Abstract
This chapter characterises the perceived benefits and risks of smart home technologies (SHTs) from multiple perspectives. A representative national survey of over a thousand UK homeowners finds prospective users have positive perceptions of the multiple functionality of SHTs including energy management. Ceding autonomy and independence in the home for increased technological control are the main perceived risks. An additional survey of actual SHT users participating in a SHT field trial (see Chap. 1) identifies the key role of early adopters in lowering perceived SHT risks for the mass market. Content analysis of SHT marketing material finds that the SHT industry is insufficiently emphasising measures to build consumer confidence on data security and privacy. These multiple perspectives draw on insights from across the functional, instrumental and socio-technical views identified in the analytical framework for research on smart homes and their users (Chap. 2 and Table 2.1).
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Hargreaves, T., Wilson, C. (2017). Perceived Benefits and Risks of Smart Home Technologies. In: Smart Homes and Their Users . Human–Computer Interaction Series(). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68018-7_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68018-7_3
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