Purpose Smart home technologies (SHTs) are the latest Internet of Things (IoT) trend in India and have very few empirical and theoretical studies in their early stages. This study demonstrates how user-perceived attributes of IoT-enabled SHTs (empathy, friendliness, responsiveness and convenience) influence user autonomy and competence, which in turn affect techno-stress. This study also investigates the impact of techno-stress on user decision fatigue. Additionally, this research aims to reveal the mediating role of techno-stress in the relationship between user-perceived attributes of IoT-enabled smart home devices and users' autonomy and competence. Design/methodology/approach The study analysed data from an online survey of 540 participants using structured equation modelling (AMOS-SEM). Findings The findings indicate that user-perceived attributes of IoT-enabled SHTs (empathy, friendliness, responsiveness and convenience) significantly and negatively affect users' sense of autonomy and competence, which subsequently generates techno-stress. Moreover, results show that techno-stress influences decision fatigue among users. Also, the mediation analysis indicates that user autonomy and user competency both significantly mediate the relationship between all service quality dimensions (empathy, friendliness, responsiveness and convenience) and techno-stress. Originality/value This study presents a unique perspective by analysing smart home technology devices from the customers' point of view. The paper presents new insights into how users' perceptions of IoT-enabled SHTs influence their autonomy, competency and subsequent techno-stress, thereby enhancing their understanding of user experience in technology-driven home settings. Marketers and IoT companies could benefit from these insights, helping them develop more human-centric SHTs.
Bharti et al. (Fri,) studied this question.
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