Hey everyone, welcome back for another deep dive.
Today we are tackling the question of what makes people use or avoid new technology.
A big question for sure.
I mean, think about it, we are surrounded by tech and new stuff comes out all the time.
Right.
But how do we decide what to adopt and what to ignore?
Well, this time we'll be using an excerpt from Gary Ackerman's
Efficacious Technology Management, a guide for school leaders.
Oh, cool.
You can find it on the website hackscience.education.
OK.
And we are going to be uncovering a model that explains how we decide to use tech or not.
Sounds interesting.
You might even be surprised by what influences our tech choices.
So buckle up, it's time to deep dive.
All right.
One of the first models that tried to explain tech acceptance
was the technology acceptance model, or TAM for short.
Oh yeah, TAM, I've heard of that.
Back in the late 1980s, researchers realized that sometimes,
even when a new technology offered clear benefits,
people didn't always use it.
Interesting.
So TAM helped to explain why that was happening.
So what did TAM say?
Well, it said that it wasn't just about the technology itself,
but also about how people viewed that technology.
Yeah.
But as research continued, it became clear that a more detailed model was needed.
Right, and that's where Utah came in, right?
You got it, the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology.
Why Utah?
It might sound a little complicated.
Yeah, it does.
But it's actually pretty simple.
OK.
Utah combined eight different theories of a technology
adoption into one framework.
Oh, wow.
And at its core are four key factors
that influence whether or not we decide to use a technology.
Four key factors.
The first of those is performance expectancy.
Performance expectancy.
So what does that mean?
Well, it means do people believe that this new technology will actually
help them be better at what they do?
OK.
So will it save them time?
Will it help them increase their productivity?
Like if I think some new software is going to make my work go faster,
then I'm more likely to use it.
Exactly.
I get it.
But the key here is that it's about perception.
So it doesn't matter if the technology is actually useful.
It matters if people believe it will be useful.
So if people don't think the tech is going to help them,
then they're less likely to adopt it, even if it actually would.
Exactly.
And that leads us to the next factor, effort expectancy.
Effort expectancy.
What is that all about?
It's pretty much what it sounds like.
OK.
How easy is the technology to use?
I see.
If it's easy to use, people are more likely to adopt it.
But if it's difficult or complicated,
they are going to avoid it.
That makes a lot of sense.
Yeah.
Nobody wants to use some new app if they
have to spend hours figuring out how it works.
Right.
This is where good design is really important.
Exactly.
Like you want the user interface to be clean and intuitive.
You've got it.
And the navigation should be straightforward and easy to understand.
And otherwise people will just get frustrated and give up.
Exactly.
The third factor influencing tech adoption is social influence.
Ooh, social influence.
That sounds interesting.
This one focuses on how other people's opinions and behaviors
can affect our own tech choices.
So if you see your friends or colleagues using
a certain technology and they are happy with it,
you are more likely to give it a try yourself.
I can definitely see that.
It's that whole idea of everybody's doing it,
so it must be good.
Yeah, like a new social media app.
If all your friends are using it,
you are much more likely to check it out.
Exactly.
So the more people you see using a new technology successfully,
the more likely you are to try it out, even
if you weren't that interested initially.
It's the power of the crowd.
OK.
So we have performance expectancy, effort expectancy,
and social influence.
What is the fourth factor that affects technology adoption?
The fourth factor is facilitating conditions.
Facilitating conditions.
OK.
This one is all about the environment
where the technology is being used.
Oh, you see.
So are there things in place to help people use
the technology successfully?
So it's about having that support system.
Exactly.
That support could be things like providing training
so people know how to use the technology.
Makes sense.
Or having reliable tech support if something goes wrong.
Or even just having a workplace culture
that encourages people to try new technologies
and not be afraid to ask for help.
Yes.
It's about making it easy for people to adopt the technology.
So it's not enough to just give someone
a new piece of technology and expect them to figure it out
on their own?
Exactly.
You have to provide the right conditions
to help them be successful.
I get it.
But now that we've gone over these four factors,
how do they all work together to affect someone's decision
to use a new technology?
Well, that's where things get really interesting.
Because each of these four factors
is filtered through the lens of the individual user.
OK.
So what does that mean?
It means that two people can encounter the same technology
and have completely different experiences with it.
Oh, I see.
One person might find it incredibly useful and easy
to use, while another person might struggle with it
and find it frustrating.
I see.
So their perception of the technology
is shaped by their own individual experiences
and preferences.
Exactly.
And those individual differences
are what make the study of technology acceptance so
fascinating.
So it's not just about the technology itself,
but it's also about the people who are using it.
You got it.
OK.
So now that we have a basic understanding
of the four factors that affect technology acceptance,
let's dive a little deeper into each one.
Sounds good.
Let's start with performance expectancy.
All right.
So with performance expectancy, it's
all about whether someone actually believes
the tech is going to help them be better at whatever
it is they're trying to do.
Like, take teachers.
If you want a teacher to adopt a new learning platform,
they got to believe.
They got to believe it'll actually help their students.
Exactly.
OK.
So what you could do is highlight some research findings
maybe.
Oh, that's good.
Or even get testimonials from other teachers who've
already seen some good results.
Oh, I like that.
Showing how it works.
Great.
And?
In a real classroom.
Yeah.
Giving clear examples of.
Instead of just being like, hey, this is great.
Exactly.
Instead of, hey, this is great, it's look what it can do.
OK.
Now the next one, effort expectancy.
OK.
Effort expectancy.
That's all about making sure the platform isn't
a pain to use.
Right.
Because if it's difficult to use.
