Authors:
Philipp Brauner
;
Julia van Heek
and
Martina Ziefle
Affiliation:
RWTH Aachen University, Germany
Keyword(s):
Digital Textiles, Smart Textiles, Smart Interactive Textiles, Technology Acceptance, UTAUT2, User Factors, User Diversity.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Enterprise Information Systems
;
Software Agents and Internet Computing
;
Ubiquitous Computing
Abstract:
Smart interactive textiles are the next frontier of ubiquitous computing and may serve as novel and accepted interfaces that go beyond conventional human-computer interaction. Apart from the technical perspective, it is important to understand if and under which conditions people adopt these technologies and which factors constitute perceived barriers of technology acceptance. In this work we examine people’s attitudes towards smart textiles and their relationship to the intention to use these products in their home environment. This article provides a precise modeling of younger and older people in regard to expertise in interacting with technology, their desire to control and automate functions in their home environment, and the evaluation of a smart cushion for controlling the home environment, using the Smart Textile Technology Acceptance Model that is derived from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 model. This model was applied for a specific smart textile
product and the evaluation was focused on user-diversity, attitudes, and age. The article concludes with open research questions and guidelines for practitioners to leverage the benefits of smart textile user interfaces.
(More)