The operation of a hearing aid (10) or hearing aid system (10, 11) is to be improved. It is proposed here that the acoustic auditory environment in which the hearing aid (10) or hearing aid system (10, 11) is found is analyzed and one of the adjustment functions dependent on the relevant auditory situation is assigned to at least one control element (7; 12-15) as a function of the auditory situation detected in this way. The adjustment possibility of the hearing aid (10) is thereby restricted to the adjustment possibilities which are meaningful to the relevant auditory situation.