User acceptance of location-tracking technologies in health research: Implications for study design and data quality

Jean Hardy; Tiffany C Veinot; Xiang Yan; Veronica J Berrocal; Philippa Clarke; Robert Goodspeed; Iris N Gomez-Lopez; Daniel Romero; V G Vinod Vydiswaran

doi:10.1016/j.jbi.2018.01.003

User acceptance of location-tracking technologies in health research: Implications for study design and data quality

J Biomed Inform. 2018 Mar:79:7-19. doi: 10.1016/j.jbi.2018.01.003. Epub 2018 Jan 31.

Authors

Jean Hardy¹, Tiffany C Veinot², Xiang Yan³, Veronica J Berrocal⁴, Philippa Clarke⁵, Robert Goodspeed³, Iris N Gomez-Lopez¹, Daniel Romero¹, V G Vinod Vydiswaran⁶

Affiliations

¹ School of Information, University of Michigan, 3443 North Quad, 105 S. State Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1285, USA.
² School of Information, University of Michigan, 3443 North Quad, 105 S. State Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1285, USA; Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029, USA. Electronic address: tveinot@umich.edu.
³ Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Michigan, 2223C Art and Architecture Building, 2000 Bonisteel Blvd., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2069, USA.
⁴ Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, M4525 SPH II, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029, USA.
⁵ Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, 426 Thompson Street, 3330 ISR, Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1248, USA.
⁶ Department of Learning Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Michigan, 230 Victor Vaughan Building, 1111 E. Catherine St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2054, USA; School of Information, University of Michigan, 3443 North Quad, 105 S. State Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1285, USA.

PMID: 29355784
DOI: 10.1016/j.jbi.2018.01.003

Abstract

Research regarding place and health has undergone a revolution due to the availability of consumer-focused location-tracking devices that reveal fine-grained details of human mobility. Such research requires that participants accept such devices enough to use them in their daily lives. There is a need for a theoretically grounded understanding of acceptance of different location-tracking technology options, and its research implications. Guided by an extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), we conducted a 28-day field study comparing 21 chronically ill people's acceptance of two leading, consumer-focused location-tracking technologies deployed for research purposes: (1) a location-enabled smartphone, and (2) a GPS watch/activity tracker. Participants used both, and completed two surveys and qualitative interviews. Findings revealed that all participants exerted effort to facilitate data capture, such as by incorporating devices into daily routines and developing workarounds to keep devices functioning. Nevertheless, the smartphone was perceived to be significantly easier and posed fewer usability challenges for participants than the watch. Older participants found the watch significantly more difficult to use. For both devices, effort expectancy was significantly associated with future willingness to participate in research although prosocial motivations overcame some concerns. Social influence, performance expectancy and use behavior were significantly associated with intentions to use the devices in participants' personal lives. Data gathered via the smartphone was significantly more complete than data gathered via the watch, primarily due to usability challenges. To make longer-term participation in location tracking research a reality, and to achieve complete data capture, researchers must minimize the effort involved in participation; this requires usable devices. For long-term location-tracking studies using similar devices, findings indicate that only smartphone-based tracking is up to the challenge.

Keywords: Data quality; GPS watches; Health behavior; Location-tracking; Smartphones; User acceptance.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Aged
Behavior
Chronic Disease / therapy*
Data Accuracy*
Data Collection / methods*
Equipment Design
Female
Geographic Information Systems*
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Mobile Applications
Monitoring, Ambulatory / instrumentation*
Monitoring, Ambulatory / methods
Patient Acceptance of Health Care
Research Design
Smartphone*
Surveys and Questionnaires
Technology