Abstract:

Applying persuasive system design (PSD) to different cultures has been a focus of many researchers. While most previous studies focused on adopting applications to specific cultures from designers’ point of view, this study was started to empirically investigate why users from most cultures adopt and continue to use the same apps regardless of culture. The basic purpose of this study was to determine the effect of Hofstede’s cross-cultural factor, individualism vs. collectivism on the relationship between persuasive system design and the acceptance of Smartphone apps. This was achieved by evaluating PSD design strategies of Oinas-Kukkonen and Harjumaa on acceptance, and the moderating effect of Hofstede's Cross-Cultural dimension, individualism vs. collectivism, on the relationship between PSD and acceptance, from user’s perspective. The study included 488 participants from four countries: Malaysia, the Netherlands, Germany, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The findings suggest that persuasive design strategies are relevant to cultures across the globe. Moreover, although PSD principles are relevant to users in both individualistic and collectivist societies, the moderating effect of individualism dimension is more positive in collectivist societies.