www.elsevier.com/locate/dsw
Information & Management 42 (2005) 683–693
Integrating perceived playfulness into expectation-confirmation
model for web portal context
Cathy S. Lina, Sheng Wub, Ray J. Tsaic,*
aNational University of Kaohsiung, Kaohsiung 811, TaiwanbNational Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan
cBCIS Department, St. Cloud State University (SCSU), 720, 4th Ave. S., St. Cloud, MN 56301, USA
Received 1 December 2002; received in revised form 23 April 2003; accepted 25 April 2004
Available online 2 September 2004
Abstract
This paper investigated the value of including ‘‘playfulness’’ in expectation-confirmation theory (ECT) when studying
continued use of a web site. Original models examined cognitive beliefs and effects that influence a person’s intention to continue
to use an information system. Here, an extended ECT model (with an additional relationship between perceived playfulness and
satisfaction) was shown to provide a better fit than a simple path from perceived usefulness to satisfaction. The results indicated that
perceived playfulness, confirmation to satisfaction, and perceived usefulness all contributed significantly to the users’ intent to reuse
a web site. Thus, we believe that the extended ECT model is an appropriate tool for the study of web site effects.
# 2004 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Keywords: Web portal; Expectation-confirmation theory; Perceived playfulness; Satisfaction
1. Introduction
Today, the World Wide Web (WWW) impacts
many facets of our lives, including communication,
entertainment, social activities, shopping, etc. The
web portal is the most accessed type of site and is
advertising-supported [51]; the more users who visit
the site, the more income it generates [50]. To remain
competitive, therefore, web portal providers have to be
creative and innovative in attracting users. Companies
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 320 255 4169;
fax: +1 320 308 6074.
E-mail address: [email protected] (R.J. Tsai).
0378-7206/$ – see front matter # 2004 Published by Elsevier B.V.
doi:10.1016/j.im.2004.04.003
provide special services, such as free email, personal
web space, searches, content provision, etc. and
identify users’ tastes, needs, and other purchasing
behaviors to hold their attention. Obtaining and main-
taining user loyalty is the key to survival.
Today user perception to a web site is very impor-
tant; much research has focused on the Internet users’
behavior. Users have many options that potentially
reduce their loyalty; they can go anywhere and may
not return. Thus, retaining users becomes both impor-
tant and difficult.
Some well-known theories, such as the technology
acceptance model (TAM) [15] and the theory of
planned behavior [2] have been used to examine
C.S. Lin et al. / Information & Management 42 (2005) 683–693684
variables that motivate individuals to accept and use
an IS. However, the characteristics of portal surfing are
different from business use of an IS; the Internet
surfers are, to some extent, irregular in their actions
and may not return once they leave [10]. Furthermore,
in the web context, attracting users and maintain their
loyalty is critical. To study continued use, expectation-
confirmation theory (ECT) can be used to explore the
post-behavior aspect of a sale. Specifically, once a user
has positive feelings about a web site, the satisfaction
results in a revisit intention.
Although previous studies [8,33,38] suggested that
perceived usefulness plays an important role in pre-
dicting users intentions, it is not known whether this is
a dominant factor in web surfing for the general public.
Since thousands of portals provide similar services,
retention of existing users is difficult. Attracting and
retaining users by providing a playful web site has
gained researchers’ attention. Playfulness is signifi-
cantly associated with total web use, especially for
entertainment purposes [3]. Moon and Kim [41]
extend TAM for a WWW context and indicated that
playfulness was an intrinsic motivation factor in
acceptance of the site. Therefore, we integrated the
‘‘perceived playfulness’’ construct into ECT in an
attempt to enhance understanding of individuals’
web portal revisit intentions.
2. Theoretical background
2.1. Expectation-confirmation theory
ECT has been widely used to study consumer
satisfaction and post-purchase behavior (e.g., repurch-
ase, complaining), service marketing in general
[1,39,43,44,48], and online banking users’ reuse of
an information system [6]. In sum, it was used to
examine both pre-behavior (expectation) and post-
behavior (perceived performance) variables rather
than only pre-behavior.
Fig. 1 illustrates key constructs and relationships of
ECT. Oliver [45] described the process by which
consumers reached repurchase intentions. First, con-
sumers formed (ex-ante) expectations of the product
or service prior to purchasing it. Second, the purchase
resulted in an (ex-post) perceived performance that
was influenced by these expectations. If the difference
between actual performance and expectations was not
perceived as being small, the perceived performance
would increase or decrease with expectation (as indi-
cated by the arrow from expectations to perceived
performance). Third, the perceived performance may
therefore either confirm or refute pre-purchase expec-
tations. Fourth, as shown in Fig. 1, expectation and the
perceived level of confirmation positively affects satis-
faction. If confirmation occurred, customers’ satisfac-
tion increased or decreased from this baseline level.
