Effects of codesign on consumer acceptance of a wearable technology using the Lilypad Arduino, The

Abstract

Wearable technology is increasing in popularity, but research shows that significant challenges still exist in user acceptance. Meanwhile, new tools and design and development contexts are becoming accessible to the average consumer, through which they may more actively engage in the creation of products. This experimental study utilized a mixed-method approach to examine the effect of a codesign context on user acceptance of a wearable technology using the open-source wearable microcontroller, the Lilypad Arduino. Data were collected via two codesign sessions held for 17 adult participants in a western region of the United States; each session comprised a hands-on codesign activity, focus group discussion, and pre- and post-assessment surveys. Direct content analysis was conducted based on the extended Technology Acceptance Model (perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and perceived playfulness) as a theoretical framework upon which qualitative data from focus group discussions were arranged; paired-samples comparison analyses were conducted for survey data. Results from both the quantitative and qualitative data revealed that the codesign activity prompted a positive increase in all variables tested; implications are discussed as well as recommendations for further study.