Empirical Investigations on User Perception and the Effectiveness of Persuasive Technologies

Persuasive technologies denote technical approaches that are aimed at influencing human behavior. A multitude of persuasive technologies have been evaluated with regard to their technical feasibility, their persuasive effectiveness, and their user acceptance. The present dissertation extends the existing body of research along three dimensions. These are firstly the user acceptance of persuasive environments; secondly the potential of profiling to increase persuasive effectiveness; and thirdly, the user acceptance of persuasive business models. Three empirical studies are presented in this dissertation. The first study investigates the example of a persuasive kitchen environment, focusing on which factors influence the acceptance of such an approach. The second study analyzes in an experimental setting, to which degree the adaptation of persuasive strategies to personality traits can increase the effectiveness of persuasive technologies. A third study investigates the consumer acceptance of persuasive business models at the example of behavior-based automobile insurance schemes.