Alternative Information Gathering on Mobile Devices

Abstract: Searching and gathering information about specific topics is a time wasting, but vital practise. With the continuous growth and surpassing of desktop devices, the mobile market is becoming a more important area to consider. Due to the portability of mobile devices, certain tasks are more difficult to perform, compared to on a desktop device. Searching for information online is generally slower on mobile devices than on desktop devices, even though the majority of searches are performed on mobile devices. The largest challenges with searching for information online using mobile devices, are the smaller screen sizes, and the time spent jumping between sources and search results in a browser. These challenges could be solved by using an application that focuses on the relevancy of search results, summarizes the content of them, and presents them on a single screen. The aim of this study was to find an alternative data gathering method with a faster and simpler searching experience. This data gathering method was able to quickly find and gather data requested through a search term by a user. The data was then analyzed and presented to the user in a summarized form, to eliminate the need to visit the source of the content. A survey was performed by having a smaller target group of users answer a questionnaire. The results showed that the method was quick, results were often relevant, and the summaries reduced the need to visit the source page. But while the method had potential for future development, it is hindered by ethical issues related to the use of web scrapers.