Teachers are busy.
They're going to be like, yeah, no thanks.
Exactly.
So it has to be intuitive.
Intuitive to use are friendly.
Easy to use.
And easy to learn.
Yeah.
Some training.
Training.
And also have good tech support.
Right.
Just in case.
Things break.
Exactly.
OK.
How about social influence?
Remember that one?
Yes.
Social influence.
If you could get a few teachers.
The cool teacher.
You were already kind of tech savvy.
Yeah.
The ones who everyone looks up to.
Exactly.
They're respected.
Yes.
If they're on board early.
That could really.
Enthusiasm.
Yeah.
Get other people excited.
It's like that positive peer pressure you were talking about.
It is.
It's like, well, if they're using it.
Exactly.
It must be good.
OK.
And last but not least.
Facilitating conditions.
Right.
The environment.
That support structure we talked about.
Like making sure the teachers have all the resources they need.
Exactly.
The resources, the tech support.
A culture that's like.
That encourages them.
Hey, try new stuff.
Yes.
Exactly.
This is amazing.
It's like Utah gives you this recipe for getting people to use technology.
Like you have all these ingredients.
And you have to get the amounts right.
You got it.
But it's not just as simple as, you know, checking off boxes, right?
No, no, no.
You see, what makes Utah really cool is that it acknowledges.
Acknowledges what?
That everybody is different.
It's all filtered through the lens of the individual.
Oh, that's really interesting.
What does that mean?
Well, it means that everybody's experience with the same technology is going to be different.
Like take two people.
How cute people.
Same tech.
OK.
One person might find it super easy to use.
Well, the other person is like, what is going on?
Totally.
They just can't figure it out.
Ah.
So you're saying that they're past experiences.
They're comfort level with technology in general.
Even their personality.
They're a.
It can all affect how they view the technology.
All of that can impact how they view it.
And ultimately, whether they decide to use it.
Exactly.
It's all about individual perceptions.
So it's like.
One person's trash.
One person's trash is another person's treasure.
I love that.
It's a perfect analogy.
That's why it's so important to understand these factors, you know,
especially if you are the one introducing some new technology.
Yeah, I can see that.
Like if you're a school leader or even if you just got a new TV and you want to.
Get your family to use it.
Yeah, exactly.
You got to think about those four factors.
And how everyone in the house is different.
Exactly.
Because.
If we take the example of a new learning platform again.
Oh, right.
We can't just assume all the teachers are going to love it.
No, no, no.
We got to consider performance expectancy,
effort expectancy.
Cultural influence.
All of that.
Facilitating conditions.
Right.
And then we got to tailor our approach for each individual.
Yeah, exactly.
Like for example, we know that younger users tend to be more influenced by social factors.
Oh, that makes sense.
Whereas older users might be more focused on performance expectancy.
That's interesting.
So like.
Young people.
If all their friends are using some new app.
They want to use it too.
Whereas older users might need to be convinced that it's going to make their lives easier.
Yeah, they're like, what's in it for me?
Exactly.
Yeah.
I can see how that plays out.
And that's why you can't just use a one size fits all approach when it comes to technology implementation.
You got to tailor your strategies.
To your audience.
To the specific needs and motivations of the people you are trying to reach.
It's like you said earlier.
Like a puzzle.
It's like solving a puzzle.
Where each piece is a factor.
And you tell you is the framework.
That shows you how they all fit together.
Exactly.
It helps you see the big picture.
And the more we understand all of these factors, the better we'll be at navigating the world of tech.
Especially because it's always changing.
Right.
New stuff comes out all the time.
But what's really cool about this is that we're not just talking about tech leaders or educators.
It applies to everyone.
This applies to our personal lives too.
Right.
Absolutely.
Think about it.
Have you ever had trouble using a new app?
Or like.
Or been immediately drawn to a new gadget?
Yeah.
If we use UTET to analyze those decisions.
We might understand ourselves better.
We might be surprised by what we discover.
You're right.
Like sometimes I feel like my tech choices are just random.
But they're not.
There are all these underlying factors influencing our decisions.
I never really thought about it that way.
So understanding these factors can help us make better decisions.
About the technology we use.
Both in our work and personal lives.
Exactly.
OK.
So as we wrap up this deep dive.
I want to leave our listeners with something to think about.
OK.
Think about a recent technology that you either embraced or rejected.
Now I want you to ask yourself.
Which of the four factors we discussed played the biggest role in that decision?
Was it performance expectancy?
Did you think it would really make your life better?
Or was it effort expectancy?
Was it just too hard to use?
Or maybe it was social influence.
Did all your friends have it?
Or was it the environment?
You know, the facilitating conditions.
Did you have the support you needed to be successful?
That's such a great question to ask yourself.
It really is.
And by taking the time to think about it.
We can become more aware of our own tech choices.
And make better decisions in the future.
I know I'm definitely going to be paying more attention to these factors from now on.
Me too.
And hopefully our listeners will too.
So that wraps up our deep dive into the world of technology acceptance.
Using the UTAT model.
We learned about the four key factors that influence our tech choices.
Performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions.
And how those factors are all filtered through our own individual perceptions.
We also talked about how understanding these factors can help us make better decisions
about the technologies we use.
Both in our personal and professional lives.
And even advocate for better technology design.
If you enjoyed this deep dive, be sure to check out hackscience.education.
Where you'll find the excerpt from Gary Ackerman's book that we used today.
And don't forget to subscribe to our show so you don't miss out on any future episodes.
We'll be back soon with another deep dive into the world of educational technology.
Until then, keep exploring, keep questioning, and keep learning.