Connected laboratory instruments : an analysis of user adoption within the Widefield Microscopy market
Fallarero, Adyary (2024)
Fallarero, Adyary
2024
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202405018635
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202405018635
Tiivistelmä
In scientific institutions, the pathway to digital transformation and IoT adoption requires laboratory automation as well as informatics. Connectivity of instruments is key to both, and hence it has become a crucial avenue in the product roadmaps of instrumentation manufacturers in life sciences. This thesis focuses on the market of manual widefield microscopes. These imaging systems are currently being developed to perform multiple smart functions and to be individually connected to cloud services. In general, connected instruments allow for scientists to remotely access their data in real time, share their results, collaborate with peers, and get prompt access to analysis and support tools provided by vendors. However, despite these potential benefits, the adoption of connected manual microscopes remains in general limited. In addition, not a single manufacturer has emerged as the clear leader in this space.
The overall aim of this investigation is to gain a better understanding of the variables impacting adoption of connected microscopes, at the user level. A hypothetical model, using the general framework of the Technology Adoption Model (TAM), is proposed, and quantitatively tested here. The dimensions of perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived safety and perceived responsiveness are studied in relation with the intention to use connected microscopes. Statistically significant positive correlations are demonstrated to exist between either the perceived usefulness or the perceived safety and the intention to use connected instruments. Positive correlations are also observed between each of the two remaining dimensions (perceived ease of use and perceived responsiveness) and the intention to use, but they are not statistically significant. For these two cases it could be argued that the survey applied here is unable to capture the nuances associated to these constructs. Finally, an additional exploratory analysis allows to tentatively conclude that age and years of experience of the scientists are negatively correlated with their intention to use connected microscopes, albeit not in a statistically significant manner.
Given the increasing rate at which connected instruments are being developed, the outcome of this investigation is relevant to shed light into drivers, patterns, and concerns, as well as to identify individual barriers impeding adoption of these instruments amongst the community of scientific users. Thus far, to the best of our knowledge, no other study has specifically addressed factors influencing adoption of connected manual widefield microscopes, at the user level.
The overall aim of this investigation is to gain a better understanding of the variables impacting adoption of connected microscopes, at the user level. A hypothetical model, using the general framework of the Technology Adoption Model (TAM), is proposed, and quantitatively tested here. The dimensions of perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived safety and perceived responsiveness are studied in relation with the intention to use connected microscopes. Statistically significant positive correlations are demonstrated to exist between either the perceived usefulness or the perceived safety and the intention to use connected instruments. Positive correlations are also observed between each of the two remaining dimensions (perceived ease of use and perceived responsiveness) and the intention to use, but they are not statistically significant. For these two cases it could be argued that the survey applied here is unable to capture the nuances associated to these constructs. Finally, an additional exploratory analysis allows to tentatively conclude that age and years of experience of the scientists are negatively correlated with their intention to use connected microscopes, albeit not in a statistically significant manner.
Given the increasing rate at which connected instruments are being developed, the outcome of this investigation is relevant to shed light into drivers, patterns, and concerns, as well as to identify individual barriers impeding adoption of these instruments amongst the community of scientific users. Thus far, to the best of our knowledge, no other study has specifically addressed factors influencing adoption of connected manual widefield microscopes, at the user level.