Travis K. Huang

Understanding user interface needs of e-commerce web sites

With the growth in the number of web sites, users must choose among many alternative web sites and designers must face the challenge of keeping the users duration. Web site design is an iterative process of fine-tuning to enhance user satisfaction. According to the hygiene–motivation theory, the emotions of satisfaction and dissatisfaction are caused by two different categories of characteristics. Lack of dissatisfaction does not mean satisfaction, and lack of satisfaction does not mean dissatisfaction. This study proposes a parsimonious and effective multidimensional evaluation tool: a max–min approach to combine the hygiene–motivation factors and thereby provide a strategy to compare the competitive position of different web sites. The interfaces of eight e-retailer web sites for computer and communication products were targeted for evaluation. Four hygiene factors (navigation, information display, ease of learning and response time) and five motivation factors (interaction with people, screen complexity, user empowerment, visual appearance and achievement) are measured. The evaluations on hygiene and motivation factors were transformed into max and min effectiveness scores using the proposed models. Three zones (zone of intolerance, zone of efficiency and zone of satisfaction) were described to illustrate the role of strategic planning of a site interface in shaping a competitive position among the observed web sites.

Exploring the effect of boundary objects on knowledge interaction

This study attempts to tackle cross-boundary knowledge management problems by examining how knowledge can be generated efficiently. The subjects comprised 81 pairs of users and student analysts. To understand the similarities and differences among 81 records of knowledge interactions, a max-min model was employed to analyze project performance and calculate knowledge interaction efficiency. The analysis involved one output factor (project performance) and four input factors (frequencies of encountering four different types of boundary objects). Cluster analysis and the subsequent comparisons among the clusters suggest that the occurrence of metaphoric boundary objects is the key to good project performance in the context of software system analysis. This paper successfully demonstrates that observing knowledge interaction through the lens of boundary objects can be fruitful, and that some boundary objects are more important than others. However, the context-dependent nature of knowledge interaction mandates further studies in other contexts. Identifying, creating, and facilitating useful boundary objects are key to efficient knowledge interaction.Four boundary object types were summarized and proposed.The concept of boundary objects was linked to project performance in cross-boundary knowledge interaction.Five steps were used to conduct the analysis via max-min models.Metaphoric boundary objects were shown to play a key role in software system analysis activities.

Measuring Boundary Objects in an Attempt to Explain Innovativeness

This study explores types of boundary objects, their relationships, and their effect on project innovativeness in the context of systems analysis. Four types of boundary objects are identified and their content discussed. Based on data collected from 258 student analysts, the results indicate that out of syntactic, semantic, pragmatic and metaphoric boundary objects, only pragmatic boundary objects had a strong positive effect on project innovativeness. Metaphoric boundary objects are shown to have positive effect on all other three types of boundary objects. Metaphoric boundary object affects project innovativeness indirectly through pragmatic boundary objects. Surprisingly, semantic boundary objects negatively affect project innovativeness, although not very strongly. A practical implication is the possibility of increasing project innovativeness by enhancing both pragmatic boundary objects and metaphoric boundary objects.

Task-Oriented M-Commerce Interface Design

As pocket-size mobile devices are equipped with relatively small screen, when displaying web pages which are designed for personal computers and laptops, viewing poses a great challenge. Due to the limited space, items or components on the screen of pocket-size mobile devices should be much more intuitive so that users can interact with the interface more quickly. Thus, the study posits that m-commerce mandates a completely different approach, namely scenario-based design, to interface design which is task-oriented rather than functional-oriented. The result can be further summarized and compared with prior research which focused on a list of design factors.

What Drives Continued Intention for Mobile Payment? - An Expectation Cost Benefit Theory with Habit

The number of smartphone users has increased rapidly in recent years as the mobile networking becomes more mature, which not only gives rise to a new lifestyle but also facilitates the development of mobile application services. Smartphones thus become an indispensable device of people’s daily contact. Today people from all walks of life set their attention on mobile payments amongst smartphone mobile application services. To explore the factors affecting users’ continued use of mobile payments, this study has sought to build a theoretical framework based on the cost-benefit theory and add habit as a factor to put forward an integrated research model, which explicates people’s continued use of mobile payment services. An online questionnaire was employed to collect empirical data. A total of 295 samples were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) approach. The results showed that both perceived value and habit played an important role in users’ continued intention to use mobile payment services. Also, the perceived benefits (mobile convenience and service compatibility) and perceived costs (security risk and perceived fee) are crucial factors that determine users’ perceived value. In addition, the study also found that perceived value had a positive impact on users’ habit, showing that in the context of a mobile-oriented information system, whether mobile payment services satisfied users’ perceived value influenced the formation of habit of using such services. The implications of these findings are discussed.

How Does Social Media Interactivity Affect Brand Loyalty

As social media has become a prominent platform for networking, many organizations have begun to establish more than one brand community, as a set of supplements to their branded websites. Once most online brand interactions take place on social networking sites rather than branded sites, such customer-oriented interactions will become much more complicated and unpredictable. It is a real challenge for organizations to build successful customer-brand relationships through social networking sites. Hence, organizations that wish to enhance brand loyalty by running brand communities face the challenge of effectively conducting social customer relationship management (CRM) tactics. As social media users are susceptible to highly interactive features, understanding the nature of social media interactivity in brand communities is the key to building successful social CRM. The aim of the study is to investigate not only the effect of social media interactivity on community benefits, but also the effect of community benefits on brand loyalty. In addition to measuring the direct effects of social influence and media richness on brand loyalty, the study assessed the indirect effect of responsiveness on brand loyalty by means of community benefits, including knowledge gains and sense of membership. The results, based on data collected from 229 social media users who are followers of Super Basketball League (SBL) teams’ Facebook pages, indicated that media richness had a strong, positive, and direct effect on brand loyalty, and that responsiveness had direct effects on their knowledge gains and their sense of membership, which in turn affected brand loyalty indirectly.

How to lessen the effects of user resistance on the adoption of an e-learning environment: screenshot annotation on Flickr

ABSTRACT The study makes use of the photo-hosting site, namely Flickr, for students to upload screenshots to demonstrate computer software problems and troubleshooting software. By creating non-text stickers and text-based annotations above the screenshots, students are able to help one another to diagnose and solve problems with greater certainty. In addition to applying the technology acceptance model, three factors from the user resistance perspective, namely, user resistance, peer opinion, and self-efficacy for change, were chosen as the basis for the research model. Based on data collected from 399 students, the results indicated that students’ resistance had a negative and direct effect on their behavioral intention. Both peer opinions and students’ self-efficacy for change had negative and direct effects on their resistance, which positively and indirectly influenced behavioral intention. User resistance could be significantly improved by promoting positive peer opinions or enhancing students’ self-efficacy for change.