#Ali faraji rad series

For example, if someone’s life is already filled with meaning, there’s a greater chance that they are not looking to the more quotidian types of experiences described previously for meaningfulness. So even though the meal might be better if a smart cooking system can cook it for you, you lose the meaning because you lose the process of making that meal.Ĭurrently, I am exploring how the meaningfulness that comes from the tasks in our lives can help us understand why some people are more resistant to smart products than others. The process of cooking a great meal, for example, is more meaningful than just having a great meal. When talking about meaningfulness, it’s also important to think about the process as much as the outcome-that is, the way that things get done, and not just whether they get done.

Thus, even daily chores like cleaning your house may not lead to happiness, but they lead to meaningfulness. For example, when you expend a certain effort on something and then see the outcome, that outcome helps to give a sense of meaning and purpose to your life. Recent research demonstrates that certain types of experiences might not make you happy, but they still add meaning to your life. However, it’s important to distinguish between meaningfulness and happiness. The experiences in your life give your life meaning. In the study, participants with a higher need for control were less likely to be open to new or non-traditional products. Recently, my research colleagues and I demonstrated the link between desire for control and rejection of new products. Since then, I have begun to explore whether the desire to engage in experiences causes consumers to view smart products as barriers to leading a meaningful life. Through an extensive qualitative study with consumers in the US, China and Switzerland, researchers identified four major categories of psychological barriers to adoption of proactive smart products, which are based on four key desires of human beings:

The Psychological Barriers to Adopting Proactive Smart Products For example, an autonomous vacuum cleaner uses sensory technology to move about the entire house without any guidance from humans. Smart products have computer chips or sensors or some other kind of artificial intelligence (AI) technology that enables them to take on tasks autonomously. Research specifically focused on the adoption of autonomous products, also known as smart products, reveals even greater insights into psychological barriers to adoption. To read all articles in this series…ĭownload the complimentary ‘Research for Action’ e-book here

#Ali faraji rad series

This is one of a series of articles published in an inspiring eBook from Columbia Business School. In many cases, those barriers are more psychological than functional: the new products may have attributes and benefits that consumers value, but they fail nevertheless because of how consumers feel about that product. The reason for this high rate of failure relates to the barriers to adoption that prevent consumers from trying out new products. According to recent figures, 40 to 90 percent of new products fail showing just how difficult it is to convince consumers to buy products that are new to the market.