Glossary/Strategy & Frameworks/Technology Adoption Lifecycle
Strategy & Frameworks
Technology Adoption Lifecycle
A bell-curve model of adopter groups, from innovators to laggards, originating in Joe Bohlen and George Beal's 1957 Iowa State farm research.
By Brandon Mina·CEO, BrandPilot AI·Updated November 2026
Short answer
The Technology Adoption Lifecycle is a bell-curve model of adopter groups, from innovators and early adopters to the early majority, late majority and laggards. It originated in Joe Bohlen and George Beal's 1957 Iowa State research on farmers. Marketers use it to tailor messaging and strategy to each group's attitudes toward new products.