“It Sounds Useful, but I’m Not Sure How”: Understanding Social Workers’ Adoption of Digital Design Thinking Through the UTAUT Model

Abstract

In the rapidly evolving social work environment, integrating Digital Design Thinking (DDT) presents a groundbreaking approach to enhancing service delivery and client outcomes. This study investigated the adoption of DDT in social work practice. Employing a descriptive quantitative research design guided by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model, this study analyzed data from structured surveys of 104 social workers in Oman. Ordinal logistic regression identified performance expectancy and facilitating conditions as pivotal factors influencing the adoption of DDT, reflecting the importance of perceived utility and organizational support. Social influence emerged as a significant contributor, highlighting the impact of peer and leadership encouragement, while effort expectancy posed a barrier, emphasizing the need for user-friendly implementation to ensure successful integration. While most participants acknowledged the potential usefulness of the DDT, many expressed uncertainty about how to implement it effectively in practice, highlighting a gap between perceived value and practical understanding. These findings underscore the need for strategic interventions, including fostering supportive organizational environments, promoting leadership advocacy, and designing user-friendly tools to optimize DDT implementation in social work practice.