Enhancing the Adoption of Quantified Self-Tracking Wearable Devices

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Enhancing the Adoption of Quantified Self-Tracking Wearable Devices Acta Universitatis Acta Universitatis Lappeenrantaensis Lappeenrantaensis 836 836 Jayden Khakurel ENHANCING THE ADOPTION OF QUANTIFIED SELF-TRACKING WEARABLE DEVICES ISBN 978-952-335-318-3 ISBN 978-952-335-319-0 (PDF) ISSN-L 1456-4491 ISSN 1456-4491 Lappeenranta 2018 Jayden Khakurel ENHANCING THE ADOPTION OF QUANTIFIED SELF-TRACKING WEARABLE DEVICES Dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Science (Technology) to be presented with due permission for public examination and criticism in the lecture room 2303 at Lappeenranta University of Technology, Lappeenranta, Finland on the 19th of December, 2018 at noon. Acta Universitatis Lappeenrantaensis 836 Supervisors Professor Jari Porras LUT School of Engineering Science Lappeenranta University of Technology Finland Professor Helinä Melkas LUT School of Engineering Science Lappeenranta University of Technology Finland Reviewers Professor Georg Jahn Department of Gerontopsychology Technische Universität Chemnitz Germany Dr. Tech. Eija Kaasinen VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Finland Opponent Research Professor Minna Pikkarainen Oulu Business School Martti Ahtisaari Institute Faculty of Medicine University of Oulu VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Finland ISBN 978-952-335-318-3 ISBN 978-952-335-319-0 (PDF) ISSN-L 1456-4491 ISSN 1456-4491 Lappeenrannan teknillinen yliopisto Yliopistopaino 2018 Abstract Jayden Khakurel Enhancing Adoption of Quantified Self-Tracking Devices Lappeenranta 2018 97 pages Acta Universitatis Lappeenrantaensis 836 Diss. Lappeenranta University of Technology ISBN 978-952-335-318-3 ISBN 978-952-335-319-0 (PDF) ISSN-L 1456-4491 ISSN 1456-4491 Over the past couple of years, quantified self-tracking wearable devices have become a promising emerging technology that can aid individuals in improving physical activities through behavior change. However, the adoption rate of these devices has not reached expectations, so researchers and practitioners have looked into ways to reduce abandonment, focusing on young or middle-aged individuals; yet little research exists on how to improve the adoption rate of wearables among older adults. Also, these wearable devices could be used as an interventional tool in an organizational context to reduce employees’ sedentary behaviors. However, driven by the impression that the devices give access to health-related data to employers, employees may be reluctant to adopt wearable devices in the work environment. A more in-depth study is needed to explore on how to improve the adoption of quantified self-tracking wearable devices in both use contexts: individual and organizational. Therefore, this thesis explores the needs for acceptance and continued use of quantified self-tracking wearable devices, from a device characteristic perspective among older adults in the individual context, while factors influencing adoption of these technologies in the long term by individuals in the organizational context. This study employs qualitative and quantitative research to gather data from a usability and behavioral perspective. The findings show that for older adults, it is necessary to design the external context by understanding the demographic context, which could improve the internal context and the intention to continue using quantified self-tracking wearable devices (i.e., smartwatches and pedometers). Similarly, for organizational use, the findings indicate wearability and attitude factors have a direct effect on intention to use, whereas performance and effort expectancy have only a direct influence on attitude and intention. In addition, privacy concerns and social influence have a positive influence on the intention to use both directly and indirectly through attitude. The design and device characteristics have a significant negative influence on intention to use. Overall, the findings show how to improve the effectiveness and efficiency associated with the use of quantified self-tracking wearable devices such as smartwatches and pedometers, as well as increase user satisfaction in both the organizational and personal use contexts, especially with older adults, where there is a current need to reduce the rate at which wearables are abandoned. Keywords: Quantified self-tracking device, Older adults, Organizational use, Wearable devices, Wearable technologies IT-enabled social innovations. Acknowledgments I am so grateful to Fitness 24 Seven, Lappeenranta, for having opened their fitness center in September 2015 and for having painted this quote on their wall: “No excuses, let’s get started.” Without this place, I wouldn’t have been reunited with Prof. Jari Porras, and without the inspirational quote, I wouldn’t have started my journey as a doctoral candidate. That