Evaluating radio frequency identification technology adoption from a real options perspective

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

WEB-BASED CUSTOMER INTEGRATION FOR PRODUCT DESIGN: THE ROLE OF HEDONIC VS UTILITARIAN CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Integrating customers into the innovation process is gaining popularity among companies as means of addressing competitive and market pressures. At the same time, companies are faced with the challenge of selecting appropriate customer integration methods to sustain customers´ engagement and elicit contributions that are useful. We draw from previous research in consumer behaviour to identify customer experience as an important determinant of customers´ overall participation in the design phase of the innovation process. Based on the compatibility principle, we propose a research model which examines the effect of a match between the type of product that customers are required to design, and the nature of customer experience (hedonic vs. utilitarian) they are provided with on their overall engagement with the customer integration process. A brief outline of the experimental study in which the proposed research model will be subsequntly tested is presented. The aim of this research is to select and design appropriate web-based customer integration methods depending on the task that customers have to perform

Spreadsheet Error Correction Using an Activity Framework and a Cognitive Fit Perspective

Errors in a spreadsheet constitute a serious reason for concern among organizations as well as academics. There are ongoing efforts toward finding ways to reduce errors, designing and developing visualization tools to support error correction activities being one of them. In this paper, we propose a framework for classifying activities associated with spreadsheet error correction. The purpose of this framework is to help in understanding the activities that are important for correcting different types of spreadsheet errors and how different visualization tools can help in error correction by effectively supporting these activities. An experiment is designed to test the effectiveness of a visualization tool that supports one of the most important activities from the framework – chaining activity. Two groups of subjects, with and without the visualization tool, are required to correct two types of errors. Our hypotheses are derived based on the notion of cognitive fit between problem representation and task, and the results of the experiment support most of the hypotheses. Thus, this study demonstrates the usefulness of the activity-based framework for spreadsheet error correction, and also provides guidelines for designing and developing tools for spreadsheet audit. It also provides empirical evidence to the cognitive fit theory by showing that performance is significantly better when visual support tools result in a match between problem representation and the task in hand, as in the case of correcting link errors with the tool used in this study. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed

The Role of Visualization Tools in Spreadsheet Error Correction from a Cognitive Fit Perspective

Errors in spreadsheets pose a serious problem for organizations and academics. This has resulted in ongoing efforts to devise measures for reducing errors or efficient ways of correcting them. Visualization tools are often advertised as means for improving spreadsheet error correction performance. This study investigates the role of visualization tools in spreadsheet error correction. For this purpose, this study proposes a framework for classifying activities associated with spreadsheet error correction. The framework is to highlight the activities that are important for correcting different types of spreadsheet errors, and to show how different visualization tools can aid error correction by effectively supporting these activities. By identifying chaining as one of the most important activities from the framework, this study uses cognitive fit theory to examine the effects of a visualization tool that supports chaining on spreadsheet error correction performance. Experimental methodology is used to test the outcome of cognitive fit between the error correction task and the visualization tool. The results of the experiment highlight the importance of cognitive fit between the type of task and the visualization tool for attaining better performance. This study also provides guidelines for designing and developing tools for spreadsheet error correction

Using Online Social Networking to Enhance Social Connectedness and Social Support for the Elderly

Social integration is crucial for the overall well-being of the elderly who are more prone to social exclusion because of the natural aging process. We propose online social networking as means to enhance social connectedness and social support – two aspects of social networks that have significant implications for the well-being of elderly. While prior research investigating the benefits of online social networking has primarily focused on user groups such as teenagers and college students, there is less understanding on how online social networks can be used to support and strengthen social ties among elderly. This study intends to investigate means of increasing social connectedness and social support among elderly through participation in online social networks, and the resulting implications on overall satisfaction with life. Our aim is to identify features of online social networks that cater to the specific social connectedness and support related requirements of elderly users

Using NFriendConnector to Extend Facebook to the Real World

This study presents a novel approach towards establishing online social connections using Facebook and NFC-enabled mobile phones. There is increasing convergence between users’ real life social networks and their online social networks, with online connections following actual social acquaintance and interactions. Accordingly there is a need to provide users with means of accessing and establishing online connections in social networking platforms such as Facebook as and when they interact with other people in their real lives. The NFriendConnector is a prototype application which fulfills this functionality. This paper describes the design and development of the prototype application. The expectation confirmation theory is used to analyze the extent to which the NFriendConnector fulfills this inherent need among users and how this influences their intention to adopt and use the prototype. The proposed research model is tested in an experimental setup

