After having a look at how users hold their mobile devices, how they interact with their mobile devices, which hand they use to interact with their smartphones, and what their attention span might be…. let’s have a look at how this all plays out through time.
As discussed in a previous post, when observing how long users interact with their mobile device in a certain way, we find that proportions are similar to those observed through discrete observations. In this post, we will look at the detail of how interaction sequences are decomposed.
Users change interaction about twice a minute
When looking at the details of our data, the average time spent in any one position ranges from 23 seconds, to 35 seconds.
| Average | Maximum | |
| Idle | 00:00:07 | 00:01:01 |
| 1 pouce | 00:00:35 | 00:04:54 |
| 2 mains | 00:00:23 | 00:04:16 |
| Cradle | 00:00:35 | 00:04:31 |
| Cradle index | 00:00:33 | 00:04:05 |
| Total | 00:00:26 | 00:04:54 |
Device orientation has a strong effect on how long users interact with their device in a single way.
| Orientation | Average | Maximum |
| Vertical | 00:00:25 | 00:04:54 |
| Horizontal | 00:00:54 | 00:04:07 |
| Total | 00:00:26 | 00:04:54 |
Gender has no effect on how often users change from one interaction mode to another
| Gender | Average | Maximum |
| Women | 00:00:26 | 00:04:54 |
| Men | 00:00:27 | 00:04:31 |
| Total | 00:00:26 | 00:04:54 |
The user’s position has little influence on how often they switch from one interaction to another.
| Position | Average | Maximum |
| Sitting | 00:00:26 | 00:04:54 |
| Standing | 00:00:27 | 00:04:07 |
| Total | 00:00:26 | 00:04:54 |
The task has an effect on the user’s interaction behavior
Note, the total on task takes in account only 365 records out of the 887 total, as we were unable to record the activity for all of the observed users.
In terms of activity, the duration of single interaction modes vary slightly. For texting, users spend 10s less on average per interaction mode, than other activities. On the other hand, playing users have a shorter maximum time in one interaction mode.
| Activity | Average | Maximum |
| Texting | 00:00:21 | 00:04:16 |
| Reading | 00:00:33 | 00:04:54 |
| Playing | 00:00:33 | 00:03:52 |
| Total | 00:00:27 | 00:04:54 |
Statistical significance
| Factor | .p |
| User gender | 0,883 |
| User activity | 0,018 |
| Device orientation | 0,002 |
| Interaction mode | 0,000 |
Gender has no effect on user interaction patterns. On the contrary, the user’s activity (task they are performing), position (sitting or standing) and the device orientation has an impact in interaction patterns.
Switching from one type of interaction to another
Depending upon the way users interact with their mobile device when they are observed, they are more or less likely to switch between specific interaction types.
| vers\de | idle | 1 pouce | 2 mains | cradle | cradle index |
| idle | 13% | 3% | 8% | 4% | |
| 1 pouce | 13% | 2% | 7% | 2% | |
| 2 mains | 3% | 2% | 6% | 0% | |
| cradle | 9% | 7% | 6% | 4% | |
| cradle index | 4% | 3% | 0% | 4% |
After a period of being idle, users are more likely to start using their phones with a one handed interaction, or to craddle their mobile. Users are also more likely to switch beween craddle and two handed, and between one handed and being idle.
In an upcoming article of the metro studies, we will have a closer look at interaction sequences, and how they are influenced by the user’s task and the properties of the interface they are interacting with.