Along with the development of smart phones and smart phones operating systems, users of smart phones are able to install software, games and other programs provided by third-party providers. WeChat as a third party software that exists in the current market, is an in-stant messaging application that enables users to send voice, video, pictures and text to their contacts through mobile network. Being a new application, the user acceptance of WeChat has not been studied. Therefore, the result of this study will be valuable to fill the knowledge gap about user acceptance study of this mobile application, and future development of other similar instant messaging mobile application could also benefit from this study. This study focuses on WeChat users and answers to the following research questions: 1. What are the factors that affect the users‘ acceptance of WeChat? 2. How could other competing instant messaging applications improve their user acceptance? The purpose of this study is to explain factors that affect the users‘ acceptance of WeChat among WeChat users who are studying in one specific school and working in one specific company. This study adopts a deductive, theory testing approach. The research model was proposed through literature review and expert interview, and six hypotheses were developed based on the research model. A survey was conducted subsequently to collect quantitative data. Hypotheses were tested through analyzing the quantitative data by using SPSS. Through testing the hypotheses, this study concluded that effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, cost and privacy are the factors that could affect user acceptance of WeChat. Other similar IM mobile applications could take those identified factors as reference in further user acceptance study, and the proposed research model in this study could also help in improving understanding of user acceptance in similar IM mobile application study.

Les bénéfices engendrés par l’utilisation croissante de l’automatisation masquent un problème fondamental. En cas de pannes ou de situations imprévues, les opérateurs présentent souvent des difficultés dans la reprise en main de tels systèmes. Le but de cette thèse était d’étudier comment le cadre théorique de l’agentivité pouvait nous aider à identifier et évaluer les informations requises pour rendre la supervision de systèmes fortement automatisés plus efficace, pour restaurer un sentiment de contrôle approprié et pour augmenter l’acceptabilité du système par les opérateurs. Pour y parvenir, nous avons réalisé quatre expériences lors desquelles les participants devaient superviser le vol d’un avion sous pilote automatique. Dans un premier temps, nous avons montré que fournir des informations sur les intentions du système augmentait le sentiment de contrôle des participants. Cependant, ce gain d’information ne nous a pas permis d’observer le phénomène de liage intentionnel. Nous avons également trouvé que cette information entraînait de meilleures performances pour détecter des décisions non-optimales du système, conduisait à un changement dans la façon dont les participants allouaient leurs ressources attentionnelles et aussi augmentait le niveau d’acceptabilité du système. De façon intéressante, nous avons également montré dans la dernière expérience que le délai entre l’apparition de l’information sur les intentions du système et l’implémentation de son action impactait différemment la performance et les sentiments de contrôle et d’acceptabilité des opérateurs. / Human operators seem often helpless to takeover an automated system in case of failure. This "out-of-the-loop” problem occurs when an operator is unable to understand the intentions and to predict the outcome of actions of the system. The goal of this thesis was to study how the theoretical framework of agency can help identifying and evaluating the information required to make supervision of fully automated systems more efficient, to restore an appropriate sense of control and to increase the user acceptance of what the system is doing. To achieve this goal, we tested participants in four aircraft supervision tasks. We first showed that providing greater information about the system’s intentions increased the participants' sense of control. However, this condition did not produce any change in a frequently-used implicit marker of the sense of agency, the so-called “intentional binding effect”. We also found that this information led to better performances in detecting when the system’s decisions were non-optimal, to a change in the way participants allocated their attentional resources and also to increase the level of user acceptance. Interestingly, we also showed in the last experiment that the delay between prime messages providing information about the system's intentions and the system's actions impacted differently the performance and the operator's levels of control and acceptance. In the last section, we discuss the implications of our results for the field of human-machine interaction. We claim that the science of agency may be useful to elaborate concrete recommendations for designing automatic systems in which operators remain "in the loop" of control.

