title: Patterns of information systems low use, discontinued use and rejection
title: the case of a flawed in-store app implementation
titleType: Subtitle
Creators: name: Nthubu, Boineelo R
Publisher: name: Lancaster University
Year: 2024
Subjects: Technology adoption
Technology use
Information systems discontinuance
Single in depth-case study
Technological affordance
Information systems use
Technology implementation
Information system design

description: Organisations introduce information systems (IS) with the anticipation of
 widespread use among targeted users. While the IS literature extensively
 explores factors that drive system use, not all implementations achieve
 the anticipated use by target users. This thesis investigates the patterns
 of low use, discontinued use and rejection observed when introducing a new
 information system through a case study. The thesis is structured into
 three papers, each respectively addressing these observed patterns.
 
 
 Paper I identifies design-based inhibitors contributing to low system use
 in the context of a UK (United Kingdom) supermarket chain in-store
 shopping app. The paper employs the Theory of Technology Usage Inhibitors
 to explore design-based inhibitors, utilising a topic modelling approach
 on 1857 iOS and 4850 Android reviews. The findings reveal intrinsic and
 extrinsic inhibitors, with Android users reporting more intrinsic
 design-based inhibitors. This study contributes to the literature by
 conceptualising design-based inhibitors and expanding the theory of
 Technology Usage Inhibitors in the context of in-store shopping apps,
 providing crucial design insights for effective app design. 
 
 
 Paper II unpacks the affordances sought by early and late adopters and the
 resulting patterns of discontinuance when they failed to actualise the
 affordances. The paper utilises data from 22 semi-structured interviews
 and 20 observation sessions with early and late adopters from a specific
 supermarket store within the chain. In addition, the paper utilises 73
 documents from the store. The findings reveal that early and late adopters
 seek different affordances, and failing to actualise these affordances
 leads to various discontinuance patterns. Paper II enriches IS
 discontinuance literature by providing theoretical links between
 affordances and discontinued use patterns. The paper contributes design
 principles for designers and retailers to retain users.
 
 
 Paper III focuses on consumers who rejected the app and explores their
 reasons for rejection. This paper categorises these rejecters into total,
 moderate and passive through thematic and hierarchical analysis of
 semi-structured interviews with 32 rejecters from a supermarket store.
 Total rejecters are primarily driven by the flawed design to reject the
 system completely, while moderate and passive rejecters are primarily
 driven by a flawed implementation of the system. Paper III contributes to
 the literature on IS rejection by categorising rejecters and identifying
 that moderate and passive rejecters are more likely to consider future
 adoption if their concerns are addressed. This paper also contributes
 design principles to aid in the design of better in-store shopping apps.
 
 
 This thesis significantly contributes to both theory and practice. It
 offers novel insights into the implications of design on user behaviour.
 The thesis provides an in-depth understanding of the challenges of
 introducing a new system, encompassing low use, discontinued use and
 rejection. Furthermore, the thesis provides design principles for app
 designers and retailers to avoid design and implementation flaws and
 similar patterns of low use, discontinued use and rejection.