The Impact of Functional Characteristics of IoT-Based Smart Home Products on User Satisfaction and Continued Usage Intention

The advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, driven by the advancement of the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), has brought significant changes to residential environments and accelerated the growth of the smart home market. While smart homes provide diverse values beyond mere convenience such as quality of life improvement, energy efficiency, and safety assurance prior studies have largely focused on general factors of technology acceptance, with relatively limited attention to the concrete functional characteristics affecting user experience and satisfaction. This study aims to empirically examine how the functional characteristics of IoT-based smart home products influence user satisfaction and continued usage intention. Specifically, ease of use, controllability, interoperability, safety, and innovativeness were set as independent variables, user satisfaction as a mediating variable, and continued usage intention as a dependent variable. Data were collected through an online survey of actual smart home users, yielding 197 valid responses, which were analyzed using SmartPLS 4.0. The results demonstrate that all five functional characteristics significantly and positively affect user satisfaction, with interoperability emerging as the most influential factor. Moreover, user satisfaction positively impacts continued usage intention, indicating that functional attributes are not merely technical elements but critical determinants shaping users’ psychological and behavioral responses. Academically, this study contributes by extending the scope of smart home technology acceptance research through identifying structural pathways between functional characteristics, user satisfaction, and behavioral intention. Practically, the findings highlight the importance for firms to enhance ease of use, strengthen device interoperability, ensure data security, and pursue innovative value creation as part of user-centered strategies. Ultimately, the study provides both theoretical foundations and practical insights for fostering the sustainable growth of the smart home industry.