The "Love of Art" vs. Website Design: An Application of Bourdieu's Theory in Online Environments

Several IS studies have shown that well-designed websites positively influence users, capturing visitor attention and encouraging return behaviors. However, little attention has been paid to non commercial and cultural websites such as museum websites. This study draws on human-computer interaction literature and sociology of culture to determine the influence of website design on museum visitor intentions. Two free-simulation experiments were conducted with American and French college students who were invited to visit a museum website and express their opinions through a web questionnaire. The results suggest that website design can encourage museum visits, actualizing in this way the list of factors identified by Bourdieu and Darbel (1969). However, the socio-cultural factors, namely prior experience, museum interest and subjective norms, still play an important role that balance IT effects.