Towards an Understanding of College Students’ Perceptions of Smart Home Devices

Abstract

The concept of a smart home has evolved over several decades. There are many advantages and potential advantages of smart homes, smart home devices and smart living. There are also disadvantages, risks and concerns with smart home devices. There has been significant work examining adults’ perceptions of smart home technologies and devices, particularly in adults over the age of 40 in the areas of energy policy and assistive technologies. There has not been as much work examining perceptions of adults under the age of 40. The goal of this research is to further understand college students’ familiarity with smart home devices, use of smart home devices, willingness to use such devices, and the perceived advantages and disadvantages of smart home devices. This study extends previous research by gathering college students’ perceptions of smart home devices. The results of this study suggest that most of the college students surveyed perceived some usefulness and potential benefits of smart home devices, but they also had many concerns. Less than half of the college students surveyed indicated a desire to use smart home devices. A deeper understanding of younger adults’ perceptions, expectations, and concerns may assist device manufacturers, researchers, and potential users of smart home devices. Further work is needed in this area.