Older people as early adopters: rejuvenation of the e-bike

Abstract

Older people are mostly viewed as belonging to the late majority or even laggards and are considered to have a higher threshold for adopting new technologies. Nevertheless, the adoption of the e-bike started with old people and diffused among increasingly younger users. This thesis investigated how this trend can be explained by looking at the e-bike developers’ age-related user representations on the prospective user and how this influenced the age script, the characteristics of the technology that enables or constrains the user, and design of the e-bike. Interviews and analysis of additional sources such as brochures and websites were the main source of information for this explorative case study. Limited technological options resulted in an e-bike with a strong age script, as the electric support was highly visible. This e-bike was mostly adopted by older people with disabilities. Eventually innovation and slightly younger user representations weakened the age script by concealing the electric support, resulting in adoption by retirees. Thereafter, user representations of commuters and parents were developed to target this younger customer market. This resulted in different e-bike designs with a younger age script. This trend in rejuvenation of design and user representations seems to continue even to teenagers. This thesis shows that firms take into account the differences among younger and older users to developed technologies which meet their needs. Developing age-related user representations which result in specific age scripts is thus useful. Concluding, technologies can be developed from a niche where older people are the innovators and early adopters, and rejuvenate from there.