What is Passive Distraction

The evaluation of mobile applications is increasingly taking into account the users of such applications’ mobility (e.g., Mizobuchi, Chignell, & Newton, 2005; Mustonen , Olkkonen, & Hakkinen, 2004). While clearly an important factor, mobility on its own often does not require the user’s visual focus to any great extent. Real-life users, however, are required to be aware of potential hazards while moving through their environment. This chapter outlines a simple classification for describing these distractions and two evaluations into the effect visual distractions have on the users of a mobile application. In both cases, the participants were required to monitor both their environment and the display of their mobile device. The results of both evaluations indicated that monitoring the environment has an effect on both task performance and the subjective workload experienced by the participants, indicating that such distractions should be considered when designing future evaluations.