Influencing factors for acceptance of digital tools in the humanities

Abstract

Within the framework of the User Centered Design process, UX research is constantly exploring new fields of application and user groups. Especially in professional contexts, the question arises why certain user groups find it particularly difficult to integrate digital tools into their everyday work. The present study addresses this question by analysing the acceptance faktors, based on the Technology Acceptance Model, for the target group of often digitally inactive humanities scholars. In the humanities, digital tools are used to support research work, but the acceptance of using digital tools is relatively low or falls short of expectations despite the wide range of tools available. Therefore, the question arises what causes the lack of user acceptance and how this can be counteracted. This question is located at the intersection of the two disciplines Business Information Systems (BIS) and Human Computer Interaction (HCI). The present study contributes to answering this question by empirically determining the factors that influence the acceptance of use. In the present study, humanities scholars were familiarized with several digital tools in workshops and subsequently interviewed about them. Based on the collected data a model for usage acceptance was developed using the PLS-SEM procedure. The most important factors for this target group are the perceived usefulness, which can be influenced by the social environment and the output quality of the tool, as well as the perceived ease of use, which can be influenced by positive user experiences.