Is it all about the Apps or the Device?: User experience and technology acceptance among iPad users

A longitudinal study of user experience and technology adoption was conducted with medical students using iPads for work and leisure over a six-month period. Measures of usability, ease of use, utility and hedonic qualities were taken for the iPad and downloaded applications. Usability and ease of use increased over the six months but hedonic quality did not. Quantitative and qualitative measures of utility, user experience and effectiveness were compared for the iPad and applications. Applications scored better on utility but not usability. All users continued to use their iPads and apps for learning and leisure. A follow-up study was carried out to compare medical students who had stopped using their iPads after the initial study period. Pre-use measures showed no differences between the adopter and non-adopter cohorts, but measures during use were significantly worse on all measures for non-adopters. The main reasons for rejections were lack of training, prior predisposition not to adopt new technology, and lack of motivation. Differences between the cohorts were more marked for applications than for the iPad measures, suggesting that application functionality was the key influence on technology adoption.