The need to better understand the role of context has emerged after the revolution of mobile computing, as such devices are used in heterogeneous circumstances. However, it is difficult to say what context of use in mobile human-computer interaction actually means. This study summarises past research in mobile contexts of use and not only provides a deeper understanding of the characteristics associated with it, but also indicates a path for future research. This article presents an extensive and systematic literature review of more than 100 papers published in five high-quality journals and one main conference in the field of HCI during the years 2000-2007. The authors’ results show that context of use is still explored as a relatively static phenomenon in mobile HCI. Its most commonly mentioned characteristics are linked to social, physical, and technical components, while transitions between the contexts were rarely listed. Based on this review, a descriptive model of context of use for mobile HCI (CoU-HMCI) summarising five components, their subcomponents and descriptive properties is presented. The model can help both practitioners and academics to identify broadly relevant contextual factors when designing, experimenting with, and evaluating, mobile contexts of use.

This study examines motivations, definitions, methods and challenges of evaluating the social impacts of smart city technologies and services. It outlines concepts of social impact assessment and discusses how social impact has been included in smart city evaluation frameworks. Thematic analysis is used to investigate how social impact is addressed in eight smart city projects that prioritise human-centred design across a variety of contexts and development phases, from design research and prototyping to completed and speculative projects. These projects are notable for their emphasis on human, organisational and natural stakeholders; inclusion, participation and empowerment; new methods of citizen engagement; and relationships between sustainability and social impact. At the same time, there are gaps in the evaluation of social impact in both the smart city indexes and the eight projects. Based on our analysis, we contend that more coherent, consistent and analytical approaches are needed to build narratives of change and to comprehend impacts before, during and after smart city projects. We propose criteria for social impact evaluation in smart cities and identify new directions for research. This is of interest for smart city developers, researchers, funders and policymakers establishing protocols and frameworks for evaluation, particularly as smart city concepts and complex technologies evolve in the context of equitable and sustainable development.