Finally, satisfied consumers formed an intention to
repurchase while dissatisfied users did not.
Applying the ECT framework to the study of users’
behaviors in an e-commerce context is appropriate
[14,47,55] because users’ behavior affects their
repurchase decision; however, some theoretical exten-
sions may be required to explain users’ continuance
behavior in using a web site. Therefore, the model here
focused only on post-acceptance variables, since the ex-
post expectations are especially important for web
portals, because users’ expectations may change over
time. If a web portal targets users and heightens their
loyalty to the site, it is necessary to understand the
users’ continuance behavior. Hence, the ex-post expec-
tation is represented by perceived usefulness, which is a
cognitive belief salient to IS use and consistent with
ECT’s definition of expectation. As in attitude theories,
the (ex-post) expectation represents the beliefs
weighted with evaluation of outcomes [46].
2.2. Playfulness
Characterizing playfulness is difficult [5], because
laymen and researchers use the term ‘‘play’’ in several
ways [17,20]. The trait of playfulness may be treated as
a motivational characteristic. Individuals who ranked
high in playfulness demonstrate better performance and
higher affective response to computer training tasks.
But playfulness may instead be defined as a situational
characteristic of the interaction between an individual
and a situation. The majority of research on it as an
individual’s interaction state is based on Csikszentmi-
halyi’s [13] flow theory. He notes that ‘‘people seek flow
experience primarily for itself;’’ thus, flow serves as a
positive reinforcer that increases the probability of
future usage in a computer-mediated environment
(CME) [23,27]. The theory has also been proposed
as a way to understand consumer navigation behavior
C.S. Lin et al. / Information & Management 42 (2005) 683–693 685
Fig. 1. Expectation-confirmation theory. Note: t1 = pre-consumption variable; t2 = post-consumption variable.
in online environments. Here, playfulness was regarded
as an individual state, because an individual can feel
more or less playful at various points during his/her visit
to a web portal.
3. Research model and hypotheses
This research model (Fig. 2) was therefore an
extension of the original ECT based on individuals’
intrinsic motivation theory. Perceived playfulness, the
extended part of the model, was the construct of
interest. When people get involved in an activity for
pleasure and enjoyment, this is their intrinsic motive
and it should increase the likelihood that they would
revisit the web portal in the future. Therefore, one
basic assumption was that playfulness impacted indi-
viduals’ satisfaction in using web portals and thus their
intention to reuse them.
Deci and Ryan [18] suggested that people are both
intrinsically and extrinsically motivated. Perceived
Fig. 2. Researc
playfulness is an intrinsic motive, whereas perceived
usefulness is extrinsic. Based on the original ECT
model, perceived usefulness is influenced by confir-
mation. Since perceived usefulness and perceived
playfulness are common motivations, it is reasonable
to believe that confirmation would impact on per-
ceived playfulness. Theoretical support for this asso-
ciation comes from cognitive dissonance theory [21],
which suggests that users may experience cognitive
dissonance or psychological tension if their pre-accep-
tance playfulness perceptions are not confirmed dur-
ing actual use. Rational users may try to reduce this
dissonance by distorting or modifying their playful-
ness perceptions to be more consistent with reality.
Hence, this leads to the first hypothesis.
H1. Users’ extent of confirmation is positively asso-
ciated with their perceived playfulness of a web portal.
Researchers argue that people who rank higher in
playfulness will interact more playfully; they exercise
and develop skills through exploratory behaviors,
h model.
C.S. Lin et al. / Information & Management 42 (2005) 683–693686
resulting in enhanced task performance [40]. Previous
research has shown that higher degrees of pleasure and
involvement during computer interactions lead to
concurrent subjective perceptions of positive affects
and satisfaction. Webster et al. [52,55] noted that
‘‘higher playfulness results in immediate subjective
experiences such as positive mood and satisfaction.’’
Playfulness is also positively associated with positive
affect and satisfaction [34]. Sandelands et al. [49]
found that attitudinal outcomes, such as positive
affect, pleasure, and satisfaction, resulted from playful
experiences. This leads to the second hypothesis.
H2. Users’ perceived playfulness is positively asso-
ciated with their satisfaction with a web portal.
According to flow theory, a positive subjective
experience is an important reason for performing an
activity. If an individual ‘‘feels good’’ about an activ-
ity, it is intrinsically motivating, and he/she is more
likely to engage in it. Individuals using a web portal
and experiencing playfulness are more absorbed and
interested in the interaction. This shapes their inten-
tion to visit this portal again later. Davis et al. [15,16]
found that perceived playfulness explained significant
variance in usage intentions. Corresponding to Igbar-
ia’s study [29], Webster et al.’s study showed that
playfulness was highly correlated with voluntary use.
Similar findings revealed that perceived playfulness
was positively related to microcomputer usage. This
leads to our third hypothesis.