Bakgrund: Regeringens utformning av Vision e-hälsa 2025 ska göra Sverige bäst i världen på att använda digitaliseringens och e-hälsans möjligheter att främja jämlik hälsa. E-hälsa är ett nytt sätt för sjuksköterskan att kommunicera och ge omsorg för och till patienten. Med nya verktyg uppstår även nya hinder. Patienter är individer som var och en har olika förutsättningar och kunskaper vilka påverkar om användningen av e-hälsa blir lyckad eller ej. Syfte: Studiens syfte var att beskriva individers känslor, upplevelser och acceptans av e-hälsa. Metod: Metod för genomförd studie var litteraturöversikt men kvalitativ ansats med en deskriptiv design. Studien innefattade 13 artiklar publicerade mellan 2012 – 2020 vilka identifierades i databaserna PubMed och CIHNAL. Resultat: Deltagarnas känslor och upplevelser utmynnade i sju kategorier; känslor inför e-hälsa och teknik, förändrad självbild och förlorat självförtroende, deltagares åsikter oavsett tidigare erfarenheter av e-hälsa, upplevda fördelar och potentiella fördelar av e-hälsa, hinder som påverkar användandet av e-hälsa och teknik, tekniska hinder, sociala relationer. Dessa sammanfattades i två teman; Känslor och upplevelser som påverkade användarens acceptans av e-hälsa och Faktorer som påverkade interaktionen med e-hälsa och teknik. Resultatet visar att sjuksköterskor och vårdpersonal behöver ytterligare utbildning i hur individer kan interagera med e-hälsa och vilka individuella hinder som påverkar användandet.     Slutsats: Acceptans av e-hälsa påverkas av flera faktorer. En negativ inställning till teknik, teknologi och om individen anser sig ha bristfälliga kunskaper vid interaktion med e-hälsa kan påverka självförtroendet och självbilden, framförallt om interaktionen är misslyckad. E-hälsa kan komma bli ett viktigt verktyg för sjuksköterskan att med dess hjälp ge patienter möjlighet till autonomi och jämlik hälsa. Varje individs resurser, erfarenheter och tillgångar bör beaktas inför ett användande av e-hälsa. / Background: The Swedish government's policy Vision e-health 2025´s ambition is to make Sweden the best in the world by using the possibilities of digitalisation and e-health to promote equal health. E-health is a new way for the nurse to communicate and provide care for and to the patient. Patients are individuals whit different conditions and knowledge that affect whether or not the use of e-health becomes successful. Purpose: The aim of the study was to describe individuals' feelings, experience and acceptance of e-health. Method: A literature review with a qualitative approach with descriptive design. The study included 13 articles published between 2012 - 2020 identified in the PubMed and CINAHL databases. Result: Participants' feelings and experiences culminated in seven categories; feelings about e-health and technology, altered self-image and lost self-confidence, participants' opinions regardless of previous e-health experiences, perceived benefits and potential benefits of e-health, barriers affecting e-health and technology use, technical barriers, social relationships . These were summarized in two themes; Emotions and experiences that affected the user's acceptance of e-health and Factors that influenced the interaction with e-health and technology. The results show that nurses and health care professionals need additional training in how individuals can interact with e-health and what individual barriers affect their use. Conclusion: Acceptance of e-health is affected by several factors. A negative attitude towards using technological equipment and if the individual considers himself to have inadequate knowledge in interaction with e-health can affect self-confidence and self-image, especially if the interaction is unsuccessful. E-health can become an important tool for the nurse to help patients with autonomy and equal health. Each individual's resources, experience and assets should be considered before using e-health.

The purpose of this paper is to enhance our understanding of how salespeople in B2B organizations perceive the usefulness of digital solutions in their work. The use of digital solutions continues to increase in business-to-business (B2B)-selling. Yet limited research has so far focused on how salespeople in B2B organizations perceive the usage of digital solutions. Previous studies have found that perceived usefulness is effective for understanding user attitudes and intentions, and at large their acceptance and usage of digital solutions. Concurrently, previous studies have found that organizations struggle with ensuring that digital solutions are used according to management’s intentions. Perceived usefulness therefore becomes a door into understanding salespeoples’ perceptions of digital solutions, and ultimately their usage of them. In order to achieve the purpose of this paper, a single case study is used, conducted through semi-structured interviews with a sales unit of a chemical company. Four main conclusions were made based on the findings: there is a need for the salespeople to understand why the digital solutions are relevant for their work, digital solutions can contribute to a higher workload for the salespeople, comprehensive training is important for how digital solutions gets used, and there can exist support for managing problems in the form of expert colleagues. These findings contribute to existing literature by highlighting conditions that influence salespeople’s acceptance and usage of digital solutions, and provide nuanced insights into the way salespeople end up using digital solutions in a certain way.

