Human aspects of ubiquitous computing: a study addressing willingness to use it and privacy issues

Abstract

Identifying the human aspects related to ubiquitous systems focused on people’s willingness to use them and privacy concerns was our goal. We selected two ubiquitous systems: a wearable system (Google Glass) and an embedded in context system (Smart Environments). An online survey, with more than 400 participants, which included questions about how people perceive privacy issues related to the use of these two different ubiquitous systems, was conducted. Results show that privacy is not the only factor defining predisposition or aversion towards using ubiquitous systems. Financial, risk, and convenience factors are the others. We discovered that the importance of these factors on the decision to use them or not depends on the system. Regarding privacy, Google Glass generates a higher degree of concern than the Smart Environments alternative. Female participants tend to be more worried than male participants, independently of the ubiquitous system considered. Finally, the youngest participants (16–25 years old) are the most concerned about privacy threats, which was unexpected.