In-person Interaction and Adoption of a New Digital Technology: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial

Last registered on September 01, 2025
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
In-person Interaction and Adoption of a New Digital Technology: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0016623
Initial registration date
August 27, 2025

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
September 01, 2025, 3:22 PM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Nikita Sangwan
Affiliation
Queens University Belfast
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Wifag Adnan
PI Affiliation
NYUAD
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2025-05-31
End date
2026-12-31
Keywords
Behavior, Gender, Labor
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial is based on or builds upon one or more prior RCTs.
Abstract
We test whether richer, in-person contact increases take-up and sustained use of a new digital technology relative to a remote-only approach. We measure adoption and usage over a month post-intervention using administrative data and follow-up surveys. The experiment identifies whether face-to-face engagement reduces frictions such as distrust, low digital confidence, or comprehension barriers that impede technology adoption.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Adnan, Wifag and Nikita Sangwan. 2025. "In-person Interaction and Adoption of a New Digital Technology: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial." AEA RCT Registry. September 01. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.16623-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
We test whether richer, in-person contact increases take-up and sustained use of a new digital technology relative to a remote-only approach. We measure adoption and usage over a month post-intervention using administrative data and follow-up surveys. The experiment identifies whether face-to-face engagement reduces frictions such as distrust, low digital confidence, or comprehension barriers that impede technology adoption.
Intervention Start Date
2025-05-31
Intervention End Date
2025-09-05

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Engagement in terms of joining the whatsapp group, attending online training sessions and creating an account on platform.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Usage intensity and retention of the platform activity.
Time-to-adoption: days from first contact to first qualifying action.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Two-arm RCT with equal assignment probability to either treatment arms.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Our sample comprises respondents from the three governorates of Amman, Irbid, and Zarqa. Random assignment is stratified at the regional level. Computerized randomization in office using reproducible seed in Stata18 with stratification. This allocation list was provided to implementing partners.
Randomization Unit
Locality level randomisation
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
75 Localities
Sample size: planned number of observations
800
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
35 clusters in control and 40 clusters in treatment.
8-20 individuals per locality (depending on the size of the locality)
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
NYU-AD
IRB Approval Date
2025-04-14
IRB Approval Number
HRPP-2024-38
Analysis Plan