Influential Factors of Smart Health Users according to Usage Experience and Intention to Use

As the use of smartphones and applications has increased, the use of healthcare applications also has increased. In the burgeoning applications market, research regarding customers' characteristics is necessary for the development of specific application products or services that fulfill customers' various needs. This study aimed to analyze the characteristics of and differences in the influential factors of healthcare application use among smartphone users. A survey was conducted in 300 adults from September 16 to October 15, 2011. The research subjects were categorized into three groups, depending on their usage experience and intention to use healthcare applications. We analyzed the characteristics of each group and the differences in influential factors among the groups. The healthcare application users were female, older than 30 years old, and more educated. The current customers had high levels of self-efficacy and innovativeness. Perceived usefulness negatively affected to actual use of healthcare applications, and both perceived ease of use and enjoyment positively influenced on intention to use. Therefore, developers and managers of healthcare applications should consider these characteristics of current and potential customers to improve adoption of healthcare applications.