H3. Users’ perceived playfulness of web portal use is
positively associated with their continuance intention.
Since ECT is used as a baseline model, the research
verified the ECT hypothesized relationships in the
context of web portals. In his empirical study of EC
service continuance, Bhattacherjee employed the ECT
model to study customer satisfaction and continuance.
His results suggested that it was feasible to apply ECT
to the web context. In addition, studies [25,53] on
post-adoption behavior in online services showed the
appropriateness of the study. Some related hypotheses
were therefore formulated based on the baseline
model of ECT (Fig. 2).
H4. Users’ extent of confirmation is positively asso-
ciated with their perceived usefulness of a web portal.
H5. Users’ extent of confirmation is positively asso-
ciated with their satisfaction with a web portal.
H6. Users’ perceived usefulness of a portal is posi-
tively associated with their satisfaction with the web
portal.
H7. Users’ perceived usefulness of a portal use is
positively associated with their portal continuance
intention.
H8. Users’ satisfaction with the initial web portal is
positively associated with their continuance intention.
4. Research methodology
4.1. Subjects
Subjects of this research were individuals who used
the web portal in their free time. Questionnaires were
administered to senior level undergraduate students
from three universities. The sample consisted of 300
undergraduate students majoring in management. All
subjects had prior experience with web portal use. The
survey indicated that students’ responses would be
kept confidential and only summary information
would be presented; administrators reiterated this
verbally. Incomplete questionnaires were discarded,
leaving 254 usable samples. Table 1 details the respon-
dents’ characteristics.
4.2. Measurement development
Five constructs were measured: perceived useful-
ness, confirmation, perceived playfulness, satisfaction,
and IS continuance intention. Constructs were mea-
sured via a multiple-item scale drawn from pre-vali-
dated IS or ECT measures, and reworded to relate
specifically to web portal use. The applicability of
the modified items was enhanced by literature reviews,
using three PhD students as expert judges, and pilot
testing relevant samples. During this process, scale
items were trimmed and refined, and dimensions were
modified to hold the content validity as understanding
of the constructs improved. All items used seven-point
Likert scales anchored from ‘‘strongly disagree (=1)’’ to
‘‘strongly agree (=7)’’. Tables 2 and 3 provide opera-
tional definitions and scale items for these constructs.
C.S. Lin et al. / Information & Management 42 (2005) 683–693 687
Table 1
Descriptive statistics of respondents’ characteristics (N = 254)
Measure Items Frequency Percent
Gender Female 157 61.8
Male 97 38.2
Years of Internet experience <1 year 46 18.1
1–3 years 123 48.4
3–5 years 71 28
>5 years 14 5.5
Primary web portal used Yahoo Taiwan (tw.yahoo.com) 229 90.2
Sina (www.sina.com.tw) 6 2.4
Pchome (www.pchome.com.tw) 5 2
Yam (www.yam.com.tw) 12 4.7
Other 2 0.8
Time of use at primary web portal (daily) <1 h 146 57.5
1–3 h 99 39
3–6 h 7 2.8
6–9 h 1 0.4
>9 h 1 0.4
Table 2
Operationalization of constructs
Construct Operational definition Source
Perceived usefulness Users’ perception of the expected benefits of web portal use Adapted from Davis et al. [15]
Confirmation Users’ perception of the congruence between expectation of
web portal use and its actual performance
Adapted from Bhattacherjee [6]
Perceived playfulness The strength of one’s belief that interacting with the web portal
will fulfill the user’s intrinsic motives
Adapted from Moon and Kim [41]
Satisfaction Users’ affect with (feelings about) prior web portal use Adapted from Spreng and Olshavsky [50]
Continuance intention Users’ intention to continue using web portal Adapted from Bhattacherjee [6]
Table 3
Summary of measurement items
Construct Measurement items Source
Perceived usefulness Using web portal improves performance of my learning Adapted from
Davis et al. [15]Using web portal improves skill of my search data
Using web portal enables me to access a lot of usefulness information
Confirmation My experience with using the web portal was better than what I expected Adapted from
Bhattacherjee [6]The service level provided by the web portal was better than what I expected
Overall, most of my expectations from using the web portal were confirmed
Perceived playfulness When interacting with the web portal, I am not aware of the time as it elapses Adapted from Moon
and Kim [41]When interacting with the web portal, I am not aware of distracting noise
When interacting with the web portal, I often forget other commitments
Satisfaction Using the web portal makes me feel very satisfied Adapted from Spreng
and Olshavsky [50]Using the web portal makes me feel very pleased
Using the web portal makes me feel very contented
Using the web portal makes me feel very delighted
Continuance intention I intend to continue using the web portal rather than discontinue its use Adapted from
Bhattacherjee [6]My intentions are to continue using the web portal rather than use any alternative means
C.S. Lin et al. / Information & Management 42 (2005) 683–693688
5. Data analysis and results
To assess the hypotheses, our research relied exten-
sively on confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using
LISREL 8.30 and sample correlation matrix [31]. The
following common measures were used to assess the
model’s overall goodness of fit: chi-square/degree of
freedom, goodness-of-fit index (GFI), normed fit
index (NFI), comparative fit index (CFI), and stan-
dardized root mean square residual (SRMSR) [4].
