PsychNology Journal, Volume 5, Number 1, 7 - 31

Is It Fun to Go to Sydney? Common-Sense Knowledge of Social Structures and WAP

Ilpo Koskinen 
School of Design, Industrial Design, University of Art and Design Helsinki, Finland

Abstract
This  paper  investigated  how  people  navigate  through  early  Wireless Application  Protocol (WAP) sites using their common-sense knowledge of social structures. The study is based on a close analysis of 9 videotaped test sessions of WAP use situations taped in Helsinki, Finland  between  2000-2004.  The  data  was  transcribed  using  standard  conventions  of conversation  analysis,  and  analyzed  in  an  inductive  fashion  to  identify  and  describe  the ways in which subjects used their common-sense knowledge in navigating through WAP. The analysis reveals how the structure of WAP makes it necessary for people to rely on their common-sense knowledge in  trying  to  decide what to  do  next when on  a  particular WAP page, but also how common-sense knowledge leads them astray. The analysis is qualitative. The  conclusions  point  out  the  ambiguous  role  of  common-sense  knowledge  and  relates WAP to previous technologies like the pre-visual Internet of the early 1990s.

Keywords: Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), conversation analysis, ethnomethodology, common-sense knowledge of social structures, user experience.

Cite as: 
Koskinen I. (2007). Is It Fun to Go to Sydney? Common-Sense Knowledge of Social Structures and WAP. PsychNology Journal, 5(1), 7 - 31. Retrieved [month] [day], [year], from www.psychnology.org.

Download Full Text (.pdf)

Return to PsychNology Journal, Volume 5, Number 1