A reasoned action perspective of user innovation: Model and empirical test

Abstract

Much research in the field of user innovation has followed two theoretical perspectives — the cost–benefit framework and the community perspective of user innovation. By adopting the theory of reasoned action (TRA) into the context of user innovation, this study establishes an integrative theoretical framework to accommodate both the cost–benefit perspective and the community perspective of user innovation. This TRA-extended framework embraces both the direct and the interactive influences of the cost–benefit factors (the perceived effort in innovation and the perceived benefit from innovation), the individual characteristics (personal innovativeness and experience) and the social interactions (the perceived social influence) in shaping user innovation at the individual level. The empirical results support the proposed theoretical model. The results also reveal that the moderating effect of experience (or perceived effort) on the intentional component of user innovation is different from the effect on the behavioral component of user innovation.