The Challenge to Design for Relatedness Experiences: An Explorative Investigation of Five Relatedness Technologies from a Psychological Needs Perspective

Paper Title

The Challenge to Design for Relatedness Experiences: An Explorative Investigation of Five Relatedness Technologies from a Psychological Needs Perspective

Publication Info

• Topic area: Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) with a focus on relatedness technologies and psychological needs.
• Keywords: Relatedness technologies, psychological needs, user experience, technology acceptance, self-determination theory, expressivity, awareness, autonomy, hedonic technologies, human-computer interaction.

Background and Problem

• Problem / challenge: Designing technologies that effectively create fulfilling relatedness experiences remains difficult, especially when balancing other psychological needs like autonomy and security. Current relatedness technologies are not widely accepted or integrated into daily life.
• Significance: Addressing the need for connectedness over distance is crucial for improving well-being and maintaining relationships in an increasingly globalized and mobile society.
• Motivation and related work: Previous research has identified design strategies such as awareness, expressivity, and gift-giving for relatedness technologies. However, these strategies often conflict with other psychological needs, limiting acceptance and widespread use. This study builds on psychological theories like Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and explores broader psychological needs and user perceptions to improve design strategies.

Solution

• Proposed approach: Comparative evaluation of five relatedness technology concepts, each employing distinct design strategies (e.g., expressivity, awareness, ritual forming), tailored to specific user groups.
• Novelty:
  1. Investigation of psychological need fulfillment as a predictor of technology acceptance.
  2. Analysis of design strategies' suitability for different user groups (e.g., couples, families, friends).
  3. Exploration of individual technology readiness (optimism, innovativeness, insecurity, discomfort) as a factor in acceptance.
  4. Identification of need conflicts and motivators/barriers for relatedness technologies.
• Procedure and key techniques:
  • Development of five functional prototypes based on user interviews and experience design principles.
  • Online study with 221 participants evaluating prototypes via quantitative scales (e.g., psychological need fulfillment, technology readiness) and qualitative questions.
  • Statistical analyses (ANOVA, regression) and qualitative content analysis to identify patterns in user perceptions and acceptance.

Results

• Concrete findings:
  • Psychological need fulfillment significantly predicted usage intention (R² = .53, β = .73).
  • Optimism positively influenced usage intention (R² = .03, β = .17), while other technology readiness subcomponents (e.g., innovativeness, insecurity) showed no significant effects.
  • WriteAway and Tonsor received higher ratings for need fulfillment and acceptance compared to ScentConnect, which was rated lowest.
• Advantage over baselines: Concepts applying expressivity (e.g., WriteAway, Tonsor) were more positively evaluated than those relying on awareness (e.g., ScentConnect).
• Experiments / evaluation:
  • Participants evaluated prototypes based on psychological need fulfillment (NA-TA scale), perceived product character (AttrakDiff), and usage intention.
  • Qualitative analysis revealed motivators (e.g., fostering connectedness, ease of use) and barriers (e.g., autonomy concerns, data security).
• Limitations and future work:
  • Prototypes were presented online rather than tested in real-life scenarios, requiring imagination from participants.
  • Skepticism about added value and preference for familiar technologies (e.g., smartphones) were noted.
  • Future studies should conduct field tests, match concepts to specific user groups, and explore long-term effects on technology acceptance.

Summary

This study explored user perceptions and acceptance of five relatedness technology concepts, focusing on psychological need fulfillment as a key predictor of usage intention. Expressivity-based designs (e.g., WriteAway, Tonsor) were more positively evaluated than awareness-based designs (e.g., ScentConnect). Optimism emerged as the only significant technology readiness factor influencing acceptance. Findings highlight the importance of addressing multiple psychological needs, balancing autonomy and relatedness, and designing for diverse use cases to improve user experience and acceptance. Future research should test prototypes in real-life scenarios and refine designs to address barriers like autonomy concerns and data security.