Radical innovations such as surgical robots, AI assistants, and autonomous vehicles are rapidly finding their way into everyday life. At the same time, these technologies often evoke uncertainty and resistance among consumers. Professor of Consumer Behavior Femke van Horen therefore focuses on a crucial yet so far underexplored question: how much similarity to existing objects or products is needed for innovations to be accepted more quickly - and when does similarity actually backfire?
Van Horen builds on the idea that similarity can help reduce uncertainty and perceived risk, but that too much similarity can also lead to rejection. In robotics, this phenomenon is known as the uncanny valley: robots that are almost, but not quite, human are often experienced as unsettling. She goes beyond this observation by systematically investigating, with the help of a newly developed tool, when similarity is most optimal, for whom, and in which contexts.
From operating room to newspaper
One important area of research is healthcare. In future hospitals, robotic arms will increasingly become part of surgical teams. Whereas existing research mainly focuses on technical performance such as speed and precision, Van Horen examines patients’ experiences. By asking participants to imagine an operation performed by robot arms that resemble a human hand to varying degrees, she investigates how similarity influences trust, attitudes, and acceptance. The results are intended to contribute to greater confidence among consumers in undergoing surgery and to higher satisfaction with the treatment.
This question also plays a role in the media sector. AI voices and chatbots are increasingly used for customer service and news consumption. By systematically varying pronunciation and accent in AI voices, Van Horen studies how human a voice needs to sound to be perceived as pleasant and trustworthy. She looks not only at appreciation, but also such appreciation leads to concrete action, such as readers’ willingness to take out a newspaper subscription.
Making healthier alternatives more attractive
Van Horen also focuses on products that are promoted as healthier or less harmful alternatives, such as meat substitutes, e-cigarettes, or non-alcoholic beverages. Should these products resemble the original as closely as possible, or are lower levels of similarity more optimal? When a product’s lower similarity does not create the expectation that the experience will be the same as the original, it may be less disappointing and therefore more likely to be purchased again. By testing how sensory similarities influence consumers’ expectations and satisfaction, she aims to contribute to more effective design strategies that make healthier choices more appealing.
Faster acceptance of technology
These insights help designers, companies, and policymakers shape innovations in ways that better align with human perceptions and expectations. This can lead to faster acceptance of technologies that improve healthcare, make services more accessible, and encourage healthier behaviour. Van Horen’s research shows that we must search for the “sweet spot” of similarity, depending on the type of consumer and the context. In doing so, it challenges the prevailing assumption that radical innovations should be the same as what already exists.
At a time when technological progress goes hand in hand with growing distrust and scepticism toward science, Van Horen’s research underscores the importance of an open and adaptive approach in which existing assumptions are critically examined. By better understanding how people deal with radical innovations, she demonstrates that successful innovation is not only about what is technologically possible, but also about what consumers are willing to accept. Ultimately, it is consumers who determine whether an innovation is adopted and finds its way into society.
Femke van Horen will give her inaugural lecture on 23 January at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
Photo: Patrick Siemons