Technology Adoption Lifecycle
The stages through which different user groups adopt new technologies over time.
Also known as: Adoption lifecycle, Tech adoption curve, Rogers adoption curve
Category: Concepts
Tags: innovations, adoption, technologies, marketing, users
Explanation
The technology adoption lifecycle describes distinct stages through which new technologies are adopted by different user segments. Based on Rogers' diffusion research, it identifies: Innovators (technology enthusiasts, pursue new tech for its own sake), Early Adopters (visionaries, see strategic potential), Early Majority (pragmatists, want proven solutions), Late Majority (conservatives, adopt when necessary), and Laggards (skeptics, adopt only when unavoidable). Each segment has different needs: innovators want access, early adopters want competitive advantage, early majority want references and support, late majority want standards and simplicity, laggards want elimination of alternatives. Marketing, messaging, and product design must evolve across these stages. The lifecycle helps: time market entry, design appropriate products for each stage, and understand where technologies are in their adoption curve. For knowledge workers, lifecycle awareness helps: evaluate when to adopt new tools, understand why technologies succeed or fail, and communicate appropriately with different adopter types.
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