The Effect of Robo-taxi User Experience on User Acceptance: Field Test Data Analysis

TL;DR

This study analyzes real-world Robo-taxi user experience data from Seoul and Daejeon to identify key factors influencing user acceptance, highlighting the importance of travel experience and emotional responses.

Contribution

It provides the first statistical analysis of actual Robo-taxi service experiences, offering insights for design and marketing strategies to enhance user acceptance.

Findings

Traveling experience significantly impacts user acceptance.

Emotions like cutting-edge perception and apprehension influence acceptance.

Structural equation modeling reveals causal relationships.

Abstract

With the advancement of self-driving technology, the commercialization of Robo-taxi services is just a matter of time. However, there is some skepticism regarding whether such taxi services will be successfully accepted by real customers due to perceived safety-related concerns; therefore, studies focused on user experience have become more crucial. Although many studies statistically analyze user experience data obtained by surveying individuals' perceptions of Robo-taxi or indirectly through simulators, there is a lack of research that statistically analyzes data obtained directly from actual Robo-taxi service experiences. Accordingly, based on the user experience data obtained by implementing a Robo-taxi service in the downtown of Seoul and Daejeon in South Korea, this study quantitatively analyzes the effect of user experience on user acceptance through structural equation modeling and path analysis. We also obtained balanced and highly valid insights by reanalyzing meaningful causal relationships obtained through statistical models based on in-depth interview results. Results revealed that the experience of the traveling stage had the greatest effect on user acceptance, and the cutting edge of the service and apprehension of technology were emotions that had a great effect on user acceptance. Based on these findings, we suggest guidelines for the design and marketing of future Robo-taxi services.