NFriendConnector: Design and Evaluation of An Application for Integrating Offline and Online Social Networking

This paper describes the design and evaluation of NFriendConnector, a prototype application that allows for better integration between online and offline social networks. Online social networks are currently used to maintain and strengthen existing real-life social connections, rather than establishing ties that exist only online. However, users incur significant time and search related costs in replicating a naturally occurring social interaction using a social networking site (SNS). Therefore, there exists a gap between initiating social contact in real-life versus initiating social contact via an online social network. Using the design science paradigm, our research addresses this gap by introducing NFriendConnector. This application allows users to map their offline interactions, as and when they take place, onto their SNS presence, therefore making it possible to complement offline social interactions with SNS profile information. The prototype is implemented using Near Field Communication (NFC)-enabled mobile phones and Facebook. We evaluate the prototype in an experimental setting using expectation confirmation theory (ECT) as the theoretical framework. Findings show that NFriendConnector was able to satisfy users, therefore indicating a successful design exercise. We discuss the implications of this research in the context of current developments in online social networking

Designing for Interpersonal Persuasion on a Massive Urban Scale: Bringing the Future of the Cities Back to Their Citizens

On May, 9th 2013, the concentration of CO particles in the atmosphere reached 400 parts per million for the first time since its measurements began [1]. Reaching this psychological threshold marks the latest alarming trend of the negative human impact on the environment. 2 Climate change is only one of several major challenges that humanity faces. Policy makers and social entrepreneurs aware of these challenges and opportunities have gradually increased their efforts to address these problems, unfortunately without a measurable impact on a global scale. Policies attempting to address the challenges predominantly focus on institutions and organizations. However, many of these problems are a direct result of human actions, and therefore call for human behavioral change to overcome such challenges. Previous research in the area of persuasive design indicates that a certain behavior is usually a result of the corresponding attitude towards the behavior. Therefore, there is a need to promote the right attitudes towards “proper†behaviors among people. Such attitudes can be influenced by providing people with the relevant information that enhances their awareness regarding the consequences of their actions, and ways of overcoming or reducing such consequences. Interaction designers and human-computer interaction (HCI) researchers adopted this bottom-up approach of designing interfaces and intervention mechanisms that focus on bringing about individual behavior changes. Through carefully designed persuasive applications and products they attempted to motivate users and consumers to change their behavior in various aspects (energy consumption, transportation choices, purchasing decisions to name a few). In this regard, users are mere “consumers†of the design, which helps them make personal choices. This position paper builds on the described bottom-up approach, but does not see the users only as consumers but also as activists, who can help the designers in their effort to induce wide-scale behavior change to more sustainable lifestyle. The goal of this research proposal is to empower users with the means to persuade their peers. Furthermore, the research proposes that persuasion on a massive scale requires specific efforts to design persuasive feedback that caters to various motivations and makes efficient use of the communication channels as well as novel ubiquitous and mobile technologies, to which users have access now. The paper first provides a look on authors’ previous research in the area of persuasive design. In particular, we present a persuasive energy monitor application – EnergyWiz, a system for civic engagement – BahnScout, and a theoretical framework for designing persuasive feedback for differently motivated individuals. Thereafter, we review a body of existing research on persuasion on a massive scale and, based on the research gaps, suggest approaches that would lead to rapid and persistent behavior change among people. Finally, we critically analyze the described approaches and outline several research gaps and directions that can advance future research in the area

Using NFriendConnector to Extend Facebook to the Real World

Université Paris IV-Sorbonne, UFR de philosophie et de sociologie. Prof. Ruedi Imbach MASTER 2 (1er et 2nd semestre 2010-2011), Séminaire de philosophie médiévale Deux théories médiévales sur les catégories et les transcendantaux: Thomas d'Aquin et Dietrich de Freiberg La doctrine des transcendantaux (un, vrai, bien) est incontestablement l'un des acquis les plus originaux de la métaphysique médiévale. Quel est le rapport de cette  théorie qui tente d’identifier les déterminations générales ..