Do Consumers Care About Aesthetics and Compatibility? The Intention to Use Wearable Devices in Health Care

Jeeyeon Jeong,Taewoo Roh,Yaeri Kim

doi:10.1177/21582440211040070

Abstract

This study examined the influencing factors on consumers’ intention to use wearable devices in health care (WDH). Although the importance of the WDH market is increasing, existing empirical study results on WDH have been selectively investigated based on the technology acceptance model (TAM). To address this issue, we endeavored to contribute by integrating the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and innovation diffusion theory (IDT) on top of TAM to explain the psychological mechanism underlying consumer behaviors, especially when adopting advanced wearable devices in the health care domain. We surveyed 303 people in Pangyo IT Valley, South Korea, and attempted a path analysis using PLS-SEM estimation. The findings suggest that individual innovativeness (IIN) directly affects consumers’ intention to use (IU) WDH, while self-efficacy (SE), aesthetics (AES), and compatibility (COM) have indirectly influenced their usage intentions. Detailed results are described in the article.

Highlights

Wearable device in health care (WDH) has recently grown in popularity because of its applications for health care, medical, and therapeutic purposes (International Data Corporation, 2018)
In a similar study on the theme of WDH, we examined the significance of the relationship between perceived ease of use (PEU) and perceived usefulness (PU) of technology acceptance model (TAM)
The current study suggests that theory of planned behavior (TPB), as a proactive factor affecting the connection between TAM and innovation diffusion theory (IDT), will explain the consumer’s intent to use WDH

Summary

Introduction

Wearable device in health care (WDH) has recently grown in popularity because of its applications for health care, medical, and therapeutic purposes (International Data Corporation, 2018). 22% of the population keeps a wearable device and among them, 3 out of 5 use it on a daily basis (Deloitte, 2019). To meet this demand, companies and professionals focus on WDH development; for example, IBM is working with Garmin Health, Mitsufuji, Guardhat, and SmartCone to prepare WDH that monitors the health and biometric information of workers in high-risk workplaces. Medical professionals are increasingly interested in using health care devices to provide skilled and effective medical treatment for their patients (Chatterjee et al, 2009; Hung & Zhang, 2003)

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Conclusion