Toward a theory of technology desirability: Blending task and feature fit with mutual values

This investigation develops a theory of IT desirability to explain the human experience of IT in today's highly digitized world. The theory takes account of the actions that IT artifacts allow (IT affordances) and the tasks that users want to perform, and it also accounts for who these users are as persons and what the artifact represents for them in terms of values. The concept of Person-IT Fit is introduced to conceptualize the match (or lack of match) between a person's values and the spirit of an IT artifact-with IT spirit defined as a set of IT-promoted values embedded in a social context. The connections between Person-IT Fit and IT Desirability, user behavior, and reasoned appraisals of IT are theorized as extensions of the classic concept of Task-Technology Fit and then illustrated using two empirical studies. The concluding section discusses the theoretical and practical implications of the findings.

Automated summary

This investigation proposes a theory of IT desirability to explain the human experience of IT in today's highly digitized world. The theory takes into account the actions that IT artifacts enable and the tasks that users want to perform, as well as the users' personal values and what the artifact represents for them. The concept of Person-IT Fit is introduced to conceptualize the match between a person's values and the spirit of an IT artifact. The study illustrates the connections between Person-IT Fit and IT Desirability, user behavior, and reasoned appraisals of IT through empirical studies.