Tips for Creating a Technology Acceptance Model Questionnaire

A technology acceptance model questionnaire can improve digital adoption rates, the employee experience, software ROI, and more.

When used correctly, these questionnaires assess both employees’ digital readiness and the appropriateness of potential software investments.

Below, we’ll learn what types of information these questionnaires should cover.

First, though, let’s cover the most basic question – what is the technology acceptance model?

What Is the Technology Acceptance Model?

The technology acceptance model is a model that describes how new information systems are implemented by end users. The model itself is general, but it can be very useful for enterprises that are implementing software for their workforce.

According to this model, there are two main variables that affect users’ acceptance and adoption of new technologies:

These two variables, in turn, affect the product’s attitude (A) towards using the product.

That attitude, in turn, impacts their behavioral intention (BI) to use the tool.

Ultimately, these factors all compute to determine the tool’s actual usage.

Many of these variables, incidentally, are closely aligned with user-centered design practices and ideas.

The Nielsen Norman Group, for instance, details at length the importance of:

• Usability, which measures, among other things, how easy a product is to use, remember, navigate, and learn
• Utility, the measure of how useful a product’s features are
• The user experience (UX), or the experience that users have when interacting with a product or service

When assessing digital readiness, the main point to keep in mind is that high scores are better.

In other words, the greater the perceived usability and usefulness of a product, the more likely users are to accept and actually use the product.

Tips for Designing a Technology Acceptance Model Questionnaire

Here are a few points that can help when designing a technology acceptance model checklist or questionnaire for the workplace:

• Create a set of questions specifically for each variable. One set of questions should address perceived ease of use, while another should examine the perceived usefulness of the proposed software program. According to one study, it is also a good idea to measure user satisfaction – that is, how satisfied users feel they would be using a particular software solution.
• How digitally savvy is the workforce? Perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use are both affected directly by employees’ digital literacy levels. The more digitally literate the workforce is, the more complex the software they’ll be able to use. That literacy level, in turn, is affected by educational background, the department they work in, the quality of the employee training program, and so forth.
• Consider proposing and rating multiple software solutions. A technology acceptance model questionnaire serves much the same function as a digital readiness assessment. Namely, it can be used to assess the potential value and ROI of general ideas as well as specific tools. For instance, a company that wants to improve its sales productivity may begin with surveys targeting a general solution, such as a CRM platform. Subsequent surveys may be used to understand the viability of specific platforms, such as Salesforce.
• Issue further surveys periodically during the digital adoption process. Technology acceptance model questionnaires and digital adoption questionnaires are issued before software implementation. Yet it is important to monitor progress as IT systems and solutions are rolled out. This data can inform future decision-making and help digital adoption managers make adjustments to the adoption process if needed.
• Understand the technology acceptance model’s role in digital adoption. The most important point to note is that the technology acceptance model is only part of the larger process of digital adoption. This questionnaire serves a valuable function in that it gauges readiness and helps with the assessment of potential solutions. Yet the successful adoption of a program depends on many other variables, such as organizational culture, digital onboarding, and software training. For more information, read up on the digital adoption process.

It is important not to underestimate the value of these questionnaires, for several reasons:

• Questionnaires help managers determine the appropriate system or solution, which will directly impact workforce productivity as the solution is rolled out
• The wrong IT solution can result in decreased productivity, profit loss, software frustration, resistance from employees, and, in a worst case scenario, solutions may be rolled back
• Employees’ digital workplace experience depends on the selection of software tools, and that experience affects important employee metrics, such as job satisfaction, engagement, performance, and retention

In short, these questionnaires have a direct impact on the ROI of software investments and the performance of the workplace.

It is important, therefore, to obtain executive buy-in for a thorough digital readiness assessment and, if necessary, business change or organizational transformation projects.

After all, many digital adoption projects are part of digitization and digital transformation agendas – and to successfully implement digital change, it may be necessary to implement organizational changes as well.