A Qualitative Study of the Applicability of Technology Acceptance Models to Senior Mobile Phone Users

We report on an investigation into mobile phone adoption by older users. Technology adoption is a process from ignorance to considering it a necessity. Moreover, acceptance is an essential precursor of adoption. Many models consider either acceptance or adoption, but in fact these are interrelated. Furthermore, most theoretical models are based on responses from students or economically active adults. This begs the question: Do existing models incorporate the phases and the factors that lead to mobile phone adoption and acceptance by older adults? We thus studied the needs, uses, and limitations of older users and then gathered information about experiences and opinions of these users. We then mapped the verified acceptance factors against adoption processes in a two-dimensional matrix. This led to the proposal for the novel senior technology acceptance and adoption model (STAM), which incorporates acceptance factors into the adoption process, thereby consolidating the research in both these areas.