Interpreting Group Differences of Relations among Success Factors for Wearable Medical Devices Mustafa Degerli Graduate School of Informatics Middle East Technical University Ankara, Turkey mustafa.degerli@metu.edu.tr Sevgi Ozkan Yildirm Graduate School of Informatics Middle East Technical University Ankara, Turkey sevgiozk@metu.edu.tr Abstract—Currently, wearable technologies are becoming more pervasive and they have several benefits for living in a healthy manner. In this context, the critical success factors for wearables are important. However, the existing understanding in this field needs enhancements. In our previous relevant work on the subject of success factors for wearable medical devices, we already distilled the salient factors and meaningful relationships among these factors. On the other hand, to draw additional conclusions, we recently applied partial least squares multi-group analyses with Smart PLS 3 in order to determine how degrees of relations among factors diverge concerning different groups. Explicitly, in this context, gender, body mass index category, education status, generation’s category, wearable use status, activity status, and income levels of the participants were treated as different groups to detect and understand significant differences. Accordingly, we identified that there are nine prominent differences regarding degrees of relations among success factors for wearable medical devices. Our findings and interpretations particularly add to the pertinent body of knowledge about how certain relations among factors differ regarding different groups, and these outcomes are going to be valuable for relevant scholars and product developers. Keywords—wearable technology, health, success factor, health informatics, group difference, PLS-MGA

1. Interpreting Group Differences of
Relations among Success Factors for
Wearable Medical Devices
Dr. Mustafa Degerli and Dr. Sevgi Ozkan Yildirim
mustafa.degerli@metu.edu.tr - sevgiozk@metu.edu.tr
Degerli, M. and Ozkan-Yildirim, S. (2020). Interpreting Group Differences of Relations among Success Factors for Wearable Medical Devices. 5th International Conference on Computer Science and Engineering.

2. Agenda
• Background and Motivation
• Methodology
• Data
• Results
• Conclusions
• Questions and Comments
Degerli, M. and Ozkan-Yildirim, S. (2020). Interpreting Group Differences of Relations among Success Factors for Wearable Medical Devices. 5th International Conference on Computer Science and Engineering.

3. Background and Motivation
• Wearable technologies are becoming more pervasive
• Wearables have several benefits for living in a healthy manner
• Critical success factors for wearables are important
• We already distilled the salient factors and meaningful relationships
among these factors
• Existing understanding in this field needs enhancements
Degerli, M. and Ozkan-Yildirim, S. (2020). Interpreting Group Differences of Relations among Success Factors for Wearable Medical Devices. 5th International Conference on Computer Science and Engineering.

4. Background and Motivation
• To draw additional conclusions, we applied partial least squares multi-
group analyses with Smart PLS
• To determine how degrees of relations among factors diverge
concerning different groups
• Gender, body mass index category, education status, generation’s category,
wearable use status, activity status, and income levels of the participants
Degerli, M. and Ozkan-Yildirim, S. (2020). Interpreting Group Differences of Relations among Success Factors for Wearable Medical Devices. 5th International Conference on Computer Science and Engineering.

5. Methodology
• A moderately original questionnaire was developed and deployed
• Data were collected from 1057 people
• We applied partial least squares multi-group (PLS-MGA) analyses with
Smart PLS to determine whether degrees of relations (paths) among
constructs diverge regarding different groups
• The main mechanism of the PLS-MGA process is that the subsamples
(groups) to be compared are exposed to distinct bootstrap explores,
and the bootstrap results function as a basis for the hypothesis tests
of relevant group differences
Degerli, M. and Ozkan-Yildirim, S. (2020). Interpreting Group Differences of Relations among Success Factors for Wearable Medical Devices. 5th International Conference on Computer Science and Engineering.

6. Data
Degerli, M. and Ozkan-Yildirim, S. (2020). Interpreting Group Differences of Relations among Success Factors for Wearable Medical Devices. 5th International Conference on Computer Science and Engineering.