The construction industry, one of the largest employers of labor in the United States, has long suffered from health and safety issues relating to work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Back-related injuries are one of the most prevalent of all musculoskeletal disorders in the construction industry. Due to advancements in the field of wearable technologies, wearable robots such as passive back-support exoskeletons have emerged as a possible solution. Exoskeletons have the potential to augment human capacity, support non-neutral work positions, and reduce muscle fatigue and physical exertion. Current research efforts to evaluate the potential of exoskeletons in other industry sectors have been focused on outcome measures such as muscle activity, productivity, perceived discomfort and exertion, usability, and stakeholders' perspectives. However, there is scarce evidence regarding the efficacy of using exoskeletons for construction work. Furthermore, the risks and sociotechnical challenges of employing exoskeletons on construction sites are not well documented. Thus, through the lens of human-centric and socio-technical considerations, this study explores the prospects of adopting back-support exoskeletons in the construction industry. Firstly, a laboratory experiment was conducted to quantify the impact of using a passive exoskeleton for construction work in terms of muscle activity, perceived discomfort, and productivity. In order to investigate the acceptance of exoskeletons among construction workers and the challenges of adopting exoskeletons on construction sites, field explorations evaluating usability, perceived discomfort and exertion, social influence, and workers user perceptions were executed. Using sequential mixed methods approach, the stakeholders and factors (i.e., facilitators and barriers) critical for the adoption of exoskeletons on construction sites were investigated. Thereafter, by employing the factors and leveraging the constructs of the normalization process theory, an implementation plan to facilitate the adoption of passive exoskeletons was developed. The study contributes to the scarce body of knowledge regarding the extent to which exoskeletons can reduce ergonomic exposures associated with construction work. This study provides evidence of the perceptions of the contextual use of wearable robots, and workers' interaction with wearable robots on construction sites. The study contributes to the normalization process theory by showing its efficacy for the development and evaluation of implementation frameworks for construction industry. Furthermore, this study advances the socio-technical systems theory by incorporating all its subsystems (i.e., human, technology, organization and social) for investigating the potential of using a passive back support exoskeleton in the construction industry. / Doctor of Philosophy / Construction workers are often subjected to harsh working conditions and physically demanding work postures, which are ergonomics risks causing back-related musculoskeletal injuries. These injuries have the potential to cause permanent disabilities, lead to early retirement of experienced labor, and is one of the causes of the shortage of skilled workforce in construction. Wearable robots, such as passive back-support exoskeletons, are increasingly been looked upon as a potential solution to mitigate the problem. Exoskeletons are wearable technologies that can support and reinforce workers' body parts. Studies have shown that the use of exoskeletons could lead to reduced muscle fatigue thereby decreasing injuries in the long run. However, most of the research on the use of exoskeletons is focused on other industrial sectors. Scarce evidence regarding the use of exoskeletons in construction is documented in the literature. Furthermore, the use of exoskeletons on construction sites could have certain unintended consequences. Thus, the objective of this research was to understand the risks and challenges of using passive exoskeletons in the construction industry. A laboratory experiment was conducted to measure the impact of using exoskeletons on physical demand and productivity while performing construction tasks. An increase in productivity and a reduction in discomfort in the lower back were observed while using an exoskeleton. Thereafter, field studies were conducted where construction workers performed their usual tasks using an exoskeleton to understand their user experience and acceptance. To help construction companies in the adoption of exoskeletons, facilitators and barriers to the adoption of exoskeletons were identified. Thereafter a plan was developed to facilitate the implementation of passive exoskeletons in construction organizations. This plan can guide construction companies in the adoption of passive exoskeletons. The outcomes of this study will help other researchers to conduct similar studies with other wearable technologies.

Security is becoming an increasingly important issue for business, and with it comes the need for appropriate authentication; consequently, it is becoming gradually more important to develop secure e-commerce systems. Fraud via the web, identity theft, and phishing are raising concerns for users and financial organisations. In addition, current authentication methods, like passwords, have many problems (e.g. some users write them down, they forget them, or they make them easy to hack). We can overcome these drawbacks by using biometric authentication systems. Biometric systems are being used for personal authentication in response to the rising issue of authentication and security. Biometrics provide much promise, in terms of preserving our identities without the inconvenience of carrying ID cards and/or remembering passwords. This research is important because the securing of e-commerce transactions is becoming increasingly important. Identity theft, hacking and viruses are growing threats to Internet users. As more people use the Internet, more identity theft cases are being reported. This could harm not only the users, but also the reputation of the organisations whose names are used in these illegal acts. For example, in the UK, online banking fraud doubled in 2008 compared to 2007. More users took to e-shopping and online banking, but failed to take necessary protection. For non-western cultures, the figures for web security, in 2008, illustrated that Saudi Arabia was ranked ninth worldwide for users who had been attacked over the web. The above statistics reflect the significance of information security with e-commerce systems. As with any new technology, user acceptance of the new technology is often hard to measure. In this thesis, a study of user acceptance of biometric authentication systems in e-transactions, such as online banking, within Saudi society was conducted. It examined whether Saudis are practically willing to accept this technology. This thesis focuses upon Saudi Arabia, which has developing economy. It has achieved a rapid rate of growth, and therefore makes an interesting and unique case study. From an economist's point of view, Saudi Arabia is the powerhouse of the Middle East. It has the leading regional economy, and, even though it is still relatively young. It has a young and rapid growing population; therefore, this makes Saudi Arabia an attractive potential market for all kinds of e-commerce applications. Having said that, with more than half of population under the age of 30 are more to be expected to take the risk of accepting new technology. For this work, 306 Saudi participants were involved in the experiments. A laboratory experiment was created that actively tested a biometric authentication system in combination with a survey. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was adopted in the first experimental phase as the theoretical basis on which to develop the iv research framework, the model has proven its efficiency as a good predictor for the biometric authentication system. Furthermore, in a second experimental phase, the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) with moderating variables such as age, gender and education level was examined as a proposed conceptual framework to overcome the limitations of TAM. The aim of the study was to explore factors affecting users' acceptance of biometric authentication systems. The findings from Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) analysis indicate that education level is a significant moderating factor, while gender and age do not record as significant. This thesis added new knowledge to this field and highlighted the importance of the perceptions of users regarding biometric security technologies. It helps determine the factors affecting the acceptance of biometric technology. To our knowledge, this is the first systematic study of this issue carried out by academic and non-biased researchers in Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, the thesis presents security technology companies and developers of information security products with information to help in the determination of what is significant to their user base when taking into account the introduction of new secure systems and products.

