A Scale to Assess Consumer Perceptions of Technology Product Inclusivity: Development and Validation

• Carmen Van Ommen

  Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

  Author

• Barbara S. Chaparro, PhD

  Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

  Author

• Joseph Keebler, PhD

  Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

  Author

• Sanjay Batra

  Google

  Author

• Mei Lu

  Google

  Author

Consumers are increasingly loyal to brands that are inclusive of them and their values, which promotes a sense of belonging. The goal of inclusive design is to design for the widest population possible; however, technology product inclusivity is a multifaceted concept that reflects consumer experience with a product, perceptions of trust, and ways to satisfy psychological needs. Technology products that foster a sense of belonging may promote perceptions of product quality, satisfaction, and usability. Although many measurement scales have been developed to assess consumer perceptions of technology products, no published scales exist to assess consumer perceptions of product inclusivity. The authors of this article adhered to best practices in scale development to generate an item pool based on a literature review, expert review, pilot studies, exploratory factor analysis (EFA; N = 785), and two confirmatory factor analyses (CFA; N = 677; CFA II; N = 588). We refined an initial pool of 194 items to a 25-item scale. Factor analyses indicate 5 factors contribute to the perceptions of product inclusivity: Personal Connection, Product Challenges, Confidence in Usage, Meets Expectations, and Company Empathy. The goal of developing this scale is to allow companies and product designers to measure how inclusive their technology product is, as well as to gain insight into areas of inclusivity that excel or could be improved.

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1. Carmen Van Ommen, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

   Carmen Van Ommen is a doctoral candidate at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Her research focuses on accessibility, gaming, and usability. She works within the Research in User eXperience (RUX) Lab, and her recent work includes evaluating video game satisfaction for people with disabilities and the user experience of adaptive game controllers.

2. Barbara S. Chaparro, PhD, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

   Dr. Barbara S. Chaparro is a Professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and head of the Research in User eXperience (RUX) Lab. Her research interests include the study of factors that influence the user experience (UX) of products, software and systems, the investigation of usability assessment methods, and the efficacy of augmented/mixed reality devices and applications.

3. Joseph Keebler, PhD, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

   Dr. Joseph Keebler, PhD, is a professor of Human Factors at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and is the director of the Small Teams Analog Research (STAR) lab. His research focuses on training, simulation, and teamwork within high-risk domains like aviation and medicine.

4. Sanjay Batra, Google

   Sanjay Batra is a UX Research Manager and Accessibility Specialist at Google, with over 25 years of experience in consumer hardware and software research. His work centers on crafting inclusive products and experiences. He puts inclusion at the core of team culture, people, and processes, and is actively involved in inclusive hardware design for Pixel and Nest products.

5. Mei Lu, Google

   Mei Lu has over 20 years of experience in User Experience research. She is currently a UX Research Lead at Google, working on the Design for All team.