Adoption of Wearable Devices by Older People: Changes in Use Behaviors and User Experiences

Abstracts

Despite the enormous potential of wearables, the adoption rate of wearables among older people is low. To better understand the aspects influencing the adoption of wearables by older Chinese adults, this study investigates the changes in the usage behaviors, perceptions, and attitudes of older people toward wearables over four weeks. Twenty older people (age > 60 years) were included, and each of them was assigned a device for use at home. Information about features they desired and used, their perceptions of functional (i.e., affordances) and experiential qualities, perceived values, and adoption intention of wearables were collected before actual use and at weekly meetings during use. Results showed that health data monitoring was the most expected use of wearables before actual use and considered the most valued affordance throughout the period, although the less-than-anticipated actual experience reduced the usage. Interestingly, notification/reminders were not considered as important initially; however, the increasing usage increased its importance. Regression analysis showed that perceived utilitarian value was influential throughout the study, while hedonic value influenced the adoption intention only before actual use. These findings facilitate understanding how older people adopt wearables and provide practical design suggestions that could benefit the elderly population.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Zhaoyi Ma

Zhaoyi Ma is a PhD candidate, supervised by Dr. Qin Gao, in the Department of Industrial Engineering at Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. She received her bachelor degree in 2017 in the department. Her research interests include usercentered design, human-computer interaction, social media, and computer assisted learning.

Qin Gao

Qin Gao is currently an associate professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering at Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. She received her PhD from Tsinghua University. Her primary research interests include user-centered design, cognitive ergonomics, human-computer interaction, and human factors in complex systems.

Mei Yang

Mei Yang is a PhD candidate, supervised by Dr. Qin Gao, in the Department of Industrial Engineering at Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. She received her bachelor degree in 2021 in the department. Her research interests include design for older adults, user-centered design, and interface design.