Technology adoption in smart agricultural waste management among farmers: The role of simplicity and gamification

Innovative smart technologies are essential for managing agricultural waste effectively, but farmers' adoption of such approaches is still difficult. Here, we provide a fresh viewpoint by differentiating how farmers react to simplicity-oriented versus gamification-oriented designs in smart agricultural waste management systems. Extending TAM by adding user satisfaction (US) as an additional element, we use the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to investigate how farmers' intention to use (IU) is influenced by perceived ease of use (PEOU), perceived usefulness (PU), user satisfaction (US), and attitude towards use (AT). The findings show that, especially for task-intensive agricultural activities, simplicity-driven platform designs raise PU and IU by reducing cognitive load. On the other hand, while gamification components significantly increase US and farmer involvement, their impact on perceived usability and general adoption is more constrained. User experience is therefore fundamental in influencing technology acceptance since we also found that US directly drives AT, which then raises IU. A multi-group study shows that various farmer profiles respond differently to simplicity and gamification, so stressing the need of implementation plans that fit user characteristics. This work provides legislators and platform developers with sensible ideas in general; it favors hybrid design concepts that maximize technology adoption by striking a balance between usability and participation. By means of particular adoption patterns, our work contributes to the continuous debate on digital transformation in sustainable agriculture. • Simplicity and gamification impact adoption of smart agricultural waste management platforms. • Simplicity-focused designs enhance perceived usefulness and intention to use by reducing cognitive load. • Gamification features increase user satisfaction and engagement but have a weaker effect on adoption. • Multi-group analysis shows simplicity-focused designs are more effective for task-intensive farming. • Hybrid design strategies can optimize usability and engagement for diverse farming needs.