Factors Affecting Perceived Persuasiveness of a Behavior Change Support System

Abstract

Despite the popularity of the technology acceptance and adoption studies, adoption of persuasive systems has not been investigated from a theoretical perspective. In the present study, we put forward a novel approach for investigating behavior change support systems (BCSS) through a theoretical model. We constructed and tested (two measurement points; 172 subjects) a model predicting perceived persuasiveness and actual usage of a behavior change support system. Results from a rigorous PLS-SEM analysis support most of our hypotheses about factors affecting persuasiveness and actual usage. The proffered model can be considered as a meta-model, i.e. it may be utilized in a multitude of domains, such as health behaviors (as in the present study), safety and education. The present study extends the extant (rather limited) body of knowledge regarding the factors contributing to engagement with behavior change support systems.