Exploring the feasibility of web form adaptation to users’ cultural dimension scores

With many daily tasks now performed on the Internet, productivity and efficiency in working with web pages have become transversal necessities for all users. Many of these tasks involve the inputting of user information, obligating the user to interact with a webform. Research has demonstrated that productivity depends largely on users’ personal characteristics, implying that it will vary from user to user. The webform development process must therefore, include modeling of its intended users to ensure the interface design is appropriate. Taking all potential users into account is difficult, however, primarily because their identity is unknown, and some may be effectively excluded by the final design. Such discrimination can be avoided by incorporating rules that allow webforms to adapt automatically to the individual user’s characteristics, the principal one being the person’s culture. In this paper we report two studies that validate this option. We begin by determining the relationships between a user’s cultural dimension scores and their behavior when faced with a webform. We then validate the notion that rules based on these relationships can be established for the automatic adaptation of a webform in order to reduce the time taken to complete it. We conclude that the automatic webform adaptation to the cultural dimensions of users improves their performance.     

Segmentation preference and technostress: Integrators’ vs segmenters’ experience of technology-induced demands and related spill-over effects

Remote work is becoming the “new normal”, and more people are working in the home office due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Boundary management and the individual preferences to segment work and private life are a current topic of research as digital technologies have the potential to aggravate segmentation due to their invasive effect. In this context, we add to a current research stream on technostress, investigating technology-driven spill-over in a longitudinal study based on data assessed during the pandemic. The use of communication technologies leads to work-to-family stress due to the occurrence of techno-stressors interruptions, invasion, and overload. Differences between “segmenters” (people with a strong wish for separation) and “integrators” (who rather integrate life domains) were found. They experience techno-stressors differently in dependence on their technology use. Our paper offers interesting theoretical insights into boundary transcending effects of technology use. Recommendations for employers on how to shape the “new normal” are discussed.     

Using think-aloud and psychometrics to explore users’ experience with a news Web site

The present study is part of a research programme that aims to develop and test a psychological model of end-users’ experience with news sites. An exploratory study of interaction experience with a news Web site was conducted. An online questionnaire was used to collect information on demographics, Internet-use and news-site use behaviour of users of a particular news site, and to recruit participants for a think-aloud study. The protocol analysis of screen-capture and audio recordings of participants, who used a news site while thinking aloud, yielded five categories of experience: impression, content, layout, information architecture and diversion. These categories are regarded as spontaneous, self-reported aspects of users’ experience with a news site. A set of interaction-experience questionnaires revealed significant differences between regular users and non-users of a news site. Correlation and regression analyses demonstrated support for Hassenzahl’s model of interaction experience. The study presents a first attempt to empirically investigate the aspects of interaction experience in relation to online news sites.     

The influence of multimedia training on users’ attitudes: lessons learned

The workforce within the US is increasingly culturally diverse and mobile. Rapid technological changes, coupled with cultural diversity and employee mobility, have created the milieu for critical issues in organizational training methods. Effective learning systems enable employees to adapt more easily to change, thereby increasing their effectiveness. Multimedia systems can be the solution to enhancing performance effectively and efficiently by accelerated learning. This paper examines such a system developed by Holiday Inn Worldwide for the implementation of a new information system. Individuals’ performance and attitudes were tracked for two primary groups: those receiving training on a new information system using traditional training methods and those using a multimedia CDROM to acquire mastery of the same system. 826 employees participated, 467 of them were trained by the multimedia system. Attitude measures included attitudes toward self: job, training, and technology. Individual performance was measured by standardized tests on employees’ knowledge of the new information system. Our findings demonstrated that users’ attitudes were consistently poorer when trained at sites which employed multimedia training when compared with users trained in using a more traditional approach.     

Exploring users’ switching intention and behavior on social networking sites: Linear and nonlinear perspectives

The increasing integration of computers and networks into society has profoundly affected our lives in recent years. In Taiwan, use of SNSs – especially Facebook – has become the main action for the Internet users; accordingly, a number of scholars have explored people's intention to use, or actual use of, SNSs. However, few studies have investigated how and why users stop using one SNS and begin using another from the linear perspective. The findings are incomplete for the human behaviors which are complex and nonlinear systems. The purpose of this study is therefore to explore the relationship between SNS users’ switching intention and switching behavior based on structural equation modeling (SEM) and cusp catastrophe model (CCM). The key factors for the switching intentions and behaviors of SNS users were examined through empirical research, and a structural model was established. The model, which involved habits as a mediating factor, was used to conduct a qualitative and quantitative analysis on the switching behaviors of SNS users from a nonlinear perspective. This model will provide a new method for future researchers to analyze nonlinear behaviors as well as a dynamic decision support model for service providers to improve their business operation.     

