An instrument to measure the various ways people use computers was developed and evaluated. Computers can be used as word processors, game machines, communication tools, accounting tools, and for a myriad of other applications. The Computer Use Scale (CUS) measures how people use computers across four dimensions: Enthusiasm, Entertainment, Efficiency, and Communication. These scales measure the extent to which individuals use computers as "cutting-edge" technology, as playthings, as tools to create better work in less time, or to communicate with others. The scale was found to be reliable and was able to detect differences among various classes of users. Applications of the scale to computer training, software design, and job placement are discussed.How do people use computers? Can people be placed on a single continuum based on frequency of use? Clearly no: Some users are extremely enthusiastic about computer technology for its own sake, some use it as a source of entertainment, some see it primarily as a means to an end, and some are interested in using it to reach out to others. A measure of how people use computers could be helpful in tracking change in use over time, in software interface design, in employee selection and training, and many other ways. Dutton, Kovaric, and Steinfield suggested the need for a typology of patterns of computer use more than a decade ago [ 11. Unfortunately, research on this topic has been sparse.