Using these measures, we assessed the measurement
model and determined whether the measured variables
reliably reflected the theoretical constructs. Further,
we checked the proposed research model’s overall
goodness-of-fit compared to the original ECT model.
5.1. Assessment of measurement model
The model was further assessed for construct relia-
bility and validity. The resultant coefficient is similar
to Cronbach’s a, except that it used the actual factor
loadings rather than assuming each item was equally
weighted in the composite load determination. As
shown in Table 4, construct reliability for all the
factors in our measurement model was above 0.7,
an acceptable threshold suggested by Nunnally and
Bernstein [42].
Construct validity for the five measurement scales
(portal continuance intention, satisfaction, perceived
usefulness, perceived playfulness, and confirmation)
was assessed via CFA. Each scale item was modeled
as a reflective indicator of its hypothesized latent
construct. The five constructs were allowed to covary
Table 4
Scale properties and correlations
Construct Number of
items
Reliabilitya AVEb Factor correlations
PU PP PCI S C
PU 3 0.84 0.65 1
PP 3 0.86 0.67 0.63 1
PCI 2 0.84 0.72 0.51 0.54 1
S 4 0.93 0.77 0.53 0.62 0.58 1
C 3 0.78 0.55 0.51 0.55 0.44 0.60 1
PU: perceived usefulness; PP: perceived playfulness; PCI: portal
continuance intention; S: satisfaction; C: confirmation.a Composite reliability = (
Pstandardized loading)2/
(P
standardized loading)2 +P
ej.b Average variance extracted (AVE) =
P(standardized loading2)/
P(standardized loading)2 +
Pej.
in the CFA model. Model estimation used the max-
imum likelihood approach with the item correlation
matrix used as input.
The first step in scale validation was to examine the
goodness-of-fit of the overall CFA model. For models
with good fit, chi-square normalized by degrees of
freedom (x2/d.f.) should be less than five [4,57], GFI,
NFI, and CFI should all exceed 0.9, and SRMSR
should be less than 0.1. For the current CFA model,
x2/d.f. is 2.17 (x2 = 174; d.f. = 80), GFI is 0.92, NFI is
0.93, CFI is 0.96, and SRMSR is 0.04 (see Table 5). An
adequate model fit was therefore indicated.
Next, convergent validity was evaluated for the
four measurement scales using three criteria sug-
gested by Fornell and Larcker [22]. All indicator
factor loadings (l) should be significant and exceed
0.7, construct reliabilities should exceed 0.8, and
average variance extracted (AVE) by each construct
should exceed the variance due to measurement error
for that construct (i.e., AVE should exceed 0.50). All
l-values in the CFA model exceeded 0.7 and were
significant at P = 0.01 (see t-value in Table 5). The
Composite reliabilities ranged between 0.78 and
0.93. AVE ranged from 0.55 to 0.77 (see Table 4),
which is greater than the variance due to measure-
ment error. Hence, all three conditions for conver-
gent validity were met.
Finally, Fornell and Larcker have recommended a
stronger test of discriminate validity: the AVE for each
construct should exceed the squared correlation
between that and any other construct. The factor
correlation matrix indicated that the largest squared
correlation between any pair of constructs was 0.40
(perceived usefulness and perceived playfulness),
while the smallest AVE was 0.55. Hence, the test of
discriminate validity was also met.
5.2. Assessment of model fit and evaluation of
hypotheses
The eight hypotheses were tested collectively using
structural equation modeling (SEM) as performed in
LISREL. This approach is particularly appropriate for
testing theoretically justified models [30]. Each indi-
cator was modeled in a reflective manner (as in CFA),
the five constructs were linked as hypothesized (see
Fig. 2), and model estimation was done using the
maximum likelihood technique.
C.S. Lin et al. / Information & Management 42 (2005) 683–693 689
Table 5
Measurement model
Item Item mean Standard deviation Standardized item loadinga Error loading t-statistic (for l)
PU1 5.06 1.08 0.74 0.45 13.0
PU2 5.27 1.17 0.84 0.29 15.6
PU3 5.52 1.08 0.82 0.33 15.0
PP1 5.07 1.19 0.84 0.29 16.0
PP2 5.27 1.14 0.86 0.26 16.4
PP3 4.98 1.16 0.76 0.43 13.6
PCI1 5.60 1.01 0.86 0.27 15.2
PCI2 5.75 1.05 0.84 0.30 14.8
S1 5.30 1.01 0.82 0.32 15.8
S2 5.18 1.03 0.91 0.17 18.6
S3 4.97 1.04 0.85 0.28 16.5
S4 5.04 1.05 0.92 0.15 19.0
C1 4.92 1.06 0.68 0.54 11.2
C2 4.66 1.17 0.76 0.42 13.1
C3 5.11 1.04 0.79 0.37 13.7
PU: perceived usefulness; PP: perceived playfulness; PCI: portal continuance intention; S: satisfaction; C: confirmation. Model fit: x2 = 174 (d.f.
