Generative AI guide systems are increasingly being introduced into public cultural spaces such as libraries, museums, and exhibition venues. Unlike conventional guide systems that rely on pre-defined menus or fixed retrieval structures, generative AI ...
Generative AI guide systems are increasingly being introduced into public cultural spaces such as libraries, museums, and exhibition venues. Unlike conventional guide systems that rely on pre-defined menus or fixed retrieval structures, generative AI systems can provide real-time responses, contextual explanations, and personalized recommendations through conversational interaction. However, existing evaluations of these systems have tended to focus on technical performance, such as accuracy, response speed, and recommendation efficiency. Less attention has been paid to how users experience generative AI guide systems in actual cultural spaces, how different service attributes contribute to satisfaction or dissatisfaction, and how perceived quality is translated into behavioral intention. Addressing this gap, this study examines the experience quality and user satisfaction of the generative AI guide system “TU YUEYUE(图悦阅)” installed in the Beijing City Library, using an integrated KANO-QSL model.
The purpose of this study is threefold. First, it identifies and classifies the major service attributes of the generative AI guide system through the KANO model, with particular attention to the asymmetric relationship between satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Second, it examines the structural relationships among functional quality, experiential quality, cognitive satisfaction, emotional-experiential satisfaction, continuance intention, and recommendation intention within a QSL framework. Third, it integrates the attribute-level results of the KANO analysis with the structural path results of the QSL analysis in order to derive implications for the design and operation of generative AI guide systems in digital cultural spaces. Data were collected from users who had directly experienced the “TU YUEYUE” system. A total of 258 valid responses were used for the final analysis. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, correlation analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling, and bootstrap-based parallel mediation analysis. KANO classification, Better-Worse coefficients, and PCSI analysis were also applied to identify user requirements and improvement priorities.
The KANO analysis showed that the service attributes of the generative AI guide system did not operate in a uniform or linear manner. Attributes related to information accuracy, response speed, and ease of operation were closely associated with the functional stability of the system and played an important role in reducing dissatisfaction. By contrast, attributes such as natural conversation, personalized recommendation, and interesting interaction were more closely related to experiential engagement and differentiated user value. This indicates that users evaluate generative AI guide systems not only as information tools but also as interactive experience interfaces within the spatial and service context of a public library.
The QSL path analysis further revealed that both functional quality and experiential quality had significant positive effects on cognitive satisfaction and emotional-experiential satisfaction. However, the expected distinction between the two quality paths was not clearly supported. Functional quality did not have a stronger effect on cognitive satisfaction than on emotional-experiential satisfaction, and experiential quality did not have a clearly stronger effect on emotional-experiential satisfaction than on cognitive satisfaction. This result suggests that, in the context of generative AI guide systems, users tend to perceive functional reliability and experiential interaction as closely connected. Accurate and smooth responses may provide not only cognitive assurance but also emotional reassurance, while natural and personalized interaction may reinforce users’ cognitive evaluation of the system.
Both cognitive satisfaction and emotional-experiential satisfaction had significant positive effects on continuance intention and recommendation intention. The bootstrap-based mediation analysis confirmed that the two satisfaction dimensions mediated the relationship between perceived quality and behavioral intention. The overall parallel mediation effect was therefore supported. However, the relative dominance of specific mediation paths was limited. Functional quality was not mediated mainly through cognitive satisfaction alone, and experiential quality was only conditionally associated with emotional-experiential satisfaction as the dominant pathway. These findings suggest a dual but interrelated satisfaction structure in which behavioral intention is formed through the combined operation of cognitive and emotional-experiential evaluation.
This study contributes to research on digital cultural spaces and AI-based service experience by combining the KANO model and the QSL framework in a single empirical design. The KANO model clarifies which service attributes should be treated as basic conditions, performance factors, or attractive elements, while the QSL framework explains how perceived quality leads to satisfaction and behavioral intention. By integrating the two approaches, this study connects attribute-level improvement priorities with the broader structure of user response. In practical terms, the findings suggest that the UI/UX improvement of generative AI guide systems should proceed in stages. Basic usability, including clear menu structure and operational clarity, should first be secured. Performance-related qualities such as information accuracy, response speed, natural dialogue, and personalized recommendation should then be strengthened through visible information sources, continuous conversational flow, and clear recommendation reasons. Attractive experiential elements, such as novelty and enjoyable interaction, should be applied carefully so that they enrich the user experience without disrupting the quiet and information-oriented context of a public library. The study is limited to a single case and cross-sectional survey data. Future research should compare different cultural spaces and AI guide systems and further examine longitudinal changes in user perception as generative AI technologies continue to evolve.