being said, I would like to begin by thanking to both my enthusiastic supervisors, Prof. Jari Porras and Prof. Helinä Melkas, for their generous guidance and continuous support throughout the course of this research. Similarly, profound gratitude goes to Dr. Birgit Penzenstadler for believing in me, inviting me to be a visiting researcher, and giving me the opportunity to conduct research at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). I have remarkable memories of my time there. I am also grateful to the members of my doctoral committee for their patience and support in overcoming the numerous obstacles I have faced throughout my research process. I would also like to thank both preliminary examiners, Prof. Georg Jahn and Dr. Tech. Eija Kaasinen, for their insightful comments as well as Research Prof. Minna Pikkarainen for being an opponent during my defense ceremony. In addition, I am also hugely appreciative to Peter Jones, my colleagues, co-authors especially Dr. Antti Knutas, Dr. Susanna Tella, Dr. Bo Fu and the department staff, especially Tarja Nikkinen, Petri Hautaniemi, Jenni Larsson, Anu Honkanen, Ilmari Laakkonen, Mikko Kuusio, Saara Merritt, and Sari Damsten for being there whenever I needed them. Special mention goes to the faculty, staff members, and students at CSULB, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), who provided tremendous support during my research visit and stay in California. Importantly, I also want to express my gratitude to all the volunteers who participated in the usability testing and surveys, without whom the entire study would not have been possible. For their generous support of this research, I would also like to thank Miina Sillanpää Foundation, the LUT research platform on Smart Services for Digitalization (DIGI- USER), Research Foundation of Lappeenranta University of Technology (Tukisäätiö), FACTorieS for WORKERS (FACTS4WORKERS) project (funded by EU Horizon 2020) and Shared Learning from Practice to Improve Patient Safety (SLIPPS) project. Last but by no means least, I cannot express enough thanks to my mom, dad, brother, best friend, partner in crime, and, dearest person in life Mari for allowing me time away from you to research, write, and publish, listening to my frustrations, and giving me your encouragement. Without all of your sacrifices and kindness, I would not have been able to complete this journey as a doctoral candidate. You all are the most amazing and important people in my life. Thank you for staying by my side. I dedicate this thesis to all of you, including my late grandmother and uncle. Jayden Khakurel November 2018 Lappeenranta, Finland "The broader one’s understanding of the human experience, the better design we will have." Steve Paul Jobs Contents Abstract Acknowledgments Contents List of publications 13 Nomenclature 15 1 Introduction 17 2 Background 23 2.1 Wearable Technology .............................................................................. 23 2.2 Rise of wearable technology ................................................................... 24 2.3 Goal of wearable devices ........................................................................ 25 2.4 Classification of wearable devices .......................................................... 26 2.5 The benefits and challenges of wearables ............................................... 27 2.5.1 Individual .................................................................................... 27 2.5.2 Organizational environment ........................................................ 29 2.6 Usability and user acceptance – Adoption .............................................. 31 2.6.1 Review on usability and user acceptance .................................... 31 2.6.2 Adoption of wearable devices ..................................................... 33 3 Research Goal and Methodology 37 3.1 The research questions ............................................................................ 37 3.2 Methodology ........................................................................................... 38 3.2.1 Systematic literature review ........................................................ 38 3.2.2 Case study ................................................................................... 39 3.2.3 Contextual action theory ............................................................. 41 3.2.4 Usability evaluation method ....................................................... 42 3.3 The role of the researcher ........................................................................ 43 3.4 Research process ..................................................................................... 44 3.4.1 Data collection ............................................................................ 47 3.4.2 Data analysis ..............................................................................
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