To Simplify Or Not To Simplify, A Longitudinal Case Study Of Smart Speakers Appropriation Over Time

Calundan, Nanna Møller ; Nuur, Ayan ; Jensen, Nichlas Elleby

4. Term

Interaction Design, Master of Science (MSc)

2019

2019-06-03

51

Forskning viser, at folk ikke bruger alle funktioner i smarthøjttalere lige meget. Vi ville forstå, hvorfor nogle funktioner bruges sjældnere end andre. Derfor byggede vi to versioner af en smarthøjttaler: en forenklet model med begrænsede funktioner og en kompleks model med fuld funktionalitet. Vi fulgte husholdninger over tid i et longitudinelt casestudie for at få indsigt i den langvarige brug og for at se, hvordan højttalerens kompleksitet påvirker tilegnelsen – altså hvordan mennesker tager teknologien i brug og gør den til en del af hverdagen. Vi analyserede forløbet med Karapanos m.fl.s ramme “temporality of experience”, der beskriver tre faser: orientering (første afprøvning og læring), inkorporering (opbygning af rutiner) og identifikation (følelsesmæssig tilknytning og oplevet pasform til ens identitet). Vi fandt, at kompleksiteten ikke påvirkede orienteringsfasen; alle husholdninger gennemgik den på samme måde. Husholdninger med den komplekse højttaler var derimod oftere i stand til at udvikle rutiner og nå inkorporeringsfasen. Kompleksitet havde også betydning i identifikationsfasen: Ingen husholdninger udviklede en tydelig følelsesmæssig tilknytning, men dem med den komplekse højttaler var mere tilbøjelige til at bevæge sig i den retning. Den forenklede højttaler nåede ikke den sidste fase, fordi de tilgængelige funktioner ikke var tilstrækkelige for husholdningerne. Resultaterne peger på, at flere funktioner kan understøtte en dybere, langsigtet integration, selv om første brug ikke ændres.

Prior studies show that people do not use all smart speaker features equally. We wanted to understand why some functions are used less than others. To explore this, we built two versions of a smart speaker: a simplified model with limited functions and a complex model with full functionality. We followed households over time in a longitudinal case study to gain an in-depth view of long-term use and to examine how device complexity shapes appropriation—that is, how people adopt a technology and make it part of everyday life. We analyzed the experience using Karapanos et al.’s “temporality of experience” framework, which describes three phases: orientation (initial exploration and learning), incorporation (forming routines), and identification (developing emotional attachment and a sense that the product fits one’s identity). We found that complexity did not affect the orientation phase; all households went through it in a similar way. Households with the complex speaker were more likely to develop routines and reach the incorporation phase. Complexity also mattered in the identification phase: none of the households developed a clear emotional attachment, but those with the complex speaker were more likely to move in that direction. The simplified speaker did not reach the last phase because its available functions were insufficient for the households. Overall, richer functionality appears to support deeper, longer-term integration even if first-use experiences remain similar.

[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]

Interaction design ; appropriation ; smart speaker ; longitudinal ; case study ; Framework ; Temporality of experience ; complexity ; simplicity

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