An Experimental Investigation of Location-Based Services

Whereas the conventional applications mostly assume stationary or fixed users, more and more emphasis is placed on mobility, the need for people to stay connected while moving around. One application domain, which is expected to greatly benefit from mobile commerce are location-based services (LBS). An experimental study is conducted involving 58 MIS students. Two experimental groups are formed: one group is equipped with wireless PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) providing location-based services, the other group-serving as a control group-is equipped with wireless connectivity only. Both groups are presented with a variety of tasks. Findings indicate that LBS not only have the potential to increase a user´s productivity, but are also perceived to be very enjoyable and useful for location-dependent tasks.