User Innovation Research Articles

Why do healthcare workers adopt digital health technologies - A cross-sectional study integrating the TAM and UTAUT model in a developing economy

Healthcare technology is a critical factor for effective management of patient care, resulting in enhanced effectiveness when adopted by healthcare professionals. However, the lack of acceptance can undermine its inherent benefits. This study aims to investigate the factors that influence the adoption of technology among healthcare professionals, using Nigeria as a case study. The dataset for the study was collected from a sample of 301 private and public healthcare professionals. The collected data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) and the results supported five of the proposed hypotheses, namely, perceived usefulness, perceived physical condition, technological anxiety, user innovativeness, and perceived availability which had a significant influence on Behavioral intention. However, Technological anxiety showed a negative influence on BI. The study sheds light on relevant factors for healthcare technology adoption. Psychological reengineering and human relation support and a reward system are required to further motivate technology adoption among healthcare workers.

User innovation in Iran: incentives and barriers

Purpose This study first aims to survey the state of user innovation in Iran and then identified barriers and incentives for user innovation in Iran. Design/methodology/approach In this study, a questionnaire (through 1,360 adults from Iran) prepared by De Jong (2016) was used to survey user innovation. Findings The results showed: the percentage of user innovators is high in Iran, there is no linear relationship between the income of a country and the percentage of the user innovators, there is a positive relationship between the education level and the percentage of user innovators in Iran, there is no linear relationship between the number of people educated in the scientific and technical fields and the percentage of user innovators. Finally, based on surveying users opinion in questionnaire, four incentives and five barriers in user innovation were identified that can help policymakers to improve their innovation policies. Originality/value Literature review in this field showed it was found that in a number of developed countries, the issue of user innovation has been addressed, but in Iran as a developing country, no such research has been conducted so far. In addition, it was found that so far, no comprehensive research has identified barriers and incentives for user innovation, so this study, first surveyed the state of user innovation in Iran and then identified barriers and incentives for user innovation in Iran.

User innovation proposal

user innovation proposal

Heroes of diffusion: Making user innovations widely available

User innovations are often valuable to other people, but fail to diffuse because users lack incentives to do a dissemination effort. Past research recognized that users sometimes spur diffusion themselves, and that producers may search for and commercialize user innovations. In this study we identify a third type of actor who fills the void between initial solution and broad dissemination - without being a potential user or commercial diffuser himself. We document a case study at an academic hospital where workers created and institutionalized a system to support and disseminate user innovations developed by nurses. They proactively created a network with makerspace facilities, without being asked or instructed to do so. These workers fulfilled a disseminator role: they continued to develop user innovations to make adoption easy, explored commercial pathways, mobilized peer demand, and created favorable project conditions. Interestingly, the diffusion system was institutionalized by job crafting, securing budgets, embedding diffusion activities in the organization chart, and developing strategic relationships. Disseminators were motivated by self-actualization, enjoyment, reputation advancement, and altruism towards the nursing community; they strived to become ‘heroes of diffusion’. We conclude that a disseminator role in-between user innovators, and peer adopters and commercial producers, represents an alternative mechanism for user innovations to spread widely, and opens opportunities for new research.

Emotion Detection with CNN Model and Song Recommendations using Machine Learning Techniques

Music is an exemplary tool to judge a person’s emotional state. It is the language of the soul. What cannot be articulated through words are easily conveyed through a melody. Music not only speaks to a person’s emotional and mental state, but it is also known to have a therapeutic effect on the listener. The traditional method of music recommendation uses collaborative or content-based filtering to recommend songs but a person’s song choices does not depend only on the song they usually listen to but depends mostly on their emotional state. With the fast-paced innovations pertaining to the music application industry, there is still scope of further improvement in the user experience and creating an encompassing application that not only allows the app users to enjoy listening to their favorite songs but also caters to their recommendation based on their emotional state. Thus, an emotion detection system using Convolution Neural Networks has been proposed. The user feeds in a custom playlist containing a mixture of musical genres that are classified into different emotions using K-Means Clustering. The CNN model detects the emotional state of the user and recommends a series of songs from the classified playlist. This interactive interface is a revolutionary innovation for users who need song recommendations that suit their current mind-state.

