Tablet computers for older people in Thailand and the UK: usability and effects of different text presentations

As there is a sharp increase in the older population in Thailand, the UK and worldwide and the older population will continue to grow worldwide in the next two decades. The use of personal technologies such as tablet computers has also rapidly increased in both Thailand and the UK. Although the number of older people using tablet computers has increased, some older people still have issues in using tablet computers. Thus the usability and acceptability of tablet computers for older people is still an issue and there is little research about how to best present text on tablet computers on tablets for older people in English and none for the Thai language. Therefore this programme of research investigated usability issues in using tablet computers and attitudes toward tablet computers for older people in Thailand and the United Kingdom. In addition, it investigated a number of aspects of text presentation for tablet computers in Thai and English with both younger and older people. Study 1 focused on older people’s attitudes to and use of the tablet computers and another three studies focused on the effects of text presentation on tablets. Study 2 investigated font types and font sizes, Study 3 investigated text and background colours, and Study 4 investigated column format and text justification. Key findings included that Thai and UK older people had positive attitudes toward tablets, although some encountered usability problems such as text which was too small and not resizable. In addition, tapping and zooming on the tablet were generally easy for older people, but tapping is still a problem for some of them. On text presentation, on the basis of the findings in these studies, 18 point text in a Sans Serif typeface for English and a Serif typeface for Thai are recommended for text presentation on tablets. Black text on a white background is the best for readers in both countries. Finally, a format of two columns with left justification is recommended for both English and Thai, when tablets are used in landscape orientation

Factors Affecting SMEs' Intention to Adopt a Mobile Travel Application based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT-2)

This study is part of a government research project which aims to synthesise the current evidence on the factors affecting the intention of mobile application adoption called ‘Tripper Notifier Application’ (TNA) for the hospitality and tourism industrial sector in Thailand. The focus is on small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which emphasize restaurants, hotels, and attraction sites. The present article examines various factors influencing the intention to use such applications by employing the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT-2) as the theoretical underpinning of this research paradigm. Using 84 selected research papers in Scopus published between 2020 and 2022, A thematic analysis incorporating a grounded theory approach to systematically generate themes was conducted, and the findings found three main themes, including business transformation capabilities (BTC), digital transformation capabilities (DTC), and personal innovativeness (PI), as an extension of UTAUT-2 as mediator and moderator variables. To this end, the study fills the research gaps and extends the UTAUT-2 framework by including an initiative of twelve inside attributes-based lines, including performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, hedonic motivation, price value, habit behavior, behavioral intention, and use behavior, together with three moderators: age, gender, and experience. Finally, the context dimensions of the UTAUT-2 extensions were mapped to highlight all the constructs of the TNA adoption framework for future research directions. The novel contribution of this study is to fill the gap with both theoretical and practical knowledge. On the theoretical level, this study constitutes constructs based on UTAUT-2 theory as a research-based setting to fill a gap in research. On the practical level, it provides insights and information about new capabilities that SME owners, managers, and practitioners should consider in order to differentiate their own capabilities. Doi: 10.28991/esj-2021-SP1-014 Full Text: PD