MinForening/DinForening? - A case study of use and acceptance of a smartphone app

Holland, Nadia Schyberg

4. term

Techno-Anthropology, Master

2018

2018-06-01

71

Dette casestudie undersøger, hvorfor mennesker accepterer eller afviser en ny app, ved at kombinere to perspektiver: SCOT (som ser på, hvordan forskellige sociale grupper former teknologi) og UTAUT (en model for teknologiaccept). Casen er MinForening, en app fra en dansk startup, der vil gøre det nemmere at drive og deltage i frivillige foreninger. Apps understøtter i dag opgaver ud over sociale medier, fx sundhed, økonomi og offentlige tjenester, men mange design- og kontekstfaktorer afgør, om folk faktisk bruger dem. Vi indsamlede data gennem to interviews med medarbejdere fra MinForening, ét interview med to medlemmer af den frivillige organisation TRoA og et besøg hos løbeklubben PGU Runners. Med SCOT identificerede vi de relevante sociale grupper omkring appen og de problemer, de oplevede. Med UTAUT undersøgte vi, hvordan hver gruppe vurderede appen, og hvilke faktorer der påvirkede deres villighed til at tage den i brug. PGU Runners tog appen til sig, fordi de centrale UTAUT-faktorer var positive i praksis, og fordi de problemer, de mødte, ikke var alvorlige nok til at forhindre adoption. To uventede indsigter kom frem: den afgørende betydning af en enkelt engageret person (informant S) for at starte implementeringen, og betydningen af nyhedsværdi—TRoA fandt ikke appen nyttig, fordi den ikke tilbød noget nyt sammenlignet med fx Facebook. I TRoA’s tilfælde hænger dette sammen med, hvordan de forvalter deres ressourcer. Samlet set fremhæver studiet, hvordan merværdi, håndterbare problemer, nøglepersoner og oplevet nyhedsværdi former brugeraccept.

This case study examines why people accept or reject a new app by combining two perspectives: SCOT (which looks at how different social groups shape technology) and UTAUT (a model of technology adoption). The case is MinForening, an app from a Danish start-up that aims to make it easier to run and participate in voluntary organizations. Apps now support everyday tasks beyond social media, including health, finance, and public services, yet many design and context factors determine whether people actually use them. We collected data through two interviews with MinForening staff, one interview with two members of the voluntary organization TRoA, and a visit to the running club PGU Runners. Using SCOT, we identified the relevant social groups around the app and the problems they experienced. Using UTAUT, we examined how each group perceived the app and the factors that influenced their willingness to adopt it. PGU Runners accepted the app because the key UTAUT factors were positive in practice, and the problems they encountered were not serious enough to prevent adoption. Two unexpected insights emerged: the decisive role of a single motivated individual (informant S) in starting the implementation, and the importance of novelty—TRoA did not find the app useful because it offered nothing new compared with tools like Facebook. In TRoA’s case, this relates to how they manage their resources. Overall, the study highlights how added value, manageable issues, key individuals, and perceived novelty shape user acceptance.

[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]

User Aceeptance of Technology ; Smartphone apps ; UTAUT ; Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology ; SCOT ; Social constructivism of Technology ; Voluntary Orgainizations ; Ethnographic research ; ANT ; Actor Network ; Social Groups ; Interviews ; Fieldtrips ; Participant Observation ; Techno-Anthropological research ; Techno-Anthropologi

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