An Empirical Analysis on Mobile Phone Messaging Satisfaction among Malaysian Youths

Problem statement: The proliferation of mobile phone use among the youths worldwide has sparked the interest of many researchers, especially those related to the mobile phone adoptions and use. However, there is a lack of study in assessing the impact of the mobile design on its users, especially in relation to the Short Messaging Service application. Due to this, an empirical study investigating the influence(s) of the mobile phone design and health effect factors on users’ messaging satisfaction was conducted in Malaysia. Approach: Structured questionnaire interviews were administered among 110 youths, mostly comprising of university students. Data analyses were performed using factor analysis and descriptive statistics. Results: Factor analysis resulted in seven independent variables and one dependent variable, named Users’ SMS Satisfaction. Descriptive statistics indicated respondents having varying levels of satisfaction/dissatisfaction for Keypad Design, Text Entry Speed and Health-Lower Extremity. Conclusion: Overall results indicate mobile phone users have mixed feelings towards Text Entry Speed, Keypad Design and Health-Lower Extremity and thus, they are unsure about their overall SMS satisfaction. The results and comments provided by the respondents can be used by mobile phone designers to further improve users’ satisfaction while messaging by designing customized mobile phones.