Older adults’ intention to use voice assistants: Usability and emotional needs

Population aging is a global problem, and improving the well-being of older adults is an urgent issue. Voice assistants (VAs) offer hands-free voice control and friendly human-computer interaction, making them a significant solution to address the aging problem. Most extant research on VAs is fragmented, and there are relatively few studies conducted from the perspective of emotional needs. This work proposes a comprehensive research model extending the technology acceptance model (TAM) by incorporating the influencing factors subordinate to two research directions: usability and emotional needs. Usability needs include three factors: perceived convenience, security/privacy, and Internet self-efficacy. Emotional needs include humanized interaction, perceived enjoyment, and perceived companionship. A structural equation model (SEM) was used to validate the model empirically with a sample of 425 older users of VAs. The analysis results are quite consistent with the research assumptions, and the findings illustrate that companionship is the most critical factor affecting older adults' intention to adopt VA use, which demonstrates the pivotal role of VAs in meeting the emotional needs of the elderly. The most unexpected observation was seen for the relationship between perceived ease of use and behavioral intention, which was non-significant. This result confirms that when a technology is perceived as very easy to use, perceived ease of use has little to no impact on individuals' intention to use that technology. The novelty of this study lies in the investigation of older adults' behavioral intentions toward using VAs, providing valuable insights for the design and development of VAs tailored for the elderly population. Beyond the academic realm, this research serves as direct inspiration for designers, developers, and policymakers in the fields of assistive technologies and geriatric care. It offers practical insights into creating VAs that effectively address the emotional needs of older adults and enhance their quality of life. Furthermore, elderly individuals are poised to experience significant benefits from the outcomes of this study，the insights garnered from this study empower the elderly to embrace technological advancements that align with their preferences and comfort levels. This study contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of VAs and their potential to enhance the well-being of older adults, while also paving the way for future investigations in this domain. As underscored by this study's emphasis on the significance of emotional needs in technology acceptance, it encourages the adoption of more user-centered design strategies in the development of future VAs.