Structural Relationships among Service Quality, Perceived Enjoyment, Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, and Behavioral Intention in Mobile Exercise Applications : Focusing on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)

[Purpose] This study aimed to examine the structural relationships among service quality, enjoyment, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and behavioral intention toward mobile exercise applications based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The purpose was to provide foundational data for developing digital service strategies that enhance user experiences in the mobile exercise apps industry. [Methods] A total of 305 Korean university students, who were highly engaged in smartphone use and had prior experience using mobile exercise app, participated in a questionnaire survey. [Results] The results indicated that service quality of mobile exercise applications had a significant positive effect on users’ enjoyment, and that enjoyment significantly enhanced perceived usefulness and ease of use. Both perceived usefulness and ease of use had positive influences on behavioral intention. [Conclusion] These findings indicate that emotional factors (enjoyment) and cognitive factors (usefulness and ease of use) interact during the acceptance process of mobile exercise applications, suggesting that service quality reinforces users’ behavioral intention through these mediating mechanisms. This study is significant in that it verified the acceptance mechanism of mobile exercise applications from both emotional and cognitive perspectives.