= 80, P < 0.01), GFI = 0.92, NFI = 0.93, CFI = 0.96, SRMSR = 0.04.a All item loadings (l) were significant at P = 0.01 level.
The goodness-of-fit of the structural model was
comparable to the previous CFA model. In this
structural model, the relative chi-square (x2/d.f.)
was 2.54 (x2 = 208; d.f. = 82), GFI was 0.90,
NFI was 0.92, CFI was 0.94, and SRMSR was
Fig. 3. LISREL analysis of research model. Model fit: x2 = 208; adjusted x
= 0.06. Note: Measurement model not shown above for purposes of clari
0.06 (see Fig. 3). As recommended by Bollen [7],
and Carmines and McIver [9], a relative chi-square
value of less then 3 indicated an acceptable good-
ness-of-fit between the hypothesized model and the
observed data.
2 = 2.54 (with d.f. = 82); GFI = 0.90; NFI = 0.92; CFI = 0.94; SRMSR
ty.
C.S. Lin et al. / Information & Management 42 (2005) 683–693690
Fig. 4. LISREL analysis of original ECT. Model fit: x2 = 115; adjusted x2 = 2.35 (with d.f. = 49); GFI = 0.93; NFI = 0.94; CFI = 0.96; SRMSR =
0.04.
Next, the path significance of each hypothesized
association in the research model and the variance
explained (R2-value) by each path were examined.
Fig. 3 shows the standardized path coefficient and path
significance, as reported by LISREL. Hypotheses 1
and 4 examine the links between users’ confirmation,
perceived playfulness, and perceived usefulness.
Confirmation was significantly related to playfulness
(b = 0.76, t-value = 7.86, P < 0.01) and perceived
usefulness (b = 0.72, t-value = 7.74, P < 0.01).
Therefore, hypotheses 1 and 4 were supported.
Hypotheses 2, 5, and 6 examine the effects of
individuals’ perceptions of web portals continuance
use intention. Entering all variables in a single block, it
was found that the proposed model explained a sig-
nificant percentage of the variance in satisfaction (R2 =
35%). At the 0.01 significance level, perceived play-
fulness and confirmation influence users’ satisfaction
toward continued use of a portal. Users’ satisfaction
was apparently influenced by two constructs — per-
ceived playfulness and confirmation. Hypotheses 2
and 5 were supported. However, hypothesis 6 was
not supported, since perceived usefulness was not
found to have a significant impact on satisfaction.
Hypotheses 3, 7 and 8 investigate the influence of
perceived playfulness, satisfaction, and perceived use-
fulness on users’ intent to use a portal. Twenty-seven
percent of the variance of the behavioral continuance
intention was explained by perceived usefulness, satis-
faction, and perceived playfulness. Users’ satisfaction
with portals had a very significant influence on the
continuance intention (b = 0.37, t-value = 4.08, P <0.01). Perceived usefulness (b = 0.26, t-value = 3.34, P
< 0.01) and perceived playfulness (b = 0.21, t-value =
2.31, P < 0.01) also had significant effects on con-
tinuance intention. The positive influences of per-
ceived usefulness and satisfaction, as suggested by
ECT research, were confirmed. In addition, perceived
playfulness had a significant positive effect on inten-
tion to use. Therefore, we supported hypotheses 3, 7
and 8.
5.3. Assessing extended ECT using the
original ECT
Both the extended ECT and the original ECT
models explained a significant proportion of the var-
iance in users’ satisfaction with web portals. The
original ECT model accounted for 26% of the variance
(see Fig. 4), and the extended ECT model explained
35% of the satisfaction variance. Moreover, the
extended ECT model accounted for 27% of continu-
ance intention toward web portals compared to 26% in
the original ECT model.
6. Discussion
Hypothesis testing with the extended ECT model
showed that all but one (H6) were supported. Failure
to find support for hypothesis 6 indicated that per-
ceived usefulness has no significant association with
satisfaction. The standardized path coefficients for
satisfaction were mostly influenced by confirmation
(b = 0.55, P < 0.01) and perceived usefulness con-
tributed a secondary impact (b = 0.23, P < 0.01). In
the extended ECT model (Fig. 3), the standardized
path coefficients for satisfaction were primarily
influenced by confirmation (b = 0.54, P < 0.01)
and secondly by perceived playfulness (b = 0.29,
C.S. Lin et al. / Information & Management 42 (2005) 683–693 691
P < 0.01). The perceived usefulness did not signifi-
cantly impact satisfaction in this case. The original
ECT model’s R2-values, show that confirmation and
perceived usefulness accounted for 26% of the var-
iance in satisfaction, while confirmation and perceived
playfulness accounted for 35% of the variance in
satisfaction in the extended ECT model. This differ-
ence indicated that the model with confirmation and
perceived playfulness performed better on satisfaction
than the original model. Satisfaction, in turn, will
significantly contribute to continuance intention
toward a web portal.
