The role of organizational strategy in the user-centered design of mobile applications

Gathering insights on users and the contexts they use mobile applications is at the core of the user-centered design (UCD). Organizations find it strategically important to efficiently and effectively use these insights. With the proliferation of mobile applications, gaining timely and relevant insights is increasingly challenging due to the heterogeneous and dynamic context of use, the abundant availability of information on use behavior and the intense time constraints imposed by the highly competitive mobile market. This paper develops a research model that considers strategy foci as motivators that affect the efficient and effective use of insights on users and context in design practices. We examine the mediating effects of UCD resources, such as time and financial constraints, organizational practices, and UCD competence. To test the model, we conducted a survey with 100 mobile practitioners and used PLS to estimate the model. The model shows that focus on an innovation strategy both directly and indirectly affected data use on user and their context (i.e., mediated by organizational practices and UCD competence) in design practices. Strategies with a focus on cost had no direct effect on the use of user insights but led to negative impacts on UCD competence and organizational practices. © 2017 by the Association for Information Systems.