7. Results
• There are nine significant differences concerning degrees of relations
among success factors for wearable medical devices
• Different groups based on gender, body mass index category,
education status, generation’s category, wearable use status, activity
status, and income levels of the participants
Degerli, M. and Ozkan-Yildirim, S. (2020). Interpreting Group Differences of Relations among Success Factors for Wearable Medical Devices. 5th International Conference on Computer Science and Engineering.

8. Results
• Relationship between perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness
significantly differs regarding men and women groups
• Women participants more firmly think that perceived ease of use
factor supports perceived usefulness
• One justification for this position may be that ease of use is
something more important for women, when compared to men
Degerli, M. and Ozkan-Yildirim, S. (2020). Interpreting Group Differences of Relations among Success Factors for Wearable Medical Devices. 5th International Conference on Computer Science and Engineering.

9. Results
• Association between promotion and perceived ease of use
statistically diverges concerning people with normal body mass index
and people with non-normal body mass index groups
• Participants with normal body mass index less firmly think that
promotion leads to perceived ease of use, when compared to
participants with non-normal body mass index (underweight,
overweight, or obesity)
• A potential explanation might be that people with normal body mass
index look for less need of a promotion for perceived ease of use
since they are somehow healthy and normal
Degerli, M. and Ozkan-Yildirim, S. (2020). Interpreting Group Differences of Relations among Success Factors for Wearable Medical Devices. 5th International Conference on Computer Science and Engineering.

10. Results
• Link between perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness
meaningfully varies concerning people with lower (primary and high
school) education and with higher (undergraduate degree, master’s
or doctorate) education
• Participants with lower education more resolutely think that
perceived ease of use empowers perceived usefulness to a greater
extent when compared to participants with higher education
• One reason for this may be that higher levels of education decrease
the need for ease of use for perceived usefulness to a certain extent
• Participants whose education status are primary or high school look
for more ease of use, stemmed from their lower education status
Degerli, M. and Ozkan-Yildirim, S. (2020). Interpreting Group Differences of Relations among Success Factors for Wearable Medical Devices. 5th International Conference on Computer Science and Engineering.

11. Results
• Connection between dependability and perceived usefulness
significantly diverges for boomers and millennials generation groups
• Millennial participants more resolutely think that dependability
advances perceived usefulness when compared to boomer
participants
• Boomers witnessed the development of technologies and
experienced them to a better extent, and they are more assured with
the present circumstances
• Since millennials are more unconvinced and they experienced the
established technologies only, they more decisively hunt for
dependability
Degerli, M. and Ozkan-Yildirim, S. (2020). Interpreting Group Differences of Relations among Success Factors for Wearable Medical Devices. 5th International Conference on Computer Science and Engineering.

12. Results
• Relationship between promotion and perceived usefulness
statistically fluctuates regarding boomers generation and generation X
groups
• Generation X need more promotion to decide on a higher degree of
perceived usefulness when compared to boomer participants
• May well be clarified with the boomer’s greater degree of life
experiences and given readiness
• Another justification for this case might be that generation X expect
more shreds of evidence and information to decide on the usefulness
Degerli, M. and Ozkan-Yildirim, S. (2020). Interpreting Group Differences of Relations among Success Factors for Wearable Medical Devices. 5th International Conference on Computer Science and Engineering.

13. Results
• Connection between dependability and perceived usefulness
meaningfully differs concerning millennials and generation X groups
• When compared to generation X, millennial participants more
resolutely think that dependability enhances perceived usefulness
• Might be triggered by that generation X witnessed the development
of technologies and experienced them from the very start, and this
may be leading that they are more confident with the current
situation
• As millennials are more skeptical and they only experienced the
moderately mature technologies, they more firmly look for
dependability
Degerli, M. and Ozkan-Yildirim, S. (2020). Interpreting Group Differences of Relations among Success Factors for Wearable Medical Devices. 5th International Conference on Computer Science and Engineering.

