Exploring the user security experience of mobile payment in China

Abstract

Mobile payment services are in widespread use in China, but with them come growing concerns about security. Although the security of mobile payment has been demonstrated, a sample of user experience derived from real world data must be collected to understand the complex use context. This study aims to contribute to the current research by providing qualitative data through in-depth semi-structured interviews. The research explores the user security experience in a variety of use contexts by investigating mobile payment services in a mature market. The findings showed that users view their security experience as comprising both financial and privacy aspects. The key user experience for mobile payment security was divided into five components: online mobile transaction, in-store payment, peer-to-peer payment, payment interaction in the physical world, and the network environment. Elements were also identified as useful for enhancing security experience for mobile payment. Investigating security experience and user needs when designing mobile payment systems in context will provide a more holistic picture of the security needs surrounding mobile payment.