Disruptive digital innovations in healthcare: Knowing the past and anticipating the future

The twin focus on healthcare and digital transformation during the past two decades, which was intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic to an unanticipated level, has resulted in the mushrooming of literature in the area. While this has enriched the available insights, it has also created a certain amount of confusion, and there is now a need to make sense of what has been achieved before undertaking research that contributes more meaningfully to theory and practice in the area. Motivated by this need, we systematically analyze and evaluate the existing empirical research on the topic of disruptive digital innovations in healthcare. We followed a five-step approach to identify and analyze 42 congruent studies spread across domains, publishers, and geographies to achieve our objective. The outcome of our review is a conceptual framework that could serve to motivate and support future research. First, we presented a bibliographic sketch of the literature to clarify the milieu and descriptives. Next, we performed content analysis to organize the existing evidence into meaningful streams. Towards this end, we followed a structured approach to the review by defining the scope through a matrix–form conceptual framework to guide thematic analysis. Accordingly, we reported on the findings from three perspectives—theoretical, enabler, and barrier—anchoring them in four innovation implementations/outcomes: products, services, processes, and business models. Our analysis suggests that existing scholarship has drawn upon various interdisciplinary theories to map the enablers as well as the barriers that may inhibit the adoption and usage of these disruptive innovations. Based on the findings of our structured approach, we offer useful recommendations to advance research and practice in this field.

Equity Crowdfunding and Access to Capital for User Entrepreneurs: Evidence from a Randomized Field Experiment

We examine whether equity crowdfunding democratizes access to funding for nontraditional user entrepreneurs. User entrepreneurs start by creating a product to serve their own unmet needs with no expectations of monetary profit, then later decide to commercialize the product through entrepreneurship. In contrast, traditional (producer) entrepreneurs take a more profit-driven path to entrepreneurship and start by identifying an opportunity that has commercial potential. Through a randomized field experiment, we randomly reveal to some investors that a firm producing a product used by musicians is founded by a musician and conceal this founder-related information from other investors. Revealing the information suggests that the firm is a user innovator firm and concealing it suggests that the firm is a traditional producer firm. We find that investors are significantly more interested in the traditional producer firm. Through an additional field experiment, we identify that the bias against user entrepreneurs is statistical (based on a response to limited information) rather than taste based (based on an idiosyncratic dislike). Our findings suggest that user entrepreneurs can mitigate investor bias by displaying signals of quality such as those regarding firm growth and broad product appeal.

Recent development in Extended Reality technologies

This study discusses the recent trends in Extended Reality (XR) technologies. Extended Reality is a group of three technologies i.e., virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality. It has been used in many high-performance applications like military, gaming and medicine. In general, all immersive technologies increase the sense of realism, by fusing the virtual and real worlds. The same underlying technologies that enable AR and VR also power XR to deliver a wide range of innovative user experiences. According to Qualcomm, the future of XR is to develop sleek headsets to revolutionize user experiences on a daily basis and also in many different market segments, including education, retail, and healthcare. This study summarizes the different types of extended reality technologies, XR standardization work, XR and its multi-interactive technologies, and implementation of XR in real life applications.

Unlocking the Key Drivers of FinTech Adoption: The Mediating Role of Trust Among Malaysians

The FinTech services acceptance rates in Malaysia is not growing in parallel with the FinTech growth rate due to a lack of trust in the availability of the FinTech services. Thus, this research intends to investigate the key determinants in the adoption of FinTech services among Malaysians and the mediating role of trust in the said adoption. This study used the quantitative method, whereby a total of 171 respondents took part in the online survey, via social media channels. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to analyze the collected data. The findings of the study conjecture that the adoption of FinTech services is influenced by perceived usefulness, ease of usage and user innovativeness. Furthermore, the findings noted that perceived risks do not influence FinTech adoption services. The main contribution of the study is the fact that trust fully mediates the impact of perceived risk towards FinTech adoption. The findings of this research can be used as a guideline by regulatory bodies and financial institutions to gradually transform, alleviate or completely migrate from conventional services into FinTech.