Exploring users’ experiences of using personal cloud storage services: a phenomenological study

Recently, cloud computing has attracted great attention for both personal and organisational usages. Despite a large number of research conducted about cloud adoption, little is known about how users practically experienced the usage and adoption of Personal Could Storage Service (PCSSs) particularly in the context of developing countries. To address this gap, this paper seeks a clear understanding of how participants have profoundly experienced and perceived PCSSs to obtain worthwhile insights towards the essence of PCSSs’ adoption as a multifaceted phenomenon. Applying the interpretive phenomenology as a research method, required data were collected by conducting semi-structured interviews with 12 experienced participants. The results reveal that users’ intentions to adopt PCSSs are highly influenced by three emerged themes, including demand-side factors, supply-side factors, and institutional factors. Concerning the demand-side factors, the paper demonstrates how user-centric aspects work in favour of PCSSs’ adoption. As to the supply-side factors, this research promotes an understanding of how the participants have perceived tangible and non-tangible features of PCSSs as a determinant of the adoption. Regarding the formal and informal institutions, remarkable roles of regulatory environments and culture are highlighted, respectively. The theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed for both academia and practitioners.     

Design shopping as an experience: Exploring the effect of the live-streaming shopping characteristics on consumers’ participation intention and memorable experience

Live-streaming shopping becomes increasingly popular recently. However, little research explored why live-streaming shopping is so successful in continuously promoting sales and engaging consumers. Based on the Stimulus-Organism-Response framework, we explore the effects of five distinct characteristics (information richness, interactivity, vividness, social presence, and newness) of live-streaming shopping on consumers’ continuous participation intentions, and investigate the underlying organism from both the momentary states (i.e., perceived diagnosticity, perceived enjoyment, and perceived social support) and the reflective state (i.e., memorable experience). The results of a multi-method empirical study indicate that the memorable experience is a strong indicator of continued shopping behaviors.     

Determinants of users’ intention to adopt m-commerce: an empirical analysis

The fast-growing penetration of mobile devices and recent advances in mobile technologies have led to the development of increasingly sophisticated services such as m-shopping for goods or services and m-payment. However, although the number of mobile subscribers is increasing, levels of actual m-commerce activities in many cases remain low. Determining what influences users’ intention to use m-commerce is therefore of growing importance. The purpose of this study was to investigate possible factors. To this aim, we developed a conceptual user adoption model based on technology acceptance model variables and on specific factors such as social influence, personal innovativeness, customization, and individual mobility. The empirical results show that social influence and customization significantly affect perceived usefulness; mobility, customization, and personal innovativeness significantly affect perceived ease of use; and perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use have a direct positive effect on behavioral intention.     

Investigating designers’ and users’ cognitive representations of products to assist inclusive interaction design

There is strong evidence of the importance of good interaction design in the creation of intuitive-use products. However, there is also a strong indication, both in the literature and in the study with designers documented in this paper, that despite this evidence designers get little support in adequately representing, analysing and comparing design and user information. Since designers require a practical and relatively easy-to-use support tool that would enable them to better understand cognitive processes of users and evaluate the accessibility and usability of different product features, this paper proposes the Goals-Actions-Beliefs-Objects (GABO) modelling approach that can form the basis of such a tool for designers. The four distinct stages of the GABO approach are designed to assess and compare designers and users’ understanding and usage of everyday products. The evaluation results of the GABO approach with eight product designers have indicated that designers find it useful and effective in identifying the key similarities and differences in the understanding of designers and users.     

