Introduction: “Once Upon a TAM”

The chapter delves into Fred’s retrospective account of developing the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), shedding light on the model’s conceptualization process. In the 1980s, the prevalent challenge of high rejection rates for new systems led to the belief that predicting user acceptance might be an unsolvable problem. TAM challenged this notion, asserting that consistent prediction, explanation and improvement of user acceptance are indeed achievable. The model’s success was attributed to advancements in theory and measurement. To enhance contemporary attitude theory, the centralization of attitude toward using a target system was crucial. Attitude, causally connected to intention and behaviour, played a key role in predicting usage. However, for the model to explain why individuals develop positive or negative attitudes toward system use, identifying pertinent beliefs or perceptions was necessary. TAM identified two key overlooked drivers of user acceptance – perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. These beliefs act as determinants of attitude, creating links in the causal chain connecting system design features to user acceptance. They form the core of the original model and remain at its heart. The resulting TAM model proved remarkably effective, initiating extensive subsequent research supporting its predictive and explanatory capabilities. TAM stands as the leading model for predicting and explaining user acceptance.