Guided by the Technology Acceptance Model, we varied study characteristics in a vignette experiment to examine their effect on individuals’ willingness to download a research app on their smartphone.

This study explored factors influencing individuals’ willingness to participate in smartphone-based data collection methods. Findings indicate that participants are more likely to engage when they have control over data collection, can review data before submission, receive invitations via postal letters instead of phone calls, and are offered unconditional incentives rather than conditional ones.