Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Graduate Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 2014 Consumers' acceptance of wearable technology: Examining solar-powered clothing Chanmi Hwang Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at:https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd Part of theQuantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies Commons, and theSustainability Commons Recommended Citation Hwang, Chanmi, "Consumers' acceptance of wearable technology: Examining solar-powered clothing" (2014).Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 13950. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd/13950 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please [email protected]. Consumers’ acceptance of wearable technology: Examining solar-powered clothing by Chanmi G. Hwang A thesis submitted to the graduate faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Major: Apparel, Merchandising, and Design Program of Study Committee: Eulanda A. Sanders, Major Professor Telin Chung Chunhui Xiang Sumit Chaudhary Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 2014 Copyright © Chanmi G. Hwang, 2014. All rights reserved. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................... iv LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................... v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................................................................... vi ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................... vii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................. 1 Purpose............................................................................................................. .... 3 Objectives of the Study ........................................................................................ 5 Definitions of Terms ............................................................................................ 5 CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................... 8 Wearable Technology .......................................................................................... 8 Solar-Powered Clothing ................................................................................. 12 Perceived Attributes of an Innovation ................................................................. 13 User Acceptance of Technology .......................................................................... 15 Functional, Expressive, Aesthetic (FEA) Consumer Needs ................................ 18 Functional Aspects of Wearable Technology ................................................ 19 Expressive Aspects of Wearable Technology ................................................ 20 Aesthetic Aspects of Wearable Technology .................................................. 21 Environmental Concerns ...................................................................................... 22 Age Cohorts ......................................................................................................... 23 Baby Boomer Consumers .............................................................................. 23 Gen Y Consumers.......................................................................................... 24 Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) ............................................................... 25 Research Framework ........................................................................................... 27 Research Hypotheses........................................................................................... 29 CHAPTER 3. METHOD ........................................................................................... 31 Sample.................................................................................................................. 31 Survey Design and Procedure .............................................................................. 31 Instrument Development ...................................................................................... 32 Perceived Usefulness ..................................................................................... 33 Perceived Ease of Use .................................................................................... 33 Perceived Performance Risk .......................................................................... 33 Perceived Comfort ......................................................................................... 34 Perceived Compatibility................................................................................. 34 Perceived Aesthetic Attributes ....................................................................... 34 Environmental Concerns ................................................................................ 35 Attitude.......................................................................................................... 35 Purchase Intention .......................................................................................... 35 Pretest............................................................................................................. ...... 36 iii Data Analysis ....................................................................................................... 36 CHAPTER 4. RESULTS ........................................................................................... 38 Sample Profile ...................................................................................................... 38 Factor Analysis and Descriptive Statistics ........................................................... 40 Evaluation of Assumptions for Multiple Regression Analysis ............................ 45 Regression Analysis ............................................................................................. 49 Hypothesis Testing............................................................................................... 50 CHAPTER 5. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS ............................................. 55 Summary and Discussion ..................................................................................... 55 Effects of Technology Acceptance Variables ................................................ 57 Effects of FEA Variables ............................................................................... 60 Effects of Environmental Concerns ............................................................... 63 Relationships Between Attitude and Purchase Intention ............................... 64 Conclusions and Implications .............................................................................. 65 Limitation and Future Research ........................................................................... 68 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................... 70 APPENDIX A: IRB HUMAN SUBJECT REVIEW................................................. 81 APPENDIX B: INVITATION LETTERS................................................................. 92 APPENDIX C: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE ......................................................... 94 iv LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1. Forms of body-mounted technology ....................................................... 9 Figure 2.2. The FEA consumer needs model ............................................................. 19 Figure 2.3. Technology acceptance model (TAM) .................................................... 26 Figure 2.4. Research framework ................................................................................ 