How autonomy influences user’s experience: inhibitors and drivers
(A2020-62465)

AUTHORS

Laura Lucia-Palacios, University of Zaragoza; Raul Perez-Lopez, Universidad de Zaragoza

KEYWORDS

autonomy; user’s experience; in-home voice assistants

ABSTRACT

Autonomy is a characteristic of smart products that has attracted the attention of researchers due to its positive and negative effects. This research wants to examine these two types of effects on users’ experience of in-home voice assistants. Experience is measured through utilitarian, emotional and social image value. Direct and indirect effects are examined. Using Structural Equation Modelling with a sample of 607 in-home voice assistant users, the results show that autonomy has a positive and direct effect on emotional and social value with no effect on utilitarian value. Autonomous in-home voice assistants are considered intrusive products that increase perceived privacy risk diluting emotional value. This negative effect is compensated with the positive effect of coolness and failure severity. Autonomy not only has a direct effect on social image, but also indirect through perceived coolness of the product. Implications for scholars and practitioners are proposed.

REFERENCES

The authors wish to express their gratitude for financial support received from MINECO (ECO2017-83993-P), the Proyecto para Jóvenes Investigadores (UZ e Ibercaja) and the Government of Aragón and the European Social Fund (GENERES Group S-54_17R).