness of the
methods for this mobile research project is discussed.

Literature Review
Mobile phone study methods can be classified within
three genres. First, mobile phone studies may use classic
research methods such as interviews or surveys or
controlled experiments that are suitable for a variety of
situations. A second kind of study relies on participant
diaries of their mobile phone behavior in an attempt to
approximate real-time data while allowing participants to
maintain discretion. The third genre of study is one that
captures data about real-time or actual phone use through
automated means. Such methods may include referring to
monthly bill statements or filming mobile screens and
keypresses. These three types of studies are reviewed
here.
Many mobile phone studies are of the first genre:
typically, qualitative projects that rely on the classic
methods of participant observation, interviews, or focus
groups for their data collection, e.g., [7], [8], [9]. These
methods are staples of qualitative research, but they can
also be problematic in a mobile phone study. Directly
observing mobile phone use can be clumsy because of the
small size of the device and because the conversation that
is overheard is one-sided. Conversely, interviews and
focus groups overcome the problems of direct
observation, but they typically require the participant to
recall or summarize their behaviors on the mobile phone,
a reporting method that may be slanted or overly
generalized.
In order to address some of the biases or recall
problems of these methods, some researchers have tried
controlling these factors in the context of an experimental
design. Monk and colleagues from the University of York
have designed creative experiments to measure the
annoyingness of mobile phone use in public [4], [10].
Because so many factors can be involved in public mobile
phone use such as environment, cultural norms,
surrounding people, and caller, their research project
carefully varied mobile phone and face-to-face conditions
and conversation volume in a controlled experiment. In
these studies, research confederates held controlled
mobile or face-to-face conversations in the field in front
of unsuspecting subjects. Afterwards, the researcher
would ask the subject for permission to be included in the
study and then administer a brief attitudinal questionnaire
about the conversation they had just overheard. Such a
research method allowed the participant to offer a fresh,
natural, unrehearsed, and nearly real-time reaction to
public mobile phone use unclouded by recall issues.
These experimental studies of annoyingness of public
mobile phone calls [4], [10] captured honest reactions to
public mobile conversations and are an attempt to make
mobile data collection as reflective of actual, real-time
behavior as possible. In general, mobile study methods

that strive to collect behavioral data as soon as they occur

and that depend minimally on participant recall more
likely can represent actual behavior. The more a
participant is required to remember and report, the more
likely that behavioral activity is forgotten or idealized in
memory.
The second major genre of mobile study method
attempts to counter these issues of recall and accuracy.
Some researchers have recorded detailed behavioral data
by asking their participants to keep diaries in various
formats. For example, Grinter and Eldridge [2], [11] and
Ito and Okabe [12] asked teenagers to record their SMS
messages in a log, a creative method that tapped into a
trend among some teenagers to write down their messages
anyways in a paper diary because of the limited space in
mobile phone memory (as noted in [6] and [9]).
Diaries also may be digital. Palen, Salzman, and
Youngs [13] asked their participants to keep a voice mail
diary, having them call in periodically to a dedicated
voice mail line to leave their impressions. Cohen and
Lemishs [14] participants were asked to call an
Interactive Voice Response system to log information
about each of their phone calls. Reminders were sent via
SMS to these participants to call into the system about
their phone calls. The callers would then use the touchtone phone system to punch in answers to four multiplechoice questions about the nature of their phone call.
A new direction for such digital diary studies is the use
of GPS sensors in mobile phones that can sense changes
in location, triggering a questionnaire for the user to
complete on-the-spot [13]. Such diary studies allow
participants to share in some detail the more personal and
private aspects of their phone use that are not easily
observable by the researcher.
However, the most accurate data may be collected in
the third genre of mobile phone study method: recorded
automatically by computers or filming behaviors with
cameras. Data collected through automated means may
also be a useful workaround that balances researcher
intrusiveness and participant memory. Cohen and Lemish
[14] compared participant self-reports with actual billing
and usage data from the mobile service provider. Donner
[15] has asked participants to speak about the last ten calls
they made on their mobile phone as recorded in the
phones call log.
Data can also be collected with small cameras mounted
on the mobile phone to record activity on screens and
keypads, expressions on users faces, or surrounding
environments [1], [16], [17]. This method leaves users
free to use the phone naturally while texting or using
handsfree mechanisms to make voice calls (since the
cameras typically prevent the phone from being held next
to the ear). These cameras also eliminate the need for an
observer to hover or persistently ask questions, while still

