Acceptance of eHealth Technology in Home Environments: Advanced Studies on User Diversity in Ambient Assisted Living
The present work focuses on a psychological perspective of technology acceptance, considering the users of electronic Health technology (eHealth) in their home environments. The aim is to explore and identify factors that influence a successful interaction and adoption of such medical assistance technology that is meant to support people in an active and healthy aging. A particular attention is directed to the aspect of user diversity. To realize the objectives, a user-centered research approach was applied in an interdisciplinary environment. In this way, the exploration of how to design and adapt ambient systems to the individual concepts and needs could be optimized. Using qualitative and quantitative methods, the potential users’ motives and barriers for using eHealth in domestic settings were revealed. This work provides a rich depiction of their specific requirements and demonstrates which individual aspects must be considered to reach a high acceptance and an optimal commercial launch.

In der vorliegenden HCI Reihe werden Schriften zum Thema Mensch-Computer Interaktion veröffentlicht, die am HCI Center der RWTH Aachen University entstanden sind. Die Themen behandeln Fragestellungen aus dem Schnittpunkt zwischen Architektur, Informatik, Psychologie, empirischen Sozialwissenschaften und adressieren aktuelle Herausforderungen der Integration neuartiger Technologie im Spektrum vom Mensch, Medien, Raum und Gesellschaft.