Chantal Lidynia

Droning on About Drones—Acceptance of and Perceived Barriers to Drones in Civil Usage Contexts

The word “drone” is commonly associated with the military. However, the same term is also used for multicopters that can be and are used by civilians for a multitude of purposes. Nowadays, drones are tested for commercial delivery of goods or building inspections. A survey of 200 people, laypersons and active users, on their acceptance and perceived barriers for drone use was conducted. In the present work, user requirements for civil drones in different usage scenarios with regard to appearance, routing, and autonomy could be identified. User diversity strongly influences both acceptance and perceived barriers. It was found that laypeople rather feared the violation of their privacy whereas active drone pilots saw more of a risk in possible accidents. Drones deployed for emergency scenarios should be clearly recognizable by their outward appearance. Also, participants had clear expectations regarding the routes drones should and should not be allowed to use.

A Step in the Right Direction – Understanding Privacy Concerns and Perceived Sensitivity of Fitness Trackers

Keeping an active lifestyle has been important and recommended for decades. The arrival of the Internet of Things (IoT) offers opportunities to simplify the tracking and logging of data supporting that lifestyle. So-called activity or fitness trackers have become smaller and more affordable over the past few years. However, their use is not as widespread as could be. This explorative study with n = 82 participants investigates privacy concerns and sensitivity regarding data gathered with wearables. It was found that long-term storage location and possible recipients of the collected data do play important roles. However, the consensus was that the participants would prefer to keep said data to themselves. Furthermore, user factors such as age, gender, and privacy behavior could not be identified as having an effect on sharing said data.

Older Users’ Wish List for Technology Attributes

Facing the increasing user diversity and broad diffusion of technology in work-related and private contexts, the sensible tailoring of technology functionalities, attributes, and interfaces - with reference to the requirements and needs of users - is a key prerequisite of a successful rollout and broad acceptance of technologies. However, user diversity and the specific using contexts of technologies have not been sufficiently researched yet. In this study, we examine the wish list regarding attributes for different technologies in a wide age range. Using qualitative and quantitative methodologies, we explored the different specifications for household and medical devices and assessed which attributes users expect for each of the two different technology types. Exploring user diversity, we analyzed effects of age, gender, and health status on the perception of technology requirements. Results show that not only user diversity but also the specific technology type present as critical factors in the definition of proper attributes of technology. The findings may be useful for human-centered product development.

Perceptions of Digital Footprints and the Value of Privacy

Nowadays, life takes place in the digital world more than ever. Especially in this age of digitalization and Big Data, more and more actions of daily life are performed online. People use diverse online applications for shopping, bank transactions, social networks, sports, etc. Common to all, regardless of purpose, is the fact that personal information is disclosed and creates so-called digital footprints of users. In this paper, the questions are considered in how far people are aware of their personal information they leave behind and to what extent they have a concept of the attributed importance of particularly sensitive data. Moreover, it is investigated in how far people are concerned about their information privacy and for what kind of benefit people decide to disclose information. Aspects were collected in a two-step empirical approach with two focus groups and an online survey. The results of the qualitative part reveal that young people are not consciously aware of their digital footprints. Regarding a classification of data based on its sensitivity, diverse concepts exist and emphasize the context-specific and individual consideration of the topic. Results of the quantitative part reveal that people are concerned about their online privacy and that the benefit of belonging to a group outweighs the risk of disclosing sensitive data.

Online Privacy Perceptions of Older Adults

Nowadays, the majority of people is connected to the world-wide web. Online services are included into everyday life to such a degree that non-use is almost impossible. Not only the young digital natives are online, also older users employ more and more online services. The amount of data created is vast but not without risks in terms of privacy behaviors. The present research addresses age differences in terms of attitude towards online privacy and privacy protection behaviors. Moreover, factors that can predict protection behavior and privacy concern, respectively, are examined. Via an online survey in Germany (N = 200), privacy concerns, trust in online companies, awareness of and experience with online data misuse, as well as their self-efficacy regarding protective measures was explored, contrasting younger and older users. It was found that older users significantly differ in their awareness of privacy issues and protect their data more actively than younger users. Furthermore, it was found that said protection behavior is mainly influenced by privacy self-efficacy, followed by privacy concern and trust. Privacy concern, in turn, is predicted through awareness and previous experience with data misuse.

