Lazy User Behaviour

In this position paper we suggest that a user will most often choose the solution (device) that will fulfill her (information) needs with the least effort. We call this “lazy user behavior”. We suggest that the principle components responsible for solution selection are the user need and the user state. User need is the user’s detailed (information) need (urgency, type, depth, etc.) and user state is the situation, in which the user is at the moment of the need (location, time, etc.); the user state limits the set of available solutions (devices) to fulfill the user need. The context of this paper is the use of mobile devices and mobile services. We present the lazy user theory of solution selection, two case examples, and discuss the implications of lazy user behavior on user attachment to mobile services and devices, and to planning and execution of mobile services.