Technology Adoption vs. Continuous Usage Intention: do Decision Criteria Change when Using a Technology?

Various models in Information Systems (IS) research seek to understand why individuals embrace or resist the adoption or use of a technology. Different models analyze the factors shaping user intentions at different stages of technology adoption and use. Yet, less is known how the factors shaping adoption intention subsequently evolve into continuous usage intention as users become (more) familiar with the technology. This paper investigates participants’ (N=549) adoption and continuous usage intention of a smartphone application for energy efficiency twice: at two different stages of experience, but for the same technology, in the same setting, and in particular with the same sample. In both cases, we use the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT1&2). While UTAUT explains adoption intention well, we find only moderate support for continuous usage intention. In line with prior research, our data suggests that beliefs are updated from adoption to continuous usage stage

Peer-to-Peer Energy Trading in the Real World: Market Design and Evaluation of the User Value Proposition

Electricity markets are experiencing a shift to a more decentralized structure with small distributed renewable generation sources like residential photovoltaic systems. Simultaneously, information systems have driven the development of a “sharing economy” also in the electricity sector and can enable previously passive consumers to directly trade solar electricity in local communities. However, it is unclear how such peer-to-peer (P2P) markets should be designed to create value for the user. In a framed field experiment, we design and implement Switzerland’s first real-world P2P electricity market in a local community. We examine its value proposition for the users and elicit user preferences by enabling the participants to directly influence buy and sell prices for local solar energy. The collected empirical evidence suggests that the P2P exchange is beneficial for users and provides incentives for generation of renewable energy. The results create valuable insights for the design and diffusion of future energy markets

Information Systems to Empower Individuals in Realizing the Energy Transition: Design, Engagement, and Impact

Our modern lifestyle is highly dependent upon energy supplied still primarily by fossil fuels, which cause environmental harm in the form of CO2 emissions. The increasing amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, in turn, is the main driver of climate change and endangers the overall balance of our ecosystem. Climate experts agree that in order to prevent irreversible damage to our natural environment, it is of utmost urgency to reduce the carbon footprint of human activity. Two key levers have been identified in the residential sector, which accounts for roughly a quarter of worldwide energy demand, to reduce household-related CO2 emissions as part of the energy transition: 1) households can reduce their energy demand (e.g., by lowering the thermostat when nobody is at home, improving building insulation), and 2) can engage in energy generation through renewable energies (e.g., by installing a photovoltaic system on the roof). In fact, households (and homeowners in particular) play a key role in the diffusion of renewable energies: technological advancements at falling costs have made installing photovoltaic systems an increasingly attractive option for decarbonizing energy demand, both from the standpoint of economics and convenience. Homeowners thus become prosumers, both consuming and generating electricity, and tend to develop new needs around energy (e.g., sustainable production, being self-sufficient). For the vast majority of households, however, the topic of energy is still doesn’t seem particularly relevant in their everyday lives, and often individuals lack knowledge of effective means to contribute to the energy transition. Information systems can help to overcome these issues. By making energy data visible, these systems can draw attention to the topic and help individuals take concrete action. Such approaches are scalable to the general population at comparably low cost, at least from technical and economic perspectives, because most of the required hardware (smart meters, communication networks, smart phones etc.), which is the more expensive component compared to software, is already deployed in the field. Yet, in order to successfully contribute to climate change mitigation on a large scale, these technologies first need to prove their effectiveness in the real world. In that regard, researchers have explicitly called for studies that empirically evaluate the design and impact of such technologies. With respect to the repeatedly observed lack of user engagement in energy topics, real-world trials should also focus on the end users and their willingness to realize the energy transition. After all, in the context of household-related CO2 emissions, end users are the ones who must adopt these technologies (purchase and install them) and ideally use them in the long term. This thesis studies the design, user engagement, and impact of an exemplary technology a) for reducing residential energy consumption, and of another technology b) for diffusing renewable energies among the population. The first technology is a mature product in the domain of feedback interventions (i.e., providing information about one’s energy consumption): a shower meter. This technology yielded large energy conservation effects in previous studies, with participants reducing their energy use by 22%. In four follow-up studies with a few hundred participants each, this thesis provides insights into users’ motivations for using such technologies and into the user experience that the technology offers. Additionally, the thesis examines the attention users paid to different feedback elements integrated into the user interface of the technology, and empirically quantifies the impact of the individual elements on actual energy reduction. With a mean conservation effect of 18.4% in the most successful treatment, the thesis confirms the large conservation potential of the technology. More importantly, the findings indicate that small design choices may affect user behavior in considerably different ways: the mean conservation effect in the three treatment groups that had access to different feedback elements varied by 9.7 percentage points, or a factor of 2.1 between the treatments. Two of the four field experiments were carried out in Swiss and Dutch households; the other two in German hotels for which the thesis considers consumer behavior of more than 1,000 hotel guests. The second technology studied is an example of a peer-to-peer energy market that allows households to trade self-generated electricity directly with their neighbors. The thesis examines whether the concept of peer-to-peer energy markets meets newly evolving user needs around electricity and whether these markets could drive the adoption of renewable energies. To that end, the thesis first empirically identified user needs in focus groups with consumers and prosumers. Based on these, I designed and implemented a web application as the user interface of a peer-to-peer energy market. In an explorative field study with 37 households, the thesis empirically investigates user behavior in a peer-to-peer energy market, and thus represents one of the first studies worldwide that evaluates the topic in an empirical setting. The findings are threefold. First, the peer-to-peer energy market was well received among the users who were mainly early adopters of renewable energies, indicated by comparably high and stable usage activity of the web application throughout the course of the study (4.5 months). Second, users in the sample are heterogeneous; based on their engagement with the web application and their stated preferences, they can be categorized into those that want to set prices for peer-to-peer energy themselves (30%), those that prefer the system to define prices (35%), and non-users or non-respondents to surveys (35%). Third, while the long-term impact (e.g., on the diffusion of renewable energies) and scalability of the peer-to-peer energy market still need to be evaluated, the analysis of interviews with nine households suggests that peer-to-peer energy markets may increase the saliency of renewable energies and may promote load-shifting activities. With its six studies, the thesis provides real-world evidence of the impact of information systems on sustainable practices that the research community has been calling for. In that regard, the thesis shows that feedback interventions can effectively curb household energy demand and suggests that peer-to-peer energy markets increase the saliency of renewable energy, which in turn may foster its sustainable use (load-shifting was a central theme frequently raised by the participants in the interviews). Furthermore, based on the assumption that user engagement is a driver for impact on sustainability, the thesis also focuses on the users’ interactions with two exemplary technologies. By highlighting how small design changes to the user interfaces of information systems can have a considerable impact on both user behavior and user satisfaction, the findings emphasize the importance of conducting field research with real users and actual energy data, rather than relying on self-reported technology usage intentions or energy savings. Moreover, the thesis derives design guidelines for the visualization of energy data, which researchers and practitioners can take up in the development of future end-user energy products. To that end, the findings also generate insights into considerations users take into account when making decisions about whether to adopt or continue to use technologies. With all of that, the thesis presents effective and user-targeted means of contributing to the energy transition