giving the researcher the ability to capture specific details

and actions.
Although promising, these mounted camera systems
often require wires and rather obtrusive equipment and
may be awkward in situations where people use their
mobile phones subtly, for example, a high schooler who
keeps his phone in his trouser pocket and pulls it out
discreetly during class to send a text message to a friend.
However, some of the latest camera systems are being
developed to be themselves much more mobile, for
example, with smaller battery packs, e.g., [18].
Taken together, this review of the three genres of
mobile phone research methods shows that there is not
one perfect method: each has its own advantages and
disadvantages. Classic and likely familiar research
techniques such as interviews or focus groups may be
employed, but they may not allow for comprehensive data
collection related to mobile phone use. Diary studies may
support fairly detailed reporting of participants mobile
phone use, but they rely on the participants good will and
discretion. Cameras or participants bill statements can
increase accuracy of data collection but at the cost of
decreased privacy
The strengths and weaknesses of the methods
described here suggest that multiple methods are required
for effective studies of mobile phone use. Although
mixed methods are classically defined as a combination
of quantitative and qualitative approaches in a research
study [19], some researchers prefer the broader term of
multiple methods, which refer to projects that take
advantage of several research approaches regardless of
where they lie in the quantitative or qualitative spectrum
[20], [21], [22]. Hunter and Brewer [22] advocate for
multiple methods in sociological projects because they
can create a concrete frame that acknowledges the socially
constructed nature of scientific research. In the context of
mobile phone studies, a multimethod approach would
strengthen any individual data collection method with the
data from multiple sources.
Besides choosing one or more mobile phone study
methods, the cultural setting of the research study requires
consideration. In many cases the researcher is an outsider
to the mobile culture under study. Researchers from Nokia
trying to capture contextual uses of mobile phone use
found that being foreigners made it easier to stop and ask
local people what they were doing with their mobile
phones [5].
One of the most commonly studied populations of
mobile phone users is young people, whereas the
researchers are grown ups. Some researchers have
discussed the challenges of an adult researcher entering
youth culture for a study. Kasesniemi and Rautiainen [6]
have noted the problems of adult researchers studying
young people, particularly the risk of creating an us vs.
them situation. To counter these power problems, one

study of college students and their use of mobile phones

and instant messaging sought to alleviate that issue by
having a young graduate research assistant collect data
[23].
This literature review showed that researchers must
select the particular method that is used in a mobile phone
study, perhaps used as part of a multimethod research
plan. The method must also be applied with consideration
of the cultural setting of the research site, e.g., if there are
cultural barriers to entry related to age or insider/outsider
circles.

Mobile Phone Study in Bangalore, India

An original research study for understanding how
young people in Bangalore, India, use technology
especially mobile phonesto support their romantic
relationships in a culturally blended space is described
here [24]. The study examined how mobiles are used as
part of a broader communications repertoire [25] for
supporting the various stages of a romantic relationship
such as finding a partner, courtship, engagement, and
marriage.
The study focused on young, urban, middle-class
people in Bangalore, a population that is likely to use
mobile phones. They are people who may be influenced
by global media, have jobs with international companies,
and have studied overseas. They may also be willing to
push the boundaries of social norms, for instance, finding
prospective marriage partners in ways that break with
cultural traditions and using technology in the rituals of
romance.
The study was conducted in summer 2006 with a
multimethod qualitative approach of questionnaire,
interview, participant observation, and mobile diary
methods. A problem space like romantic relationships is
prone to having people talk about cultural ideals rather
than actual behaviors that may deviate from social
expectations. For that reason, the study used multiple data
collection activities per participant to tease out as much as
possible actual behaviors from cultural values.
The classic research methods of questionnaire and
interview were used to gather data about the participants
attitudes and self-descriptions of their social practices and
relationships with family, friends, and loved ones. That
information was confirmed or problematized during
participant observation and debriefing over the mobile
diary, which were based on actual behaviors. The
materials and procedures used for the questionnaire,
interview, and participant observation are described in
detail in Wei [24]. The remainder of this paper will focus
on the mobile diary method.
Accurately capturing mobile phone use behavior was a
goal of the study. Mounted cameras on the mobile phone
were rejected as too unwieldy and not suitable for long-

term use because it prevented users from keeping the

phone in their pockets or purses and did not allow for
Table 1. Diary form for participants outgoing calls

ID
301
302

To whom?