Understanding determinants of information systems users’ behaviour: a comparison of two models in the context of integrated accounting and budgeting software

This study examines determinants that affect the behaviour of information systems (IS) users, and influence of the users’ decisions to continue using IS by two models: the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the expectation-confirmation model of IS continuance (ECM-IS). The behaviour of professionals who utilise complex software solutions for performing their working tasks has been in the focus of this research. Based on data gathered from questionnaires filled-out by users of the integrated accounting and budgeting software (IABS), the confirmatory factor analysis has shown that both models demonstrate good factor, convergence and discriminatory validity, respectively. The comparison of the obtained results has been performed, and it shows that ECM-IS has a larger explanatory power (R²) over TAM, explaining 49% of the dependent variable (IS continuance intention) in relation to 29%. The IS continuance intention is determined by the users’ satisfaction and perceived usefulness. The user satisfaction is influenced by perceived usefulness and confirmation. The confirmation of the user's expectations has had a positive influence on perceived usefulness. The perceived ease of use has not exerted a significant influence on the user's intention of IS continuance.     

Exploring the relationship between information satisfaction and flow in the context of consumers’ online search

The study investigate the subjective aspect of consumers’ online information satisfaction within the frame of flow experience in two processes: ongoing and goal-directed information search. A total of 391 samples for ongoing processes and 415 samples for goal-directed processes obtained in this study were analyzed with structural equation modelling. Flow is conceptualized in the study with Enjoyment, Time Distortion, Curiosity, Perceived Control and Concentration dimensions. The results indicate that flow experience has significant effects on consumers’ online information satisfaction in both processes. Enjoyment, Time distortion, Curiosity and Perceived Control dimensions affect online information satisfaction positively in the ongoing process, which is largely carried out with hedonic urges. In addition to Enjoyment, Perceived Control and Concentration dimensions have positive and Curiosity dimension has negative effects in goal-directed online information satisfaction, which is largely carried out with utilitarian urges. In addition, the results indicate that Enjoyment, Time distortion and Curiosity dimensions have significantly stronger positive effects on online information satisfaction in ongoing search processes compared with goal-directed processes, and Concentration dimension has significantly stronger positive effects on online information satisfaction in goal-directed search processes compared with ongoing processes.     

Adaptation of an automotive dialogue system to users’ expertise and evaluation of the system

Spoken dialogue systems (SDSs) can be used to operate devices, e.g. in the automotive environment. People using these systems usually have different levels of experience. However, most systems do not take this into account. In this paper, we present a method to build a dialogue system in an automotive environment that automatically adapts to the user’s experience with the system. We implemented the adaptation in a prototype and carried out exhaustive tests. Our usability tests show that adaptation increases both user performance and user satisfaction. We describe the tests that were performed, and the methods used to assess the test results. One of these methods is a modification of PARADISE, a framework for evaluating the performance of SDSs [Walker MA, Litman DJ, Kamm CA, Abella A (Comput Speech Lang 12(3):317–347, 1998)]. We discuss its drawbacks for the evaluation of SDSs like ours, the modifications we have carried out, and the test results.

Understanding users’ continuous content contribution behaviours on microblogs: an integrated perspective of uses and gratification theory and social influence theory

ABSTRACT

Microblogs are revolutionising the way users produce, consume and distribute short content. The continuous content contributions of users are crucial for the sustainable development of microblogs. Knowledge regarding this user behaviour is scarce. Based on the uses and gratifications theory (U&G) and the social influence theory (SIT), this paper proposes an integrated research model with the aim of understanding the factors that affect users’ continuous content contribution behaviours (CCCB) on microblogs. The data were collected from 379 microblog users in China. The empirical results indicate that perceived gratification had a positive but surprisingly trivial effect on continuous content contribution behaviours. Social influence had a strong and significantly positive effect on users’ CCCB, it also had a positive moderating effect on the relationship between perceived gratification and CCCB. Users’ perceived gratification was positively affected by the antecedents of self-expression, anticipated extrinsic rewards and anticipated reciprocity but negatively affected by privacy concerns. The platform attributes of microblogs (i.e. accessibility and interactivity) also influenced users’ perceived gratification. This research contributes to social media research with regards to the theory of users’ CCCB.     

Adverse consequences of access to individuals’ information: an analysis of perceptions and the scope of organisational influence

Organisations are highly interested in collecting and analysing customer data to enhance their service offerings and customer interaction. However, individuals increasingly fear how such practices may negatively affect them. Although previous studies have investigated individuals’ concerns about information privacy practices, the adverse consequences people associate with external actors accessing their personal information remain unclear. To mitigate customers’ fears, organisations need to know which adverse consequences individuals are afraid of and how to address those negative perceptions. To investigate this topic, we conducted 22 focus groups with 119 participants. We developed a comprehensive conceptualisation and categorisation of individuals’ perceived adverse consequences of access to their information that includes seven types of consequences: psychological, social, career-related, physical, resource-related, prosecution-related, and freedom-related. Although individuals may limit their interactions with an organisation owing to consequences they associate with both the organisation and other actors, organisations can apply preventive and corrective mechanisms to mitigate some of these negative perceptions. However, organisations’ scope of influence is limited and some fears may be mitigated only by individuals themselves or government regulation, if at all.     