Mobile Computing is not Always Advantageous: Lessons Learned from a Real-World Case Study in a Hospital

The use of mobile computing is expanding dramatically in recent years and trends indicate that “the future is mobile”. Nowadays, mobile computing plays an increasingly important role in the biomedical domain, and particularly in hospitals. The benefits of using mobile devices in hospitals are no longer disputed and many applications for medical care are already available. Many studies have proven that mobile technologies can bring various benefits for enhancing information management in the hospital. But is mobility a solution for every problem?

Step by Step – Users and Non-Users of Life-Logging Technologies

A pronounced deficit of physical activity is one of the challenges in today’s societies. Lacking the minimum of activity recommended for a healthy lifestyle can be avoided by so-called life-logging technologies. However, usage is still low. To understand what factors contribute to an acceptance and use of these technologies, we conducted a quantitative online study with users and non-users. In total, 412 people have participated, 225 of them active users of life-logging technologies and 187 non-users. It was found that individual user characteristics shape its acceptance. For instance, the goals for possible behavior change, which the use of life-logging devices can support, differ significantly between users and non-users. Furthermore, the study reveals that factors such as age, motives for physical activity, and privacy concerns are key determinants for projected acceptance of life-logging technologies.

The Sky’s (Not) the Limit - Influence of Expertise and Privacy Disposition on the Use of Multicopters

There are a variety of civil usage contexts for “drones” or multicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles or remotely piloted aircraft systems. Probably best known is the so-called delivery drone that many companies are testing and hoping to deploy. But the acceptance of said technology, especially those equipped with cameras, by the public is rarely investigated. Therefore, an empirical survey (N = 228) was conducted in Germany to determine the influence of expertise with aviation as well as privacy disposition on the perception of multicopters. It was found that a regular pilot’s license did not impact the attitude towards drones from people with no experience with aviation, drones or otherwise. Concerning drones flying over the own home, not even active drone users would condone a stranger’s multicopter to cross over their property unless operated by rescue services. Here the important factor is the need for privacy and perceived risk of it being violated.

Of Guardians, Cynics, and Pragmatists - A Typology of Privacy Concerns and Behavior.

Online privacy is one of the most discussed topics in the digital era. User concerns about online privacy can be a barrier to the use of digital services. Different approaches, mostly from a social science perspective, try to understand user concerns, attitudes, and behaviors in the online context. Especially the so-called privacy paradox, the discrepancy between high privacy concerns and contradicting low privacy protection behavior, has been of interest. This phenomenon has been explained in different ways: users performing a privacy calculus, making affective decisions, or being overwhelmed, resigned by the complexity of online threats and protective measures. Complementing these theories, we hypothesize that different user types approach privacy differently. A survey (N=337) investigates the privacy attitudes, behaviors, and experiences of German internet users. With a cluster analysis, three distinct types of users were identified: the “Privacy Guardians,” highly concerned and taking much privacy protective actions, the “Privacy Cynics,” concerned but feeling powerless and unable to protect their privacy, and the “Privacy Pragmatists,” showing the least concerns which they weigh against benefits. These user groups need different tools and guidelines for protecting their

Hidden within a Group of People - Mental Models of Privacy Protection

Mental models are simplified representations of the reality that help users to interact with complex systems. In our digitized world in which data is collected everywhere, most users feel overtaxed by the demands for privacy protection. Designing systems along the language of the users and their mental models, is a key heuristic for understandable design. In an explorative approach, focus groups and interviews with 18 participants were conducted to elicit mental models of internet users for privacy protection. Privacy protection is perceived as complex and exhausting. The protection of one’s identity and, correspondingly, anonymity are central aspects. One research question is how scalable privacy protection can be visualized. Physical concepts, like walls and locks, are not applicable to the idea of adjustable privacy protection. The concept of kanonymity – visualized by a group of people from which the user is not distinguishable – can be related to by most of the participants and seems to work well as symbolization, but it is not yet internalized as mental model. Initially, users see privacy protection as binary – either one is protected or not. Thus, the concept of adjustable privacy protection is new to lay-people and no mental models exist, yet.