Untersuchung des CRH/CRH-Rezeptor Systems mit Hilfe Zelltyp-spezifisch CRH-überexprimierender Mauslinien.

Das Neuropeptid Corticotropin-Releasing-Hormone (CRH) spielt sowohl als Hormon als auch als Neuromodulator eine wichtige Rolle im Rahmen der physiologischen Stressantwort. Klinische Studien und Tierexperimente legen nahe, dass eine Dysregulationen des CRH-Systems an der Entstehung und Manifestierung psychischer Erkrankungen wie Angststörungen oder affektiver Störungen beteiligt ist. Um die spezifischen Effekte von CRH auf emotionales Verhalten im Tiermodell zu untersuchen, wurden zwei transgene Mauslinien generiert, die CRH zum einen in GABA-ergen Interneuronen und zum anderen in CRH-spezifischen Neuronen des Gehirns überexprimieren. Schließlich wurden die Auswirkungen dieser CRH-Überexpression auf das Verhalten und die Physiologie der transgenen Mauslinien sowie mögliche zu Grunde liegenden Mechanismen untersucht

Barrier-free smarthome

Eine Querschnittlähmung kann jeden Menschen treffen, sei es durch durch Unfall oder Erkrankung. Tetraplegikern bleiben im schlimmsten Fall lediglich motorische Fähigkeiten im Bereich von Kopf, Hals und eventuell Schulter erhalten. Für sie - aber auch für Menschen mit vergleichbaren motorischen Einschränkungen - werden kleinste manuelle Verrichtungen plötzlich zu einer - oftmals sogar unlösbaren - Herausforderung. Aus diesem Grund können Tetraplegiker von einem Smarthome und mobilen Endgeräten zu seiner Steuerung erheblich profitieren. Dafür muss jedoch das Endgerät eine barrierefreie Eingabemethode unterstützen. Die Barrierefreiheit bei der Eingabe ist realisierbar in Form von Bedienungshilfen und / oder durch Hilfsmittel-Hardware. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist die Konzeptionierung einer barrierefreien Smarthome-Steuerung für Tetraplegiker sowie deren prototypische Realisierung als Android App. Das Hauptaugenmerk dabei liegt auf einem größtmöglichen Verzicht auf Hilfsmittel-Hardware und auf einer guten Individualisier- und Erweiterbarkeit. Für Ersteres wird unter anderem Face-Tracking basierend auf der Mobile Vision API von Google als Eingabemethode realisiert. Abschließend findet sowohl eine qualitative als auch quantitative Evaluation des Prototyps statt. Verglichen werden dazu die Bandbreite des Face-Trackings mit weiteren barrierefreien sowie klassischen Eingabemethoden. Das Konzept und der Prototyp für die Anwendung zur Steuerung eines barrierefreien Smarthomes eignen sich für betroffene Personen und Angehörige aus der Zielgruppe, welche unterschiedliche Eingabemethoden ausprobieren möchten, ebenso für Entwickler, die an der Erweiterung des Prototyps interessiert sind. Ihnen liefert die Evaluation zudem Erkenntnisse zur Leistungsfähigkeit eines kostengünstigen Face-Trackings sowie weiterer barrierefreien Eingabemethoden.Spinal-cord injury can happen to anyone, whether through traumatic injury or due to illness. Tetraplegics retain mobility - in a worst case scenario - only in the head and neck area, possibly including the shoulder area. For those affected - as for people with similarly limited mobility through other causes - the smallest manual movement becomes a challenge, often an impossible one. Thus tetraplegics may profit immensely by a smart home with mobile controlling devices. However, for that purpose the controlling device needs to support barrier-free input methods. Barrier-free input can be implemented by assisting features in the use of control devices, and/or by specialized hardware. The aim of this thesis is the conceptualization of a barrier-free smart home control device for tetraplegics, as well as its