Compared to the use of a traditional mobile phone, a smartphone user may experience advanced computing capability and connectivity. Internet connection along with advanced technology allows users to access the web, GPS navigation system, WIFI hotspot, etc. Today it is considerably easier for smartphone users to benefit from the global Internet connection with its extended range. A service that has expanded enormously and shaped a whole new industry in a short period of time, is location-based services (LBS). The service shows location information using coordinates providing the geographical position of a mobile device. Depending on the user’s location and preferences, mobile service providers may introduce context-related information to the user. However, LBS does not only involve opportunities, improvements, and benefits for societies. The use of digital technologies, with such spread as location-based services has obtained, may result in major integrity issues.   The aim of this qualitative investigation is to explain and describe location-based services. The purpose is to, through structured interviews, create an understanding of the users’ perception of LBS and investigate their attitudes, behavior and privacy concerns. The following understanding might be of value to application development companies regarding the comprehension of user behavior and attitudes. In turn, it could be of assistance for these companies in reaching the users in order to maximize the use of their applications.   The analysis showed that the respondents of this study are receptive to location-based services as long as it provides them with value. However, privacy concerns might intervene but are in most cases overlooked. The user’s perceived value is by the informants considered to be more important than the minor obstacles of LBS. In terms of LBS usage behavior, the respondents willingness to share location information differs among them and is based on different reasonings. The indication of user acceptance also differs. However, the informants’ perception of LBS purpose was discussed from both user and business perspective. It was concluded that it might be an indication of user acceptance since the respondents were able to recognize value deriving from location-based services. Additional LBS behavior is recognized in the process of allowing LBS access to apps.

In this age of technology, people or the companies all over the world have started using the easyway to find information or to process a particular task selected or given. In this path, Informationsystems have gone a long way with day to day improvements and upgrades with everythingabout what it can be done to give the right access and right task to the users.The developers have gone to such an extent that nothing can be compromised in the developmentor in the implementation of Information systems, however in the practical scenario there aremany issues that are to be taken into consideration to develop an Information System and also inthe implementation of the same.Here, in this thesis we will try to bring out those factors where in the implementation ofInformation Systems can go wrong and what are to be considered in order for the IS to be usefulthan it has to be emphasising on user satisfaction and user acceptance / Program: Magisterutbildning i informatik

<p>Validerat; 20101217 (root)</p>

During the last decade, anticipated and realized benefits of mobile and wireless information and communication technology (ICT) for different business purposes have been widely explored and evaluated. Also, the significance of ‘user acceptance’ mechanisms through ‘perceived usefulness’ of ICT applications has gained broad recognition among business organizations in developing and adopting new ICT capabilities. However, even though technology usefulness is regularly highlighted as an important factor in ICT projects, there is often a lack of understanding of what the concept involves in the practical work context of the actual users, and how to deal with the issues of usefulness in organizational ICT development processes. This doctoral thesis covers a 1,5 year case study of a mobile computing development project at a Swedish international construction enterprise. The company’s mobile ICT venture addressed the deficient ICT use situation of management practitioners in construction site operations. The study portrays the overall socially shaped development process of the chosen technology and its evolving issues of usefulness for existing construction site management practice. The perceived usefulness of mobile computing tools among the ‘user-practitioners’ is described as emergence of ‘meaningful use’ based on initial expectations and actual experiences of the technology in their situated fieldwork context. The studied case depicts the ongoing and open-ended conversational nature of understanding adequate ICT requirements in work practice, and the negotiation of mobile computing technology design properties between users and developers over time towards the alignment of diverse personal, professional and organizational needs and purposes of ICT use. The studied introduction of mobile computing technology in construction site management fieldwork practice serves as an illustrative actual example of how to interpret, understand and approach issues of usefulness and user acceptance of ICT resources in operative work contexts when managing ICT development processes in organizations. / QC 20100825