These results contradict some previous findings;
however, they are explainable. The task environment
in previous research focused on either use of informa-
tion system for decision-making or in online distance
learning [54]. Perceived usefulness may have decisive
influence in those task environments; however, when
referring to the general public’s use of web portals,
perceived usefulness may not be critical. Most web
portals provide nearly identical functions and capa-
cities. Making a portal more enjoyable or playful
could contribute more to users’ satisfaction levels.
Many web portals promoting specific themes and
organizing virtual communities generate more traffic
and retain more users since their users are able vir-
tually to meet people with similar interests. Eventually
customer loyalty is created.
Although perceived usefulness was not found to be
associated significantly with satisfaction, its signifi-
cant association with continuance use remained
unchanged, regardless of the extra variable (playful-
ness). This finding corresponded to previous research.
Obviously, usefulness of a web portal cannot be
ignored. It has to provide all necessary and funda-
mental capabilities to retain users. Furthermore, per-
ceived playfulness in the extended ECT model has
significant influence on behavioral continuance inten-
tion (b = 0.21). With the addition of perceived
playfulness in our extended model, the degree of
explanatory variance with continuance use was
improved. Perceived playfulness obviously contribu-
ted to determining whether a user would return.
When designing a portal, playfulness, rather than
the usefulness, will be a new focus. Thus, the extended
ECT model could provide a better understanding of
individuals’ web portal use than the original ECT
model.
7. Conclusions and implications
Although ECT has been fairly useful in studying
information technology, perceived playfulness could
be a critical variable for investigating the continued
use of a web site. Our research has confirmed that the
integration of perceived playfulness into the expecta-
tion-confirmation theory provides better insights into
continued use in the web portal context. The revised
model can be used to guide research on post-accep-
tance behavior. Further, this study suggested that a
better understanding of the measures of perceived
playfulness is valuable in designing diversified World
Wide Web context.
While our student sample may not provide general-
izable result, it used them for several reasons. Accord-
ing to a survey on Yam.com, a popular portal site
in Taiwan (http://www.yam.com.tw), approximately
80% of Internet users in Taiwan are college students
[36]. Students will eventually become the most active
Internet users and influential consumers in the market-
place. Understanding the needs and preferences of
potential customers is important and desirable. In
addition, using students as the sample can decrease
the effect of computer literacy variance [35].
As shown in the extended ECT model, satisfaction
with web portal use was predicted primarily by users’
confirmation of expectation and then by their per-
ceived playfulness. The intention to continue web
portal use was predicted primarily by satisfaction,
followed by perceived usefulness and then by per-
ceived playfulness. The extended ECT model showed
that confirmation was a stronger predictor of satisfac-
tion than perceived playfulness, but perceived useful-
ness did not significantly influence satisfaction. Thus,
if the focus is on satisfaction, confirmation of per-
ceived playfulness should be a priority for a researcher
or system designer of web portals.
7.1. Implications to academics
Because of the explosion in the Internet use,
exploration of continuance behavior is worthwhile
and more important than the one-time behavior or
the pre-acceptance behavior alone. This is especially
true where every web site is actually an attraction.
How users behave on the Internet and how a web
portal attracts loyal users will be critical to companies
C.S. Lin et al. / Information & Management 42 (2005) 683–693692
in the ‘‘e’’ century. The ECT is a theoretically rich
model by virtue of its inclusion of post-acceptance
behavior which is widely used in consumer behavior
literature; however, the extension of ECT theory to the
IS field is important since the information systems are
largely programmed in the web environment. The
refinement of ECT theory for the web context is
critical.
7.2. Implications to practitioners
In order to develop web portal loyalty, Internet
enterprises should provide users with an interesting
and enjoyable surfing experience. Some research sug-
gests that higher playfulness results in immediate
subjective experiences such as positive mood and
satisfaction [11,32,37], which transforms into motiva-
tion for their continuance intention. This implies that
once users are satisfied with a web site, they will
become loyalty to it. Thus, perceived playfulness
should be a vital consideration in the design of
WWW systems. Although perceived usefulness was
not found to significantly impact satisfaction, it was
significantly associated with the intention to continue
using a web portal. When users perceive a web portal
as less useful, their return is very unlikely.
