Value dimensions of digital applications and services: the example of voice assistants

This paper provides a joint perspective of activity theory (AT) and service-dominant logic (SDL) to understand the role of customer activity, which has largely remained unexplored in investigating service ecosystems. The research question is how user activities, as described in AT, can be integrated into the theoretical framework for service systems provided by SDL to explain users’ specific value creation in digital applications. We use value creation to synthesise AT and SDL, integrating the focus of AT on human activities and the service perspective of SDL. This synthesised theory reveals dimensions of customer value: dematerialisation, objectification, institutionalisation, modularisation and platformisation. These dimensions are applied to voice assistants, as an example of a smart application with significant user interaction. Hereby, the paper contributes to research on customer experience of digital applications. It shows how the service dimensions add value to digital applications and supports systematic design of smart service systems.