Introducing the Fundamental User Needs (FUN) Scales

Assessing Need Satisfaction and Frustration in Design-Mediated Interactions

Journal Article (2025)
Author(s)

S. Huang (TU Delft - Form and Experience)

P.M.A. Desmet (TU Delft - Form and Experience)

R Mugge (TU Delft - Responsible Marketing and Consumer Behavior)

Research Group
Form and Experience
DOI related publication
https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2025.2450415
More Info
expand_more
Publication Year
2025
Language
English
Research Group
Form and Experience
Reuse Rights

Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download, forward or distribute the text or part of it, without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license such as Creative Commons.

Abstract

This paper introduces the Fundamental User Needs (FUN) Scales, tailored to measure need satisfaction and frustration in design-mediated interactions. The development and initial validation process included a preparation phase and four studies. Adopting a deductive approach, we generated a pool of 780 items and distilled them into the first version of the FUN Scales: a 52-item Need Satisfaction Scale and a 52-item Need Frustration Scale. Content validity was assessed by nine experts, leading to a refined second version. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses with 502 participants examined the scales’ factorial structure, reliability, and validity, resulting in a finalized version with 39 items per scale. Finally, we proposed two scoring approaches to facilitate scale application. The FUN Scales can serve as a robust diagnostic tool for quantifying the psychological impact of design and technology through the lens of need fulfillment, offering structure and inspiration for human-centered design research and practice.