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Comparing utilitarian and hedonic usefulness to user intention in multipurpose information systems
Ja-Chul Gu1, Liu Fan, Yung Ho Suh
1Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking
|June 19, 2010
Summary
This study differentiates utilitarian and hedonic usefulness in information systems, finding both impact user acceptance. Employees prioritize utilitarian benefits, while students value hedonic aspects in instant messaging adoption.
Area of Science:
- Information Systems
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Technology Acceptance Models
Background:
- Information systems possess both utilitarian (productivity) and hedonic (entertainment) attributes.
- Perceived usefulness (PU) is often treated monolithically, potentially limiting understanding of user acceptance.
- Instant messaging (IM) systems exemplify multipurpose information systems with both utilitarian and hedonic characteristics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the distinct roles of perceived utilitarian usefulness (PUU) and perceived hedonic usefulness (PHU) in user acceptance models.
- To differentiate the impact of PUU and PHU on the intention to use information systems.
- To compare user acceptance drivers between distinct user groups (students and employees) for instant messaging.
Main Methods:
- The study proposes a refined user acceptance model incorporating separate PUU and PHU constructs.
- Instant messaging (IM) was selected as the target information system due to its dual utilitarian and hedonic nature.
- Comparative analysis was conducted between student users (hedonic focus) and employee users (utilitarian focus).
Main Results:
- The proposed model, distinguishing between PUU and PHU, demonstrates greater effectiveness than traditional models.
- Both perceived utilitarian usefulness and perceived hedonic usefulness significantly influence the intention to use.
- Employees' intention to use IM is more strongly influenced by PUU, whereas students' intention is more influenced by PHU.
Conclusions:
- Distinguishing between utilitarian and hedonic usefulness provides a more nuanced understanding of information system acceptance.
- User acceptance of multipurpose systems like IM is contingent on the interplay between utilitarian and hedonic benefits.
- Tailoring system design and marketing to specific user groups' priorities (utilitarian vs. hedonic) can enhance adoption.
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