prototypical implementation as an Android App. The main focus is on doing without specialized hardware as much as possible, and on options to individualize and expand functionality. For the prototype, face-tracking based on Mobile Vision API by Google is used as an input method, among others. In conclusion there is an evaluation process of the prototype regarding criteria of quality and quantity. The evaluation includes comparing the range of performance of face-tracking with other barrier-free, as well as classic input methods. The concept and the prototype for this application for the controlling of barrier-free smart homes are suitable for affected persons and their family members in the target group who would like to try out various methods of input. Software developers may also be interested in expanding the functionality and input methods of the prototype. The evaluation provides insight into the performance of cost-effective face-tracking as well as barrier-free input methods

I’m Not Bossy, I’m the Boss - Frauen in den Public Relations

Weibliche Praktiker sind im internationalen Public Relations-Berufsfeld zahlenmäßig das überlegene Geschlecht – und das bereits seit mehreren Jahrzehnten. Umso erstaunlicher er- scheinen die wissenschaftlich fundierten Erkenntnisse, dass Frauen wesentlich seltener Führungspositionen im PR-Bereich bekleiden und selbst auf derselben hierarchischen Ebene noch schlechter bezahlt werden als ihre männlichen Kollegen. In der Öffentlichkeitsarbeit existieren geschlechtsspezifische Probleme, mit denen sich die meisten Praktikerinnen im Laufe ihrer Karriere auseinandersetzen müssen. Doch wie kann die nachteilige Situation von weiblichen Beschäftigten in Zukunft verbessert werden? Dieser Frage widmet sich die vorliegende Literatursynopse, indem sie nach möglichen Ursachen und Lösungen für die geschlechtsspezifischen Probleme von Frauen in der Öffentlichkeitsarbeit sucht und diese kritisch reflektiert. Die Basis der Analyse bilden wissenschaftliche Beiträge zur PR-Feminisierungsforschung ab dem Jahr 2000, die anhand der darin vorzufindenden Argumentation in fünf unterschiedliche Forschungsperspektiven unterteilt werden: liberal-feministisch, radikal-feministisch, kritisch-feministisch, (de)kon- struktivistisch-feministisch und post-feministisch. Ein Gesamtvergleich aller Lösungsansätze zeigt, dass die meisten immer noch primär die Frauen selbst in die Verantwortung nehmen. Da viele der Lösungen auf Befragungen von männlichen und weiblichen Public Relations-Beschäftigten basieren, wird die in der Praxis anhaltende Überzeugung deutlich, dass Frauen ihre nachteilige Situation in der Branche selbst zu verantworten haben. Diese Ansicht ist besonders deshalb verwunderlich, da mittlerweile immer mehr PR-Forscher in ihren wissenschaftlichen Arbeiten die Auffassung vertreten, dass ein Wandel der Bedingungen von weiblichen Beschäftigten nur durch ein Zusammenwirken von Gesellschaft, Unternehmen und Praktikern möglich wird. Es scheint daher so, als ob die Forschungserkenntnisse nicht in ausreichendem Maß in der Public Relations-Praxis angekommen sind. Zukünftig sollten in der Öffentlichkeitsarbeit daher vermehrt Lösungswege betrachtet werden, die die Gesellschaft und die Unternehmen betreffen und die Verantwortung nicht lediglich auf die weiblichen Beschäftigten im Feld übertragen. Besonders ein grundsätzliches Problembewusstsein über die nachteilige Position von Frauen in der PR-Branche gilt als erster Schritt in Richtung Verbesserung. Dabei ist wiede- rum sowohl ein Bewusstsein bei den Praktikerinnen selbst als auch auf organisationaler und gesellschaftlicher Ebene erforderlich