An Empirical Research: Incorporation of User Innovativeness into TAM and UTAUT in Adopting a Golf App

This current empirical study aims at investigating the incorporation of consumer innovativeness in TAM and UTAUT in the development of a golf app and how these influence consumer behavioral intentions in adopting the golf app. These models help illustrate consumer adoption of particular technologies and relate to the concept of innovation diffusion theory. Our research has obtained 394 responses and participants of the questionnaire were evenly divided by gender and age to reach the purpose of the current research. The main statistical methodology used the structural equation modeling (SEM) to evaluate the connection among user’s innovativeness regarding the golf application, technology acceptance model (TAM), unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT), behavioral intention, and word of mouth. In contrast to correlation assessments, SEM can measure the strength of the linear causative relationships between factors. Finally, this research concludes that TAM and UTAUT components determine the consumer’s attitude towards accepting and using new technology. Consumers who are open to innovations are more likely to accept emerging technology products and use them with the least resistance.

The effectiveness of “Dijital Steps” web based telerehabilitation system for patient with hindfoot pain: A randomised controlled trial

ObjectiveThe aim of the study was to evaluate and compare effective therapeutic options for hindfoot pain, develop and investigate the effectiveness of tele-rehabilitation systems, and ensure patients perform their exercises and preventive measures regularly and accurately, while monitoring results. MethodsHindfoot pain (HP) patients (N = 77 with 120 feet) were admitted to this study and divided into two pathologies; Plantar Fasciitis and Achilles Tendinopathy. Patients in each pathology were randomized into three different rehabilitation programs-web-based telerehabilitation (PF-T & AT-T), -hands-on healing techniques combined with exercise (PF-C & AT-C)-unsupervised home exercise (PF-H & AT-H) program. Disability, activity restrictions, first-step pain, dorsiflexion-plantar flexion range of motion and kinesiophobia scores were recorded. The outcomes of the study groups were collected pre-post intervention (8thweek). Telerehabilitation system was developed via user-driven innovation and tested before using formally. ResultsEach group had significant improvements in pain, disability, functional status and kinesiophobia (p < 0.001). In terms of functional status, PF-C had a statistically significant difference from others (p < 0.001). There was no difference between the groups for the pain scores in both pathologies. (p > 0.001). However, web-based telerehabilitation (PF-T & AT-T) were found to be more effective on kinesiophobia compared to the other groups (p < 0.001). ConclusionsThe presented web-based telerehabilitation system for management of hindfoot pain is an effective way and might be preferred instead of unsupervised home exercise specially for kinesiophobia. Additionally, Foot and ankle stretching and strengthening exercises protocols, myofascial releasing and mulligan concept manual therapy are effective modalities in terms of ROM, VISA-A, FAAM, FFI, TSK and VAS scores for hindfoot pain. The results indicated that three promised different rehabilitation protocols could be an effective strategy for HP.

The role of makerspaces in innovation processes: an exploratory study

Makerspaces democratize technology access and therefore improve the chances for innovation and entrepreneurship. Nevertheless, we know little about how innovation happens in collaborative innovation spaces like makerspaces. To unleash the full potential of makerspaces, it is essential to understand what resources and environments support innovation for makerspace users. Against this background, this research study aims to explore how different makerspace user groups leverage makerspace resources during their innovation process. To achieve this, we use the resource‐based view in combination with an open innovation perspective and examine the relevance of makerspace resources (knowledge, technology, social, and financial) during the different stages of the innovation journey (ideation, development and prototyping, commercialization and diffusion). In contrast to prior work, we focus on different makerspace user groups within an industry‐specific makerspace and investigate how open innovation strategies (inbound, outbound, and coupled) are used to leverage the makerspace resources to develop innovation projects. Since the object of investigation is broadly unexplored and complex, we use an embedded single case study approach to explore 10 different projects within a makerspace with a specific focus on photonics. Photonics is described as a so‐called enabling technology that carries a considerable potential for cross‐industry innovation. The qualitative content analysis revealed that professional and hobby users differ in their makerspace resource use and their modes of openness across the innovation journey. Furthermore, we find that makerspaces can take the role of a facilitator or incubator depending on who uses the makerspace to innovate.

