Critical investigation of the mobile information technology expert’s perspective on the impact of the mobile application development within the German financial market and service industry

Abstract

Just as the Internet did before, mobile information technology (IT) is radically changing the way we interact with the world. Already there have been many innovative applications of this technology based on the unique attributes of mobiles. IT companies and IT service providers rely on meaningful and provable information about the influence of technical possibilities and the views of IT experts on consumer needs.

The purpose and objectives of this research are to investigate the influence of mobile IT solution design and architecture on consumer behaviour related to a specific business area – the German financial market and services industry. The main research question was: “What shapes the development of mobile IT applications?” In this
research, the focus was on the technical context; that means the key drivers of the technological development, as they are named (in alphabetical order): efficiency, engagement, flexibility, security, simplicity, and visibility. The literature review identified
the factors influencing technology development and related these to the consumer behaviour theory.

The research methodology is based on the phenomenological approach in which the ‘lived’ experiences were described from the perspectives of interviewees’. Qualitative data were gathered related to the key drivers to understand what kind of influence factors are taking effect. Based on the assumption that IT experts will provide
essential and significant inputs regarding the technical aspects, 18 semi-structured interviews were conducted. From the in-depth expert interviews, the key elements (variables) were determined and a conceptual framework was evolved with respect to literature and with the aim of answering the research question.

Based on the findings from field data, the framework forms a foundation for a retrospective analysis to study the influence factors and to emerge remarkably consistent patterns that influence the development of mobile solutions. Furthermore,
the proposed framework provides the basis to describe the effect of technological development on an existing information system theory.

The thesis closes the gap left by the lack of a technical point of view in recent literature. This research identified consumer opinions and behaviours from the perspective of IT experts with regard to the perceived values and usability of mobile IT. The contribution to practice is that this study will bring together the technical viewpoint
and the viewpoints of consumers. In addition, this study will provide a set of recommendations to clarify interactions between the architecture and design of mobile IT and the consumer behaviour.