Taking the weather with you: user acceptance, trust and value of weather apps on smartphones

Abstract

With the start of the 21st century came the rapid growth and popularity in location-based service (LBS) apps, with a particular focus on smartphone applications. As a result of such growth characteristics, a number of studies concerning user acceptance of mobile services have been undertaken within the extant literature. These studies have employed various adaptations and modifications of one of the most widely recognised of information systems success models, the technology acceptance model (TAM). One such adaptation, the technology acceptance model for mobile services (TAMM), seeks to provide a more robust framework for research into this area of mobile technology development. In view of the increasing global use of LBS apps, coupled with the widespread adoption of smartphones, further research into this emergent research field appears warranted. This current paper has sought to explore aspects of user acceptance with respect to a popular set of LBS smartphone applications; namely weather apps. The research has provided a predictive model for future research, and may have implications for authors and app developers. The findings from this research suggest that four distinct factors, ease of adoption, ease of use, trust and value; all of which influence user acceptance of a weather app on smartphones.