Another pathway to complementarity: How users and intermediaries identify and create new combinations in innovation ecosystems

The value that users might derive from products and services increasingly depends on their complementarity with other products and services. Whereas prior work has emphasized how firms and complementors design for complementarity, we shift attention to how complementarity arises in use. This study is situated in the smart home market where digital products offer an unbridled range of conceivable combinations, and users may combine products in their system of use that are not initially designed for complementarity. Through a multi-method multiple case study, we distinguish a user pathway besides a producer pathway to establishing complementarity. Complementarity presupposes both the identification of complementary combinations as well as creating technical compatibility between products. In the producer pathway, firms focus mostly on creating technical compatibility while in the user pathway, users identify complementary combinations that go beyond those foreseen by firms. Intermediary toolkits can assist users in creating combinations, and we find that, ultimately, the user pathway also facilitates the producer pathway. Our findings offer insights into the important role of users and intermediaries in innovation ecosystems and extend the scope of user innovation.

Web3 toolkits: A user innovation theory of crypto development

The development of Web3 — a stack of decentralised technologies underpinned by blockchains — isn’t simply a technical or financing challenge, it is also a problem of innovation and entrepreneurial discovery. In this paper we apply the lens of user innovation toolkit theory to the development of Web3. Toolkits are an organizational design solution to an innovation problem with sticky and local information. Our aim is to explore how toolkits theory applies to Web3 innovation, proposing that Web3 innovation is being organized through toolkits (e.g., blockchains, token standards, DAO frameworks) that enable efficient organization of sticky information to facilitate innovation. The contribution of this paper is the first application of toolkits theory to Web3, reframing its development as a problem of entrepreneurship and innovation in the context of distributed information. We provide implications for the role of developers as user innovators, the economic problem of emergent toolkit stacking, and the design of toolkit business models.

Factors affecting the university librarians’ use of social media technologies in Pakistan: A structural equation modelling approach

This study aimed to examine factors affecting the use of social media technologies among university librarians in Pakistan. The unified theory of acceptance and use of the technology (UTAUT) was used as a theoretical framework. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from the university librarians. To test hypotheses, the structural equation modelling technique was applied. The results reveal that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and social influence have a significant influence on the librarians' behaviour intention to use social media. Moreover, facilitating conditions (knowledge, skills, technology, etc.) and behaviour intention are significant predictors of social media usage. In terms of moderating impact, gender and experience affect the relationship of effort expectancy towards behaviour intention and facilitating conditions towards social media usage respectively. The research findings would be useful for library professionals to design and offer social media-driven innovative user services. This study validates the UTAUT model in the context of social media usage among Pakistani librarians, a valuable addition in the body of knowledge.

A Journey into User Innovation

Overview: Eric von Hippel, a leading researcher in the field of user innovation, gave the Annual Knowledge and Innovation Foundational Scholar interview during the Strategic Management Society’s 42nd Annual Conference held in London, Sept 17–20, 2022. This article is an edited transcript of that interview in which von Hippel provides insights into his research journey and perspectives on the importance of user innovation. He defines user innovation as the process by which individuals or firms create new products, services, or behaviors for their own use rather than for sale, and contrasts it with producer innovation. This type of innovation can occur in various contexts and can range from small modifications to existing products to the development of entirely new offerings. von Hippel also discusses the strategy-related implications of this distinction and highlights the growing area of research and practice in user innovation. Finally, he reflects on his own experiences with user innovation and provides thoughts on the intriguing issues future research in this field should address.

