Device uses and device stereotypes

Stereotypes are hugely influential in human-human interactions but have received little attention in human computer interaction. The associations held for everyday technological devices and the ways these devices are
stereotyped have the potential to influence interactions, and may be beneficial to designers in improving the congruency between a device and how it is used. This paper uses an online study (n = 177) to explore how individuals utilise their smartphones, desktops, laptops and tablets, and understand the associations they attach to those
devices. Results suggest that people do hold different associations for different devices, in particular that smartphones are seen to be efficient while desktops are seen to be work-related. Our results have implications in application areas such as design, and in particular suggest a need for future work that explores whether cognitive load
can be reduced when the stereotypes of the device used is congruent with the task being performed.