Hedonic vs Utilitarian No.1

I. Title & Reference:

Van der Heijden, H. (2004). User acceptance of hedonic information systems. MIS quarterly, 695-704. (Google scholar 기준 3020회 citation)

II. Objective of research

This research note develops a parallel argument that what shapes intentions to use is dependent on the utilitarian or hedonic nature of the information system.

• first shows how the hedonic nature of a system affects the TAM model
• note then proceeds with an empirical study in which the TAM model is applied to a hedonic system.

III. Findings:

1. Dominant paradigm in this area of research is rooted in Davis’ technology acceptance model (TAM) (Davis 1989; Davis et al. 1989)

   • user acceptance can be explained by two beliefs: perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use.
   • Perceived usefulness: degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would enhance his or her job performance
   • perceived ease of use: the degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would be free of effort
   • perceived enjoyment: the extent to which the activity of using the computer is perceived to be enjoyable in its own right, apart from any performance consequences that may be anticipated”

2. Hedonic systems aim to provide self-fulfilling value to to the user. Utilitarian systems, which aim to provide instrumental value to the user. (instrumental value = such as increasing task performance.)

3. Objective of a utilitarian information system is to increase the user’s task performance while encouraging efficiency.

   • align system functionality with task requirements/ provide as little distraction as possible to help the user perform his or her task
   • dominant design objective is productive use.

4. The value of a hedonic system is a function of the degree to which the user experiences fun when using the system.

   • inclusion of hedonic content, animated images, a focus on colors, sounds, and esthetically appealing visual layouts
   • The dominant design objective is to encourage prolonged use.

5. User acceptance is determined by two fundamental types of motivation: Extrinsic and Intrinsic Extrinsic: Reward / Intrinsic: interaction을 통해 얻는 benefit (Fun)

6. Perceived Usefulness = Improving Job performance (outside benefit ) = extrinsic motivation Perceived Enjoyment = fun (from using the system) = intrinsic motivation.

   • extrinsic motivation to be the dominant predictor of intentions to use the system- at the expense of intrinsic motivation.
   • intrinsic motivation to be the dominant predictor of intentions to use the system- at the expense of extrinsic motivation.

7. Perceived enjoyment strongly influenced Web use for entertainment purposes and perceived usefulness strongly influenced Web use for course-related purposes.
   Perceived enjoyment will play a more dominant role in home environments, and perceived usefulness will be more dominant in workplace environments.

8. in completing utilitarian tasks, the interaction with the system is subordinate to the achievement of external goals. Perceived ease of use is less central to the prediction of intentions to use a system than perceived usefulness

   • in the context of hedonic systems, , the achievement of external goals is subordinate to using the system itself. perceived ease of use is more central to the prediction of intentions to use a system than perceived usefulness

9. Experiment: Dutch movie Website that presented itself to its visitors as an “innovative platform for everybody who loves cinema, watches movies and has a passion for moving images” / measure intentions to use / TAM2 scale

10. perceived enjoyment and perceived ease of use are stronger determinants of intention to use a hedonic information system than perceived usefulness.

• that if the purpose is to provide hedonic, rather than utilitarian, value, then the predictive importance of the determinants changes
• Perceived ease of use plays a pivotal role in the user acceptance of hedonic information system
• Perceived ease of use itself directly contributes to future intentions to use the hedonic system because it either enhances or inhibits the user’s hedonic experience (ease of use is a critical system development variable)