Investigating user experience of online communities: The influence of community type

Current literature has identified key components and successful factors of online communities. However, research tends to study a specific type of community at a time. This study investigates users’ needs across different types of communities in order to gain a holistic view of users’ experiences. Moreover, how the nature and overall purpose of the online community influences users’ participation pattern has not been extensively studied. Hence, this study also attempts to understand how the nature of the community and the goals of the users influence their participation of online communities. Through twenty-four in-depth interviews, critical factors that influence users’ participation in online communities were identified.