Investigating User-perceived Impacts of Contextual Factors on Opportune Moments

In this exploratory experience sampling method (ESM) research, we examined the perceptions of 74 smartphone users regarding the opportuneness of moments for proceeding through a four-stage notification-response process: the phone generating an alert (Alert), the user roughly glancing at the notification (Glance), engaging with it (Engage), and acting on it (Act). We investigated how the moments perceived as opportune for each of the four stages related to users’ self-reported values of 20 contextual factors, and how these factors influenced users’ perceived opportuneness of the moments for each stage. Our results reveal that Alert and Glance stages were perceived as more distinct, with Alert being influenced by social-environmental related factors and Glance characterized by a lower threshold for what constitutes an opportune moment. The final two stages – Engage and Act – were the most similar to each other. The findings also indicated how the influence of contextual factors on perceived opportuneness of the moments varied across factors, notification types, stages, and how such variation was manifested in the likelihood, valence, and magnitude of their overall influence.