International Journal of Science, Engineering and TechnologyAuthors: Srinivas Goud Thadakapally
Abstract: The contemporary explosion of the ageing population has led to a growing demand for smart technologies that can assist in independent living, health monitoring and enhanced quality of life. However, despite the advantages of these technologies, lack of trust, privacy concerns, security problems and low digital literacy are still preventing older adults from using these technologies. This study introduces a Privacy-Aware Smart Home Adoption framework which explores the perception and technology acceptance of older people through a qualitative thematic analysis. Answers to the semi-structured interview questions are analyzed using systematic pre-processing, qualitative coding, and theme identification to identify factors that affect adoption. The framework assesses the main dimensions such as perceived usefulness, ease of use, privacy trust and behavioral intention, as well as the main barriers to adoption, like concerns about data privacy, surveillance and system complexity. Comparative assessment against previous works shows that the presented privacy-preserving approach provides enhanced privacy security, user trust, technology acceptance and readiness for adoption. The study results show that when privacy issues are taken care of through privacy respectful design and user-centred approaches, older adults are more likely to accept using smart home technologies. The recommended approach outlined in the proposed framework is valuable and will help to build secure, trustworthy and accessible smart home systems to support safe, independent and healthy aging.
