Driven by advanced voice interaction technology, the voice-user interface (VUI) has gained popularity in recent years. VUI has been integrated into various devices in the context of the smart home system. In comparison with traditional interaction methods, VUI provides multiple benefits. VUI allows for hands-free and eyes-free interaction. It also enables users to perform multiple tasks while interacting. Moreover, as VUI is highly similar to a natural conversation in daily lives, it is intuitive to learn. The advantages provided by VUI are particularly beneficial to older adults, who suffer from decreases in physical and cognitive abilities, which hinder their interaction with electronic devices through traditional methods. However, the factors that influence older adults’ adoption of VUI remain unknown. This study addresses this research gap by proposing a conceptual model. On the basis of the technology adoption model (TAM) and the senior technology adoption model (STAM), this study considers the characteristic of VUI and the characteristic of older adults through incorporating the construct of trust and aging-related characteristics (i.e., perceived physical conditions, mobile self-efficacy, technology anxiety, self-actualization). A survey was designed and conducted. A total of 420 Chinese older adults participated in this survey, and they were current or potential users of VUI. Through structural equation modeling, data were analyzed. Results showed a good fit with the proposed conceptual model. Path analysis revealed that three factors determine Chinese older adults’ adoption of VUI: perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and trust. Aging-related characteristics also influence older adults’ adoption of VUI, but they are mediated by perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and trust. Specifically, mobile self-efficacy is demonstrated to positively influence trust and perceived ease of use but negatively influence perceived usefulness. Self-actualization exhibits positive influences on perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. Technology anxiety only exerts influence on perceived ease of use in a marginal way. No significant influences of perceived physical conditions were found. This study extends the TAM and STAM by incorporating additional variables to explain Chinese older adults’ adoption of VUI. These results also provide valuable implications for developing suitable VUI for older adults as well as planning actionable communication strategies for promoting VUI among Chinese older adults.

Transparency is a design characteristic enabling consumers to see the technical details underneath the product cover to create a unique visual effect. However, involving transparency in product design increases costs; it is thus essential to investigate the effects of transparency to help designers and manufacturers to determine the cost-effect ratio. To address this gap, this study investigates the effects of transparency on consumer attitude and their perceptions of experience and credence attributes (i.e. technological advancement, performance quality, ease of use). Through a controlled experimental design (N = 126), this study compared consumer responses between products with transparent and opaque covers in two product categories. The results revealed that products with transparent covers significantly improve consumers’ perceptions of technological advancement and performance quality, and attitude in comparison to opaque covers. Results also revealed that the effects of transparency differ between consumers depending on their design acumen. The effects of transparency on consumers’ perceptions and attitude are stronger for consumers with high design acumen. The practical implications and theoretical contributions of the study are discussed.

Generation Z, as the first generation growing up in the environment of globalization, has emerged as a new important consumer group worldwide. Compared with other generations, members of Generation Z possess some notable characteristics such as lower brand loyalty and less interest in mainstream products. Meanwhile, they also display a strong tendency to nostalgia, which has been a widelyused theme in marketing and proved to enhance consumers' brand attitudes and purchasing intentions. Based on the unique preferences and needs of Generation Z, this study explored the innovative strategy of nostalgia-driven design of brand spokes-characters and related digitalization, which are popular design elements in brand promotion and advertising. Through a multi-method qualitative approach (including user interviews, creative exercises, and content analysis), it provided important consumer insights into the attitudes of Generation Z on brand spokes-characters that can trigger nostalgia, as well as their preferences for design strategies focusing on two types of nostalgia, i.e., personal nostalgia and historical nostalgia. Given the special preference of Generation Z for story-based brand spokes-characters, this study also emphasized the value of advanced digital media technology for creating truly nostalgic story scenes that could continue to impress consumers. Such findings have formed an important basis for ongoing quantitative studies that further examine the effectiveness of nostalgia-driven design for Generation Z.

BACKGROUND The COVID-19 lockdowns led to significant resource constraints, potentially impacting mental health and decision-making behaviors. Understanding the psychological and behavioral consequences could inform designing interventions to mitigate the negative impacts of episodic scarcity during crises like pandemics. OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of perceived scarcity on mental health (stress and fear), cognitive functioning, time and risk preferences (present bias and risk aversion), and trade-offs between groceries, health, and temptation goods during and after the COVID-19 lockdown in Shanghai. METHODS A quasi-natural experiment was conducted in Shanghai during and after the COVID-19 lockdown. Online surveys were administered in May 2022 (during lockdown) and September 2022 (post-lockdown). Propensity Score Matching (PSM) was used to balance demographic factors between the groups (During: n=332; After: n=339). Data were analyzed using regression analyses, controlling for potential confounders. RESULTS Perceived scarcity was significantly higher during the lockdown (mean=7.97) than after (mean=4.35; P<.001). Higher perceived scarcity was associated with increased stress levels both during (β=0.62, P<.001) and after the lockdown (β=0.65, P<.001). While cognitive functioning remained stable, possibly due to a ceiling effect from high education levels, monetary risk aversion increased under prolonged scarcity during lockdown (interaction β=4.68, P<.001). During lockdown, participants allocated more budget to groceries (β=0.67, P=.01) and less to health items (β=-0.61, P=.02). CONCLUSIONS The study highlights that perceived scarcity during lockdown intensified stress and altered decision-making behaviors, including increased monetary risk aversion and shifts in spending priorities. Theoretically, this study advances the understanding of perceived scarcity by exploring its domain-specific effects on mental health and decision-making. Practically, these findings emphasize the need for public health strategies that mitigate the psychological impact of scarcity during crises, ensure access to essential goods, and support adaptive decision-making behaviors.