Acknowledgement
We are grateful to the Chief Editor, Dr. Sibley, and
the anonymous reviewers whose comments have
improved this paper considerably.
References
[1] E.W. Anderson, M.W. Sullivan, The antecedents and conse-
quences of customer satisfaction for firms, Marketing Science
12(2), 1993, pp. 125–143.
[2] I. Ajzen, The theory of planned behavior, Organizational
Behavior and Human Decision Process 50, 1991, pp. 179–211.
[3] M. Atkinson, C. Kydd, Individual characteristics associated
with World Wide Web use: an empirical study of playfulness
and motivation, The DATA BASE for Advances in Information
Systems 28(2), 1997, pp. 53–62.
[4] P.M. Bentler, EQS Structural Equations Program Manual,
BMDP Statistical Software, Los Angeles, 1989.
[5] D.E. Berlyne, Laughter, humor and play, in: G. Lindzey, E.
Aronson (Eds.), The Handbook of Social Psychology, second
ed., Addison-Wesley, New York, NY, 1969, pp. 795–852.
[6] A. Bhattacherjee, Understanding information systems continu-
ance: an expectation-confirmation model, MIS Quarterly
25(3), 2001, pp. 351–370.
[7] K. Bollen, Structural Equations with Latent Variables, Wiley,
New York, 1989.
[8] R.W. Bologh, On fooling around: a phenomenological analysis
of playfulness, The Annals of Phenomenological Sociology 1,
1976, pp. 113–125.
[9] E.G. Carmines, P.P. McIver, Analyzing models with unob-
served variables: analysis of covariance structures, Sage
Publications, Beverly Hills, CA, 1981.
[10] M.K. Chang, W. Cheung, Determinants of the intention to use
Internet/WWW at work: a confirmatory study, Information &
Management 39 (1) (2001) 1–14.
[11] P.Y.K. Chau, Reexamining a model for evaluating information
center success using a structural equation modeling approach,
Decision Sciences 28(2), 1997, pp. 309–334.
[13] M. Csikszentmihalyi, Beyond Boredom and Anxiety, Jossey-
Bass, San Francisco, 1975.
[14] P.A. Dabolkar, C.D. Shepard, D.I. Thorpe, A comprehensive
framework for service quality: an investigation of critical
conceptual and measurement issues through a longitudinal
study, Journal of Retailing 76(2), 2000, pp. 139–173.
[15] F.D. Davis, R.P. Bagozzi, P.R. Warshaw, User acceptance of
computer technology: a comparison of two theoretical models,
Management Science 35(8), 1989, pp. 982–1003.
[16] F.D. Davis, R.P. Bagozzi, P.R. Warshaw, Extrinsic and intrinsic
motivation to use computers in the workplace, Journal of
Applied Social Psychology 22, 1992, pp. 1111–1132.
[17] H.I. Day, Play: a lucid behavior, in: H.I. Day (Ed.), Advances
in Intrinsic Motivation and Aesthetics, Plenum Press, New
York, NY, 1981, pp. 225–250.
[18] E.L. Deci, R.M. Ryan, Intrinsic motivation and self-determi-
nation in human behavior, Plenum Press, New York, 1985.
[20] M.J. Ellis, Why People Play, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs,
NJ, 1973.
[21] L.A. Festinger, A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance, Row and
Peterson, Evanston, IL, 1957.
[22] C. Fornell, D.F. Larcker, Evaluating structural equations with
unobservable variables and measurement error, Journal of
Marketing Research 18, 1981, pp. 39–50.
[23] J.A. Ghani, R. Supnick, P. Rooney, The experience of flow in
computer-mediated and in face-to-face group, in: J.I. DeGross,
I. Benbasat, DeSanctis, Beath (Eds.), in: Proceedings of the
Twelfth International Conference on Information Systems,
New York, December 1991.
[25] G. Hackbarth, V. Grover, M.Y. Yi, Computer playfulness and
anxiety: positive and negative mediators of the system experi-
ence effect on perceived ease of use, Information & Manage-
ment 40(3), 2003, pp. 221–232.
[27] D.L. Hoffman, T.P. Novak, Marketing in hypermedia compu-
ter-mediated environments: conceptual foundations, 1995,
http://ecommerce.vanderbilt.edu/research/papers/html/manu-
scripts/cmepaper/cme.conceptual.foundations.html.
C.S. Lin et al. / Information & Management 42 (2005) 683–693 693
[29] M. Igbaria, S. Parasuraman, J.J. Barouli, A motivational model
of microcomputer usage, Journal of Management Information
Systems 13(1), 1996, pp. 127–143.
[30] K.G. Joreskog, D. Sorbom, LISREL 8: Structural Equation
Modeling with the SIMPLIS Command Language, Scientific
Software International Inc., 1993.
[31] B. Kabanoff, Work and nonwork: a review of models, methods,
and findings, Psychological Bulletin 88(1), 1980, pp. 60–77.
