“Does my dog really need a gadget?” - What can we learn from pet owners' amotivations for using pet wearables?

Pet wearables increasing popularity on the market places them also in the spotlight of ACI research. Recent studies have shown that they have the potential to impact the human-pet bond, improve caregiving and increase the motivation of owners' for physical exercising with their pets. Thus pet wearables provide pets with a 'digital voice' to speak up about their needs more clearly. Despite this benefit, the adoption rate of pet wearables nowhere near that of human wearables. This paper aims to better understand the barriers towards their adoption. To this end, we present the results of a study (N=200) with pet owners investigating their amotivations, e.g., reasons for not purchasing or using a pet wearable. Our findings indicate that users are first and foremost focused on cost and durability of the devices. We present a detailed qualitative analysis of the different reasons that pet owners hold, visualizing them as a map of trade-offs that pet owners consider. Finally, we reflect on our findings in the context of the ACI agenda.