Can Surveys Be Fun? Unpacking the Role of Enjoyment, Esthetics, and Respondent Workload in Hybrid Scale Acceptance

Hybrid scales have emerged as innovative instruments that enhance the questionnaire experience for participants. However, factors affecting user acceptance of this approach are not well understood. Grounded in the Technology Acceptance Model, our study examines how enjoyment, esthetics, and respondent workload shape user acceptance in hybrid scales. 688 participants evaluated the Hybrid System Usability Scale on mobile devices using an 18-item questionnaire adapted from validated instruments. The results revealed that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, esthetics, and enjoyment had positive and direct effects on behavioral intention to use, explaining 55.9% of its variance. Respondent workload was negatively associated with perceived ease of use (β = −0.270, p < 0.001) and was indirectly associated with behavioral intention through perceived ease of use (β = −0.056, p < 0.001). Esthetics and enjoyment were significantly correlated with perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and behavioral intention (all p values < 0.01). Esthetics and enjoyment are critical drivers of hybrid scale acceptance, while respondent workload primarily impedes ease of use. Findings provide actionable guidelines for designing engaging hybrid scales.