14. Results
• Association between user characteristics and attitude & behavioral
intention significantly diverges regarding non-users and users groups
• Participants who are not already using any of the wearable medical
devices more firmly think that user characteristics is important in
determining attitude & behavioral intention when compared to
people who are already using at least one wearable medical device
• May be a result of that people who are already using at least one
wearable medical device may already pose relevant user
characteristics and they did not specifically want to mention the
importance of user characteristics construct.
Degerli, M. and Ozkan-Yildirim, S. (2020). Interpreting Group Differences of Relations among Success Factors for Wearable Medical Devices. 5th International Conference on Computer Science and Engineering.

15. Results
• Relationship between promotion and perceived usefulness
significantly differs regarding people with no-activity/sports and
people with some amount of activity/sports groups
• Participants doing no activity or sports need more promotion to agree
on the degree of perceived usefulness when compared to participants
doing some sort of activity or sports
• May be explained with the given nature of people with activity/sports
as they are already motivated and promoted owing to that they do
some sort of activity or sports
Degerli, M. and Ozkan-Yildirim, S. (2020). Interpreting Group Differences of Relations among Success Factors for Wearable Medical Devices. 5th International Conference on Computer Science and Engineering.

16. Results
• Link between perceived ease of use factor and perceived usefulness
meaningfully differ concerning people with low-income level and
people with high-income groups
• Participants with low-income level more decisively think that
perceived ease of use construct sustains perceived usefulness
construct when compared to participants with high-income level
• Possible reason for this circumstance may be that people with low-
income level favor ease of use to a greater extent
• Lesser economic comfort might be causing this circumstance
Degerli, M. and Ozkan-Yildirim, S. (2020). Interpreting Group Differences of Relations among Success Factors for Wearable Medical Devices. 5th International Conference on Computer Science and Engineering.

17. Conclusions
• As a supplementary effort to our previous pertinent work, we
interpreted how degrees of relations among success factors for
wearable medical devices diverge based on different groups
• Gender, body mass index category, education status, generation’s
category, wearable use status, activity status, and income levels were
treated as different groups
• This paper and relevant interpretations moderately add to the
pertinent body of knowledge about how certain relations among
factors diverge on the subject of different groups
Degerli, M. and Ozkan-Yildirim, S. (2020). Interpreting Group Differences of Relations among Success Factors for Wearable Medical Devices. 5th International Conference on Computer Science and Engineering.

18. Conclusions
• Results are going to be valuable for scholars and product developers
• Other researchers may test or reuse our results and interpretations to
comprehend the relevant context better
• Might test our conclusions with their own samples, or they may ground their
own researches on some or all of our interpretations
• Product developers might use our interpretations to design, develop,
and refine products & services about different group dynamics and
realities
• Professionals are to be able to know how to exploit certain main factors
concerning other factors in development and marketing processes
Degerli, M. and Ozkan-Yildirim, S. (2020). Interpreting Group Differences of Relations among Success Factors for Wearable Medical Devices. 5th International Conference on Computer Science and Engineering.

19. Conclusions
• As a further step and future study, our results and interpretations
might be refined through semi-structured interviews with relevant
people representing the pertinent groups
• This sort of effort will not only prove or refute our interpretations but
also help scholars distill further and in-depth particulars to
understand the relevant context better
Degerli, M. and Ozkan-Yildirim, S. (2020). Interpreting Group Differences of Relations among Success Factors for Wearable Medical Devices. 5th International Conference on Computer Science and Engineering.

20. Dr. Mustafa Degerli and Dr. Sevgi Ozkan Yildirim
mustafa.degerli@metu.edu.tr - sevgiozk@metu.edu.tr
Degerli, M. and Ozkan-Yildirim, S. (2020). Interpreting Group Differences of Relations among Success Factors for Wearable Medical Devices. 5th International Conference on Computer Science and Engineering.