Changing information retrieval behaviours: an empirical investigation of users’ cognitive processes in the choice of location-based services

The introduction of smartphones and the accompanying profusion of mobile data services have had a profound effect on individuals’ lives. One of the most influential service categories is location-based services (LBS). Based on insights from behavioural decision-making, a conceptual framework is developed to analyse individuals’ decisions to use LBS, focusing on the cognitive processes involved in the decision-making. Our research is based on two studies. First, we investigate the use of LBS through semi-structured interviews of smartphone users. Second, we explore daily LBS use through a study based on diaries. The findings highlight that the decision to use LBS can be described by either a comparative mode based on the value of LBS in relation to other available options, or an intuitive mode in which past experiences trigger the use of heuristics. These modes in turn have positive influences on the continuance of LBS use and indicate changes in individuals’ information retrieval behaviours in everyday life. In particular, the distinct value dimension of LBS in specific contexts of use changes individuals’ behaviours towards accessing location-related information.     

Adolescents’ experience of offline and online risks: Separate and joint propensities

Adolescence is a period of increased risk experience and ever more often these occur online. The current study aims to investigate whether adolescents' online and offline risk experiences are driven by the same general propensity to risks. Data from a representative study of N = 19,406 (50% girls) internet-using 11–16 year olds (M = 13.54, SD = 1.68) youth in Europe were subjected to the current analyses. Three confirmatory factor analyses were applied to measures of offline and online risk experiences (five each). A bi-factor model of a general risk factor and two specific factors of online and offline risks was shown to provide the best theoretical and empirical fit. All risk experiences loaded significantly on the general risk factor while additionally all offline risks loaded significantly on the offline risk factor. However, none of the online risks loaded significantly on the online risk factor. Online risks could not be explained by factors that go beyond a general propensity to experience risks suggesting that new technologies do not bring with them a new type of risk propensity driven by that environment. Interventions should target risk and protective factors that can account for adolescents’ experiences across risk types (online and offline).     

How technostressors influence job and family satisfaction: Exploring the role of work–family conflict

Recent developments in information and communication technology have blurred the line between the workplace and the home. This can have a negative influence on employees' well-being and thus has gained increasing attention from academics and practitioners. In this study, we developed a research model based on the transactional perspective of stress and the challenge–hindrance stressor framework. We defined the two dimensions of work–family conflict as the perceptual stress resulting from a chronic challenge and hindrance technostressors, which ultimately affect employees' satisfaction in both the work and family domains. We tested our model using a three-wave time-lagged survey study with data collected from 268 employees. Challenge and hindrance technostressors had different effects on these two main forms of work–family conflict (time-based and strain-based) but further induced negative effects on both job and family satisfaction. Overall, we make both scientific and practical contributions to the fields of work-related technology use and work–family conflict.     

Road safety communication effectiveness: the roles of emotion and information in motorists’ ability to detect vulnerable road users

Cognition, Technology & Work - This study aimed to investigate the impact of the emotional and informational components of road safety communication on the motorists’ ability to detect...     

From Berman and Hafner’s teleological context to Baude and Sachs’ interpretive defaults: an ontological challenge for the next decades of AI and Law

This paper revisits the challenge of Berman and Hafner’s “missing link” paper on representing teleological structure in case-based legal reasoning. It is noted that this was mainly an ontological challenge to represent some of what made legal reasoning distinctive, which was given less attention than factual similarity in the dominant AI and Law paradigm, deriving from HYPO. The response to their paper is noted and briefly evaluated. A parallel is drawn to a new challenge to provide deep structure to the legal context of textual meaning, drawing on the forthcoming work of two Constitutional law scholars who appear to place some faith in the ways of thinking that AI and Law has developed.     

Rationally or emotionally: how should voice user interfaces reply to users of different genders considering user experience?

Cognition, Technology & Work - Voice user interfaces (VUIs) have exploded in popularity over the past 3 years. However, there has been little research on the reply methods that VUIs...