Dear student / colleague,

Do you use a smartphone everyday? If yes, you’d be an ideal person for our study that we want to invite you to participate in. Each participant will receive a $20 Amazon gift card by email once all interviews are over. We are looking for 20-30 participants, who could be working people or graduate/undergraduate students.

We are conducting research to investigate the breakdown of understanding and communication, and the resulting stress and anxiety that people using smartphones experience when their messages or calls are not responded to.

The interview will take about 30-60 minutes to complete and will be conducted in person (or online using webcam if you prefer). We believe that participating in this research project presents no more than minimal risk to you.

Participation in this interview is voluntary and completely up to you.

Your privacy and confidentiality will be strictly protected. The study has been approved by the Simmons College IRB. For any questions about the research, you may get in touch with the principal investigator Dr. Naresh Agarwal (Associate Professor, School of Library and Information Science, Simmons College, Boston) by email ([email protected]) or by phone (1-617-521-2836).

If you’re willing to participate, please email [email protected] and let us know a date and time that works for you. We will then send you the informed consent form and confirm the time with you. Participants meeting the study criteria will be selected on a first-come first-served basis.

Warm regards,

Tenbit Mitiku
[email protected]