Unpacking the 5 Core Attributes of Innovation Diffusion Theory: Trialability

As we reach the end of this series, we explore the penultimate concept of “Trialability” as described by Everett Rogers in his book: Diffusion of innovations. 

“Trialability” is defined as: “the degree to which an innovation can be experimented with on a limited basis”

As consumers or corporate buyers, deciding to use a new technology or pursue a new idea may come with a sense of uncertainty and risk. Allowing users to test/ trial the technology or idea with little to no cost to themselves can reduce uncertainty significantly and accelerate the uptake process. 

It also helps users create a solid experiential understanding of the technology/ idea as it relates to core advantages, disadvantages, and potential. (This new understanding is then naturally compared to the existing options to find the “Relative Advantage”- a concept covered earlier in this series.) Turning back to Everett’s original writing on this, “the trialability of an innovation … is positively related to its rate of adoption”

We experience “Trialability” repeatedly in our physical and digital lives. From free samples handed out in shopping centers, to the free limited-time trials available for most ‘Software-as-a-Service’ (“SaaS”) solutions, we don’t have to look far for good examples.

In previous articles, we used examples of new technology or innovations that demonstrated each attribute's power in accelerating its uptake. For “Trialability,” however, we’d like to explore the inverse, i.e., how technologies with a low trialability (i.e., hard to trial) can slow down their uptake (i.e., its rate of adoption).

In recent years, a variety of what could be termed  “Deep Tech” startups have emerged and gained some traction. These companies focus on advanced science and engineering breakthroughs. The blanket term covers wide-ranging technologies, including advanced materials, biotech, and photonics engineering.  

A close cousin to photonics (and darling of the deep tech space), quantum computing has garnered a total announced funding of approximately USD 31 billion since 2001. A recent survey by ESG Global showed that only 11% of respondents were piloting quantum technology for a few applications. The technology offers great potential but is understandably complex and notably experiencing a shortage of critical skills to take adoption to the next level. Without sufficient understanding of impact and risk, even trial versions of the technology may not be enough to mitigate buyers' feelings of uncertainty and risk.

It will be interesting to see how quantum technology is adopted in the near future and how these attributes of diffusion affect buyer/ user decision-making. For now, it seems that “Trialability” may not be the answer to wide-scale adoption - but we will definitely be keeping an eye on the trend.

The following article in this series focuses on the last attribute of Roger’s theory, “Observability.” Follow Ulysses Partners on LinkedIn to be notified of this publication.