Process Knowledge in the Innovation-Decision Period

Current diffusion of innovations theory states that knowledge is a key first stage in the adoptive process of an innovation. However, the fact that different types of knowledge may be relevant to different adopter categories does not appear to have been investigated. In this study, the concept of process knowledge is introduced into the adoptive process of an innovation. The study object was digital terrestrial television (DTT). Data were gathered at eight data gathering points in an 18-month study period. Three different types of process knowledge were identified at different stages: the help knowledge stage, the customer participation knowledge stage, and the interaction knowledge stage. In this study, it is suggested that the following three questions are the ones that majority adopters and laggards want to be answered in the knowledge stage: (1) What is the innovation? (2) What do I need to do to adopt? and (3) Who can help me in the adoptive process? With answers to these questions, consumers have the knowledge that may help speed up the rate of adoption of an innovation. This has practical implications in communication management, for instance, for change agents who are framing messages.