5 Stages of Technology Adoption
Technology has always been a vital part of society’s success.
“Technology is fundamentally neutral, but people are not.” – Alan Kay
No matter how much we want to stop technology from changing our lives, it will continue to do so. Technology has become one of the most defining factors in human civilization. It goes beyond just being innovative or “cool” things that exist for entertainment purposes; without it you wouldn’t even know what this article was! All information would be passed on through word of mouth and oral traditions, resulting in an extremely slower rate of advancement through more trial-and-error. Technology helps us solve problems that existed before that weren’t solvable with older tools or machines used at the time. This makes more room for new problems to be solved and allows for more advancements in technology, which comes to our present state.
The five stages of technology adoption are 1) awareness, 2) interest, 3) evaluation, 4) trial/adoption and 5) confirmation. In order to fully understand this map, it is important that you know the levels of needs from Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. This model aims to define human motivation while understanding how people prioritize what they need at any given time. The base-level consists of all the physical requirements such as food and water to sustain life, shelter from environmental elements, or a safe space within a community. The second level consists of once you have met your physical needs with basic forts to live comfortably. Level three consists of social needs, which are the need for belonging within a community. The fourth level is once you have established your place or position within society, it’s time to be recognized for who you are by others around you. Lastly at the top level are what are known as “self-actualization” needs which include things like personal growth and fulfillment; understanding your true purpose in life.
The five stages start with awareness, where individuals become aware of new technologies or solutions that can solve an issue they were already trying to solve. Interest follows after this stage where innovation is assessed and weighed against existing alternatives such as cost-benefit (not always financial) analysis.
Next, we move into evaluation research and investigation occurs into the pros and cons of the innovation. If it is deemed to be a better solution or more cost-effective then you move into trial and adoption. This stage can also include a change in infrastructure, procedures, or businesses models to fully adopt the innovation. Finally once confirmed through research, analysis, and testing there is an assessment of current status versus original goals. To recap…
To transfer awareness to interest requires knowledge, which comes from research! Interest requires evaluations, both financial and non-financial factors must be considered before moving into trial/adoption. In order to confirm it is to assess your status after adopting the new technology. Does it meet expectations? Is it living up to its promises? And if not, why not?!
If you have ever been at a restaurant that offers you a water glass with ice in it, chances are when the server asks if they can get you anything to drink, you will ask for water. Your interest was triggered at the point of awareness that took place when your server greeted and presented you with the menu. At this point, the only thing you want is water so there’s no need to evaluate. But what would happen if instead of filling up your glass with just plain old boring H20, they brought out some kind o fancy natural spring or sparkling water?
This brings us to our next stage called evaluation research. Instead of asking how many calories are in the soda you’re about to order, now it becomes something like “how much sugar is in here?”. Would you be interested in trying something you saw on the menu but didn’t know about? You might like it and order it next time or maybe you will just stick to what you know, that’s up to you. This can also go into other things such as smartphones, tablets, or other technological devices.
Some people love their electronics while others would rather keep a journal and a pen & pencil set by the bed instead of a smartphone. It really comes down to preference, taste, and lifestyle.
In order for an innovation to be accepted by its potential users/consumers, they need to first pass through these five stages of technology adoption. The trick is not only knowing your audience but taking steps ahead of time so as to increase the chance of successful adoption. Companies that are successful know this and act accordingly to tailor their offerings to be in tune with the tastes, preferences, and needs of their customer base.
During this process, there is awareness where they become aware of new technologies or solutions that can solve an issue they were already trying to solve. Interest follows after this stage where innovation is assessed and weighed against existing alternatives such as cost-benefit (not always financial) analysis.
Once interest is peaked through evaluation research, an investigation occurs into the pros and cons of the innovation. If it is deemed to be a better solution or more cost-effective then you move into trial/adoption. This stage can also include a change in infrastructure, procedures, or business models to fully adopt the innovation. Finally once confirmed through research, analysis, and testing there is an assessment of current status versus original goals. To recap.
Technology has always been a vital part of society’s success. “Technology is fundamentally neutral, but people are not.” – Alan Kay No matter how much we want to stop technology from changing our lives, it will continue to do so. Technology has become one of the most defining factors in human civilization. It goes beyond…