28 Figure 4.1. Normal probability plot of standardized residuals .................................. 48 Figure 4.2. Histogram of standardized residuals ....................................................... 48 v LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Table 2.1. History of Smart Clothing in R&D and Market ....................... 10 Table 2 Table 4.1. Demographics of the Sample .................................................... 39 Table 3 Table 4.2. Factor Loading and Reliability of Measurement Items ............ 41 Table 4 Table 4.3. Descriptive Statistics of the Constructs .................................... 43 Table 5 Table 4.4. Correlation Matrix of the Studied Variables ............................. 46 Table 6 Table 4.5. Variance Inflation and Eigenvalue Analysis ............................ 47 Table 7 Table 4.6. Summary of Regression Analysis for Variables Predicting Attitudes ................................................................................... 49 Table 8 Table 4.7. Summary of Regression Analysis for Variable Predicting Purchase Intentions ................................................................... 50 Table 9 Table 4.8. Independent Sample T-test for Baby Boomers and Gen Y ...... 52 Table 10 Table 5.1. Hypothesized Relationships and Summary of the Results ....... 56 vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I want to express my sincere gratitude to my advisor, Dr. Sanders, for her patience and guidance throughout my master’s program. A special thanks to her for calming me down and encouraging me whenever I was in ‘panic’ mode. I also want to thank my exceptional committee members, Dr. Chung, Dr.Chaudhary, and Dr. Xiang, for their enthusiasm and insightful suggestions on this research. This study was also possible because of the financial support from the Department of Apparel, Events, and Hospitality Managements at Iowa State University. Words cannot express how much I thank my parents for supporting me with love and prayers and teaching me the purpose of life. I also want to thank my younger brother, Daniel, who always pinpoints my incorrect grammar. A special thanks to Deokyong for always being with me. With him, my life here in Ames was truly blissful. But above all, I am grateful to confess God’s unconditional grace and love, even if I often take it for granted. vii ABSTRACT Unlike mere technological devices, wearable technology is complex, since it is considered both a device and a garment, integrating attributes of clothing and technology with the human wearer. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of various factors that influence acceptance of wearable technology, specifically, solar-powered clothing. Solar- powered clothing was chosen as the topic of this research due to the increasing focus and development of the product by researchers (Cho, 2010; Schubert & Merz, 2009) and the pro- environmental attributes of the product. Based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), this study extended the model and examined the effects of seven consumer-oriented variables on consumers’ attitudes towards purchase intentions for solar-powered clothing: TAM variables (perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use), perceived performance risk, Functional, Expressive, Aesthetic (FEA) elements of clothing (perceived comfort, perceived compatibility, and perceived aesthetic attributes), and environmental concerns. Further, this study examined the differences between Gen Y and Baby Boomer on their perceptions and attitudes towards purchasing solar-powered clothing; these two groups were selected, because both groups have been of significant interest to social psychologists as well as marketers in the past (Morris & Venkatesha, 2000). A convenience sample of college students and faculty at one of the United States mid- western universities was recruited for the web-based survey with both open and closed-ended questions. The sample for this study consisted of 18-33 year olds and of 50-65 year olds, both male and female, who were in the bracket of targeted ages for Gen Y and Baby Boomer generations. A total of 720 useable responses was selected from the returned questionnaires based on the completion of the questionnaire for data analysis. Multiple linear regression, simple viii linear regression, and independent samples t-test were used to test the research hypotheses along with a thematic analysis of open-ended responses. The results revealed that both dimensions of technology acceptance and clothing attributes are important factors influencing acceptance of solar-powered clothing. Specifically, perceived usefulness and perceived performance risk from the dimensions of technology acceptance significantly influenced consumers’ attitudes towards purchasing solar-powered clothing. From the FEA dimensions of clothing, perceived comfort and perceived compatibility showed significant positive effects. Further, environmental concerns also positively influenced consumers’ attitudes towards purchasing solar-powered clothing. Contrary to expectations, the perceived ease of use and perceived aesthetic attributes did not have significant effects on attitude. In terms of comparing Baby Boomers and Gen Y, all of the variables except perceived ease of use and perceived performance risks showed significant differences. Examining the effects of various consumer-oriented variables contribute to the growing body of research on development of wearable technology and bridge the gap in understanding consumers’ perceptions of and purchase intentions for solar-powered clothing. The research also confirmed the important influences of multiple dimensions on wearable technology and further validated the TAM model in explaining new technology adoption in the context of solar-powered clothing. 1 CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION Integrating smart technology for textiles and clothing continues to expand in industry and academic literature. The function of clothing has evolved from the means of protecting human beings to the "instrument of augmenting human capabilities" as ubiquitous environments demand digital lifestyles (Jeong & Yoo, 2010, p.89). According to Just-style.com (2008), the performance apparel market has been forecasted to grow from $6.4 billion in 2008 to $7.6 billion by the end of 2014, and this market continues to expand into the military, health and medical care, and leisure industries (Cho, 2010). However, while the technology-integrated clothing offers conveniences and competitive advantages to wearers, Rogers (1995) states that the newer an innovation, the higher the uncertainty associated with this newness is among users. An innovation, according to Rogers (1995), is "an idea, practice, or object that is perceived as new by an individual or other unit of adoption" (p.11). Solar-powered clothing, within a context of wearable technology, is an innovative product still in its introductory stage (Macguire, 2011). Solar-powered clothing gained popularity from researchers and industry due to its functionality and pro-environmental attributes, since it uses a solar cell as an alternative energy source to generate electricity. Solar energy is "the first long-term energy source for human beings," and one of the most potentially important sources of energy recognized by present scientists (Jeon & Cho, 2010, p. 251). Since the major problem of wearable electronics is the necessity to rely on conventional power supplies (e.g., batteries) which are usually physically heavy and have a short lifetime (Jeon & Cho, 2010), solar-powered energy sources that are flexible and light can be incorporated into clothing without being a burden to the wearer. Thus, most solar-powered clothing offers a universal