The Potential of Smart Wearables on Health Management : - User-Centric Qualitative Research on Human-Technology Interaction based on the Theory of Planned Behavior

Sammanfattning

In the contemporary society, the utilization of wearable technology as an application of IoT iscommon among individuals. However, the lack of IS individual-level studies on user perceptioncreates a niche for further research in this field. With the curiosity about targeted deploymentof wearables towards health management at the individual level, this thesis dives into userperceptions in relation to the perceived advantages and drawbacks of smart wearables. Whilewearables have significant potentials, research indicates that users discontinue their usagewithin six months due to their unfulfilled expectations. Consequently, studying user perceptionsis crucial to enhance the functionality of the wearables and to raise awareness about theirpotentials in various domains such as health sector. In this study, Theory of Planned Behavior(TPB) is employed as an overarching theoretical framework to examine Human TechnologyInteractions and to assess the benefits and drawbacks of incorporating wearables in healthmanagement. Empirical cases of this study include Swedish university postgraduate students,who are classified for their extended sitting hours and sedentary lifestyles owing to their jobs. Although the utilization of wrist-worn wearables is relatively high in the society, the lack of ISstudies at the individual level leads to limited insights about the potential of these devices anduser perceptions. As a result, this research addresses the gap at the individual level studieswithin Information Systems research. The objective of this study is to analyze user perceptionsto obtain in-depth insights into the potential of application wearables in health management. Inthis qualitative study, university students in Stockholm, Sweden provide real-world empiricaldata through semi-structured interviews and open-ended questionnaires. MAXQDA as adynamic tool for analyzing and visualizing is deployed and a cohesive data analysis isperformed through thematic analysis. The study concludes with some recommendations which are rooted in the qualitative data toaddress users’ needs and satisfaction factors. Moreover, this inquiry provides detailed insightsregarding deploying wearables in health management. These profound insights are pivotal toenhance the effectiveness of the wearables and raise awareness about their potential in healthmanagement. The feedback regarding the cutting-edge emerging technology is crucial toidentify users’ interests and expectations. Findings of this study indicate that users, value bothhedonic and utilitarian benefits of wearables however utilitarian benefits have a critical role inuser satisfaction. Despite the advantages of employing wrist-worn wearables, participants inthis study (despite their digital literacy) expressed difficulties in understanding and analyzingthe health data provided by the wearables as well as privacy concerns. The findings reveal thatmany consumers expect their smart devices to be equipped with more utilitarian functionalitiesand advanced health-related capabilities, such as blood pressure and glucose measurements.Furthermore, the findings imply that wearables function as motivational information systems,assist individuals to follow their wellness goals and motivate users towards a more activelifestyle. Ultimately, sustained utilization of wearables results in enhanced self-esteem andpositive behavioral shift among users. By mitigating the drawbacks that current wearablesencounter and leveraging sophisticated health-related utilitarian benefits to address desiredimprovements, the wearables effectively contribute to health management and diseaseprevention in the societies.