Robots and firm innovation: Evidence from Chinese manufacturing

Automation technology-driven innovation, as a key component of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, has significantly increased in recent years with the rapid development of artificial intelligence and robots. This paper aims at investigating robots as an unconventional source of innovation and a driver of desirable outcomes such as sustainability. We study unconventional innovation with the adoption of robots through the lens of user innovation theory and carry out a series of empirical analyses by compiling a unique dataset containing firm characteristics, patent applications, and robot stock in Chinese manufacturing. The regression results show a positive and significant relationship between robots and firm innovation. We also find that robots drive firm sustainable innovation measured as patents that are related to environmental innovation. Lastly, we empirically analyze several mediating mechanisms of robots as the unconventional source of innovation through the factor-augmenting technology effect, substitution effect, and absorptive capacity effect.

Quest for financial inclusion via digital financial services (Fintech) during COVID-19 pandemic: case study of women in Indonesia

Based upon an extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), this study aims to investigate the factors influencing the behavioral intention to adopt Fintech from the perspective of Indonesian women. The research data were collected from 409 Indonesian female respondents and analyzed using the SEMinR statistical data analysis tool. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to assess this research’s measurement model and structural model. The result shows that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, user innovativeness, attitude, trust, and brand image significantly positively impact behavioral intention to adopt Fintech among Indonesian women. Meanwhile, perceived ease of use, financial literacy, and government support are found to have indirect relationships with behavioral intention. In addition, moderation analysis revealed that the saving habits of women during the COVID-19 pandemic reduced the relationship between their innovativeness and behavioral intention to adopt Fintech. Based on these results, we recommend practical suggestions to the government, policymakers, and aspiring Fintech service providers further to enhance women’s empowerment through digital financial inclusion.

Where are your ideas going? Idea adoption in online user innovation communities

PurposeWith the proliferation of ideas submitted by users in firm-built online user innovation communities, community managers are faced with the problem of user idea overload. The purpose of this paper is to explore the influencing factors on the idea adoption to identify high quality ideas, and then propose a method to quickly filter high value ideas.Design/methodology/approachThe authors collected more than 110,000 data submitted by Xiaomi community users and analyzed the factors affecting idea adoption using a multinomial logistic regression model. In addition, the authors also used BP neural network to predict the idea adoption process.FindingsThe empirical results show that idea semantics, number of likes, number of comments, number of related posts, the existence of pictures and self-presentation have positive impact on idea adoption, while idea length and idea timeliness had negative impact on idea adoption. In addition, this paper calculates the idea evaluation value through the idea adoption process predicted by neural network and the mean value of idea term frequency inverse document frequency (TF-IDF).Originality/valueThis empirical study expands the theoretical perspective of idea adoption research by using dual-process theory and enriches the research methods in the field of idea adoption research through the multinomial logistic regression method. Based on our findings, firms can quickly identify valuable ideas and effectively alleviate the information overload problem of online user innovation communities.

English

Multi-stakeholder platforms facilitate interaction between stakeholders in the agricultural innovation system. A multi-stakeholder platform is essential to enhance the innovation of avocado value chain stakeholders and avocado planting as a climate-smart practice. Avocados can make a significant contribution to food security and nutrition. Research has shown that research on climate-smart agriculture mainly focuses on scientific and technological solutions, rather than attempting to comprehend the economic and social dimensions of this study. The study&#39;s goal was to identify the interactions between stakeholders in the avocado value chain. The data for this study were gathered using a semi-structured questionnaire and focus group discussions. The study employs the concept of an innovation systems perspective and investigates social network analysis in the context of stakeholders. Information sharing, roles and functions of stakeholders were used as proxies to denote communication. In this study, the multi-stakeholder platform&#39;s role in fostering a supportive forum was interpreted as access to information, knowledge, and resources. Findings indicate that smallholder farmers, support service providers and market stakeholders need to be strengthened and empowered to adopt and implement inclusive innovations. This was essential to ensure that stakeholders throughout the value chain had access to tools and resources to promote avocado yield for food, industry, and climate-smart practices. The study concludes that there are distinctions in the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders in the avocado innovation system. Farmers have been discovered to innovate using relevant expertise, even though they are primarily considered users of innovation. The study&#39;s recommendation is that smallholder farmers be empowered through capacity building to influence agricultural value chain development and environmental sustainability through information technology. Key words: Avocado value chain, Centrality measure, Domain, Linkages, Multi-stakeholder, Social networks