The importance of a software's pragmatic quality depends on usage modes
Marc Hassenzahl, Robert Kekez, Michael Burmester · 2002
Software possesses both and quality. Whether a software with a high pragmatic or hedonic quality is experienced and judged as appealing may depend on the the user is in. Two usage modes are distinguished: a goal mode and an activity mode. For the present experiment, participants were either set in goal mode or activity mode. They used and evaluated two different Web sites. The results showed that in activity mode appeal was determined solely by perceptions of hedonic quality, whereas in goal mode both qualities played a substantial role. This demonstrates how software product evaluation (i.e., sources of appeal) depends on different usage situations.