Date

Time

Were you
making an
intentional
missed call?

Reason for
missed call
OR briefly
describe topic
of
conversation

natural use of the phone for voice calls. Referring to

billing and usage data from mobile providers (in keeping
with the spirit of Cohen and Lemishs work [14]) was
rejected as too intrusive for the purposes of this project.
An interview technique of asking participants to speak
about the last ten calls recorded in their phones call log
[15] was also rejected as not capturing enough data about
phone use for the purpose of discussion with the
participant.
Instead, this study chose to rely on paper-based diaries.
SMS diaries have been used in several studies of
teenagers [2], [9], [11], [12]. This study adapted such a
diary form that could be used in many mobile scenarios
including outgoing, incoming, and missed calls, and
outgoing and incoming text messages. Table 1 shows the
diary form that participants used to document their
outgoing calls. This form was modified for other kinds of
calls and SMS.
Participants were asked to keep a mobile diary using
the log form for four days: over a two-day weekend and
the two days bracketing that weekend. In some cases, the
weekend was not the traditional Saturday and Sunday
because of shift timings. The purpose of considering
weekends and weekdays was to ascertain how mobile
phone use might vary depending on work demands.
For their first time keeping the diary, participants were
asked to copy as many as 20 calls and SMS from their
existing call history and SMS inbox/outbox. They were
then asked to fill out the diary twice a day copying down
new entries only. They were to describe details such as the
topic of the call based on their recollection. This approach
of asking participants to periodically complete the diary
was considered less burdensome and interruptive than
filling out the form as each call or SMS occurred. After
the diary period, participants met with the researcher to
explain the information in their diary. The diary was
intended to prompt participants to share stories about
actual incidents of use.
Some participants could not or would not keep the
diary. For them, the activity was modified so that the
researcher and participant would look together through the
existing calls and SMS on the participants mobile phone

Was this call

related to a
previous
comm.? if
yes, give ID

Did this lead

to a meeting,
a call to
another
friend, etc.? if
yes, explain.

Your physical
location when
you made this
call

and copy them into the log, a modification of Donners

technique [15] of asking participants to speak about the
last ten calls recorded in their phones built-in call history.
Although doing a one-off meeting to look at the call
history was a good compromise to keeping the diary,
some of the weaknesses of this method are that phones
often do not have sufficient memory to track all the calls
that may have been made in a four day period. Some
mobile phones also had peculiarities that made it difficult
to look at a sequence of calls and SMS such as call
histories grouped by caller rather than by time received,
call histories that kept only one call per caller, or lack of a
stored SMS outbox. The participants had very good
powers of recall, but some of the calls were too old or
trivial for them to remember clearly. However, since the
purpose of the diary was to elicit stories about specific
mobile phone use, using the phones existing call history
was sufficient for prompting conversation, albeit about
recent calls and text messages rather than those from a
slightly longer period of time.
The diary method provided a snapshot of mobile phone
use that was based in actual behaviors and calls. At the
same time, it gave the participants a chance to protect
their privacy by selecting out any calls or texts they would
rather keep privatean option that was explicitly chosen
by at least one participant who was shy about sharing his
girlfriends text messages. More importantly, the diary
provided talking points for the participant to elaborate
on recent stories of mobile phone use rather than speaking
only in generalities that may be glossed over or made
more culturally acceptable.

Conclusion
Mobile phones can be studied with a variety of
methods, ranging from traditional to those that are driven
by new digital technologies. However, cultural concerns
or participant privacy may require relying on nontechnological methods. Although several techniques have
been designed especially to study mobile phones, a
multimethod approach can bolster studies by providing
corroborating information to participant self-reporting or
to add contextual information to mobile phone data.

Regardless, these methods can be continually iterated

upon and improved to keep up with changes in mobile
technology or the social practices that incorporate
mobiles.

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Acknowledgement
The Bangalore study reported in this paper was supported
with a generous research internship at Microsoft Research
Indias Technology for Emerging Markets group in
summer 2006.

About the Author

Carolyn Wei is a user experience researcher at Google.
She received her Ph.D. in Technical Communication at
the University of Washington in 2007 and was a research
intern with Microsoft Research India.