On the Use of Variable User Goals to Measure Perceived Usefulness

The usefulness of an information system depends on the goal that the user is trying to achieve with the system. Yet current user acceptance models treat user goals as static and not changeable. If different users have different goals for the same system, this may lead to inconsistent and unreliable assessments of perceived usefulness and information system acceptance. In our research, we demonstrate by an empirical study that perceived usefulness varies depending on the goals users have with the same system. We contribute with our work to the enrichment of user acceptance models by introducing the concept of layered user goals and an increasingly consistent measure of perceived usefulness.