Yinni Guo

Factor structure of content preparation for e-business web sites: results of a survey of 428 industrial employees in the People's Republic of China

To better fulfil customer satisfaction, a study of what content e-business web sites should contain is conducted. Based on background literature, a content preparation survey of 70 items was developed and completed by 428 white collar employees of an electronic company in mainland China. The survey aimed at examining the significant content factors of e-business web sites. The results of the study indicated a 0.75% internal consistency of the survey. Factor analysis of the data indicated 15 main content factors for e-business web sites, which accounted for 60.1% of total variance. The factors, in order of importance, are security content, quality content, service content, appearance description, contact information, aid function, customised function, search function, product specification, purchasing aid, price content, detailed description, comment content, matching product, review content. This study concludes with guidelines for the design of content preparation of e-business web sites.

Development and validation of an instrument to evaluate the content effectiveness of video games: a pilot study

Storytelling is the key design element in game design. Content preparation, which examines ‘what information users want’, yielded valuable data concerning the necessary attributes of storytelling in a web-based interface. After identifying 17 basic components of video games, the authors of this paper were able to categorise the components based on guidelines reported from the literature review into four major factors: game play; game setup; game control; and game help. In order to evaluate these factors, an experiment was conducted that required participants to evaluate three PC games selected for their distinctiveness and popularity: Need for Speed VII: Most Wanted; StarCraft; and Diablo II. Twelve highly skilled video game players were selected as participants. After playing each game, participants were asked to complete a 56-question survey and the results of a multiple regression analysis revealed that all items of development and content preparation are not of equal importance. Fantasy, pressure, reward/bonus, next step, pressure, status, menu, goal, character, hints and instruction are the components that have the most significant impact on user satisfaction.

Effects of Importance and Detectability of Usability Problems on Sample Size Requirements

Existing models of usability evaluation estimate sample size requirements based on goal discovery rate and detectability of potential problems without consideration of the importance of the problem and an index of usability, which allows the comparison of the effectiveness of usability of information technology products and services across different domains. This article presents a methodology which accounts for the aforementioned limitations in usability evaluation. A case study is presented, which illustrates the utility of the proposed methodology and indicates that the current methods underestimate the number of participants in usability evaluation studies.

Content information desired by Chinese users for effective use of information appliances

Many studies have been conducted to determine how to present information on mobile phones in such a way as to enhance usability, but those studies have not considered what information users need for effective decision making. To investigate what users want from mobile phones, we carried out a content preparation study. A questionnaire was constructed based on prior results from website content research, traditional usability studies on consumer electronics, and extensive study on various types of mobile phones; it was completed by 375 Chinese industrial participants. The statistical results revealed nine major factors of mobile phone content: information relating to input/search, functions, operation, multimedia functions, stored files, phone calls, help/service, accessory functions, and messages. Also, users of different ages and genders evidenced different requirements for mobile phone content, especially concerning accessory and multimedia functions. This study suggests guidelines for mobile phone designers targeted at the Chinese market and provides a base for content study of other information appliances.

What Do Users Want to See? A Content Preparation Study for Consumer Electronics

To investigate what users want to see from consumer electronic devices, a content preparation study was conducted. A questionnaire was constructed based on the results from web site content research and traditional usability studies on consumer electronics, and was completed by 401 Chinese participants. The statistical results reveal that there are nine major factors of cell phone content. Also users of different age and gender have different requirements for cell phone content, especially concerning accessory and multimedia functions. This study suggests guidelines for cell phone designers targeted at the Chinese market, as well as a base for content study of other consumer electronics.

Factor structure of content preparation for e-business web sites: a survey results of industrial employees in P.R. China

To enhance the quality of e-business web sites, a study of factor structure in content preparation is needed. Based on background literature, a content preparation survey of 70 items was developed and completed by 428 white collar employees of XOCECO Company in mainland China. The survey aimed at examining the significant content factors of e-business web sites. Results of the study indicated a 0.75 internal consistency of the questionnaire. A factor analysis of the data indicated fifteen main content factors for e-business web sites, which accounts for 60.1% percent of total variance. The factors in order of importance are: security content, quality content, service content, appearance description, contact information, aid function, customized function, search function, product specification, purchasing aid, price content, detailed description, comment content, matching product, review content. This study concludes with guidelines for the design of content preparation of e-business we presented.

Value added by the axiomatic usability method for evaluating consumer electronics

In this paper we demonstrate how to use the axiomatic evaluation method to evaluate usability of consumer electronic products. The axiomatic evaluation method examines three domains of a product: customer, functional, and control domains. This method collects not only usability problems reported by the users, but also usability problems found through the mapping matrix between the three domains. To determine how well this new usability evaluation method works, an experiment was conducted to compare the axiomatic evaluation method with a think-aloud method. 60 participants were randomly assigned to use one method or the other to evaluate three popular consumer electronic devices. Number of usability problems discovered and completion time were collected and analyzed. Results showed that the axiomatic evaluation method performed better than the think-aloud method at finding usability problems for the mobile phone and about user expectation and control.