Carl Westin

2-3 Toward a new perspective 27 2-3-1 IDT and the adoption process IDT research is devoted to explaining why only a few innovations (i.e., items or technology) gain widespread adoption in a population while the majority of innova- tions fail. Everett Rogers 59 defined adoption as “a decision to make full use of an innovation as the best course of action available” (p. 21). The decision to adopt an innovation is considered to progress over time through a series of stages, from (1) knowledge of the innovation and the (2) formation of favorable or unfavorable atti- tudes (persuasion stage), leading to a (3) decision to adopt or reject the innovation. If adopted, (4) implementation occurs, followed by (5) reassessment of the previous innovation-decision made (confirmation stage). Different innovation and user attributes are believed to affect adoption rate. The original five innovation attributes are compatibility (with perceived values, needs, and experience), relative advantage (compared with what it intends to replace), com- plexity (in understanding and using), trialability (extent to which a innovation can be tested), and observability (or visibility of the results of an innovation to others). Users are typically characterized according to their rate of adopting an innovation, ranging from the innovators and early adopters to technology resistant laggards. 59 Interestingly, IDT research puts compatibility as one of the most dominant factors driving early acceptance. 2-3-2 Technology acceptance theories The information systems community has developed several acceptance models that concentrate on individual determinants of user acceptance measured in the willing- ness or intent to use. Examples include the Theory of Reasoned Action, the So- cial Cognitive Theory, and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technol- ogy. The most widely used model, however, is the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). 104–106 External stimuli, such as user and technology characteristics, cognitive style, and subjective norms influence people’s willingness to use the technology, which in turn determines their use behavior. The willingness to use makes up the core of the model and consists of beliefs about using (a cognitive response to the external stimuli) that directly drives the user’s overall attitude toward using. There are two beliefs: perceived usefulness (the extent to which a user believes using the technol- ogy will enhance performance), and perceived ease of use (the extent to which a user believes using a technology is effortless). 107, 108 While TAM originally disregarded compatibility as a central construct affecting use, later modifications have demon- strated and underlined its importance. Compatibility is not believed to influence acceptance directly, but indirectly through the perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. 109