Understanding Older Adults’ Post-adoption Usage Behavior and Perceptions of Mobile Technology

Qingchuan Li, Yan Luximon

Little is known about how older adults use and perceive mobile technology after their initial adoption. This study investigated older adults’ post-adoption usage behavior and user perceptions regarding advanced mobile technologies. It also examined the relationships among usage behavior, user perceptions, user characteristics, and technology features. Specifically, user characteristics of demographic factors and user capabilities were examined using self-report and performance measurements. Technology features, usage behavior, and user perceptions were investigated using semi-structured interviews. The results indicated that for post-adoption behavior, older adults were still in the early adoption stage. They generally demonstrated positive attitudes toward mobile technologies but also reported the complexity of technologies. User characteristics, such as age, and capability of processing speed and attention, significantly influenced older adults’ post-adoption usage behavior. Decreased visual abilities were observed to be critical factors related to older adults’ perceived usefulness and perceived efficiency of mobile technologies. Technology features also presented some noteworthy problems that influenced older adults’ perceived usability, particularly regarding navigation problems and icon design. This study provides a detailed understanding of how older adults use and perceive mobile technologies in the post-adoption phase from the perspectives of user characteristics and technology features to encourage further adoption.