Open AccessWhat Interactivity Means to the User Essential Insights into and a Scale for Perceived Interactivity
Author(s) -
Leiner Dominik J.,
Quiring Oliver
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of computer‐mediated communication
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.15
H-Index - 119
ISSN - 1083-6101
DOI - 10.1111/j.1083-6101.2008.01434.x
Subject(s) - interactivity , affordance , perception , computer science , human–computer interaction , multimedia , scale (ratio) , the internet , meaning (existential) , world wide web , psychology , physics , quantum mechanics , neuroscience , psychotherapist
The selection and use of media depend largely on how users perceive such media. A central aspect of the “new media” is their interactivity, but how users perceive this phenomenon has rarely been researched. This study provides an in‐depth investigation into the perception component of interactivity and develops a compact scale for its measurement. According to psychological approaches, practical uses (affordances) – not physical or technical characteristics – guide perception. While existing scales mostly measure whether the “interactive” technical features of devices or websites are noticed, our instrument is based on the affordances that interactivity provides. Consequently, a new research design, the use‐identified meaning, was implemented. This is the first study on interactivity that empirically examines a wide range of Internet‐based services, thus meeting the broad ambit of interactivity. Our results generally validate the existing constructs, which are largely based on technical characteristics, yet provide additional insights into the relevant contexts and the subjective significance of different aspects of interactivity.