This research paper examines the adoption of digital services for the
vaccination in the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. Based on a survey in
Germany's federal state with the highest vaccination rate, which used
digital vaccination services, its platform configuration and adoption
barriers are analyzed to understand existing and future levers for
optimizing vaccination success. Though technological adoption and
resistance models have been originally developed for consumer goods
markets, this study gives empirical evidence for the applicability of an
adjusted model explaining platform adoption for vaccination services in
special and for digital health services in general. In this model, the
configuration areas personalization, communication, and data management
have a remarkable effect to lower adoption barriers, but only functional
and psychological factors affect the adoption intention. Above all, the
usability barrier stands out with the strongest effect while the
often-cited value barrier is not significant at all. Personalization is
found to be the most important factor for managing the usability barrier
and thus for addressing the needs, preferences, situation, and
ultimately the adoption of the citizens as users. Implications are given
for policy makers and managers in such pandemic crisis to focus on the
click flow and server-to-human interaction rather than emphasizing value
messages or touching traditional factors.