[32] N.R. Kowtha, T.W.I. Choon, Determinants of website devel-
opment: a study of electronic commerce in Singapore, Infor-
mation & Management 39(3), 2001, pp. 227–242.
[33] P. Legris, J. Ingham, P. Collerette, Why do people use infor-
mation technology?. A critical review of the technology
acceptance model Information & Management 40(3), 2003,
pp. 191–204.
[34] J. Levy, Play Behavior, Robert E. Krieger, Malabar, FL, 1983.
[35] J.N. Lieberman, Playfulness: Its Relationship to Imagination
and Creativity, Academic Press, New York, 1977.
[36] E. Li, Report on Taiwan’s network usage for 1998, Advertising
Magazine 1998, pp. 38–41.
[37] J. Lin, H. Lu, Towards an understanding of the behavioral
intention to use a web site, International Journal of Information
Management 20, 2000, pp. 197–208.
[38] C. Liu, K.P. Arnett, Exploring the factors associated with web
site success in the context of electronic commerce, Information
& Management 38, 2000, pp. 23–33.
[39] J.E. McGrath, J.R. Kelly, Time and Human Interaction, The
Guilford Press, New York, 1986.
[40] S. Miller, Ends, means, and galumphing: some leitmotifs of
play, American Anthropologist 75, 1973, pp. 87–98.
[41] J.W. Moon, Y.G. Kim, Extending the TAM for a world-wide-
web context, Information & Management 38, 2001, pp. 217–
230.
[42] J.C. Nunnally, I.H. Bernstein, Psychometric Theory, third ed.,
McGraw-Hill, New York, 1994.
[43] R.L. Oliver, A cognitive model for the antecedents and con-
sequences of satisfaction, Journal of Marketing Research 17,
1980, pp. 460–469.
[44] R.L. Oliver, Cognitive, affective, and attribute bases of the
satisfaction response, Journal of consumer research 20, 1993,
pp. 418–430.
[45] R.L. Oliver, W. DeSarbo, Response determinants in satisfac-
tion judgments, Journal of Consumer Research 14, 1988, pp.
495–507.
[46] P.G. Patterson, L.W. Johnson, R.A. Spreng, Modeling the
determinants of customer satisfaction for business-to-business
professional services, Journal of the Academy of Marketing
Science 25(1), 1997, pp. 4–17.
[47] W.H. Starbuck, J. Webster, When is play productive? Account-
ing, Management, and Information Technology 1(1), 1991, pp.
71–90.
[48] L.E. Sandelands, G.C. Bucker, Of art and work: aesthetic
experience and the psychology of work feelings, in: L.L.
Cummings, B.M. Staw (Eds.), Research in Organization
Behavior, (vol. 11), JAI Press, Greenwich, CT, 1989, pp. 105–
131.
[49] L.E. Sandelands, S.J. Ashford, J.E. Dutton, Reconceptualizing
the over justification effect: a template-matching approach,
Motivation and Emotion 7, 1983, pp. 229–255.
[50] R.A. Spreng, R.W. Olshavsky, A desires congruency model of
consumer satisfaction, Journal of the Academy of Marketing
Science 21(3), 1993, pp. 169–177.
[51] S. Outing, Making the most of digital dollars, Editor &
Publisher 133(38), 2000, pp. I18–I19.
[52] L.K. Trevino, J. Webster, Flow in computer-mediated com-
munication, Communication Research 19(5), 1992, pp. 539–
573.
[53] D.K. Tse, P.C. Wilton, Models of consumer satisfaction: an
extension, Journal of Marketing Research 25, 1988, pp. 204–
212.
[54] Webster, J. Playfulness and computers at work, unpublished
doctoral dissertation, New York University, New York, NY,
1989.
[55] J. Webster, L.K. Trevino, L. Ryan, The dimensionality and
correlates of flow in human-computer interactions, Computer
in Human Behavior 9(4), 1993, pp. 411–426.
[57] B. Wu, Y. Wu, R. Tsai, An integrated model to predict the
continuance use of electronic learning systems, ACME Con-
ference and Proceedings, Seattle, 2003.
Cathy S. Lin is an assistant professor of
information management at National
University of Kaohsiung in Taiwan. Dr.
Lin received her PhD degree from
National Sun Yat-Sen University. Her
research interests include information
ethics, electronic commerce, and man-
agement of information systems.
Sheng Wu received his MIS PhD degree
from National Sun Yat-Sen University,
and now is currently in the army. His
research interests include knowledge
sharing, electronic commerce, and man-
agement of information systems.
Ray J. Tsai is a professor of business
computer information systems at St.
Cloud State University in Minnesota.
Dr. Tsai received his PhD degree from
University of North Texas. His research
interests include electronic business, off-
shore outsourcing, and management of
information systems.
Top Related