Web Systems Design and Online Consumer Behavior [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Conceptual Framework

Web site quality is important and widely studied in the e-commerce
literature (Aladwani & Palvia, 2002; Koufaris, 2003). Liu and Arnett (2000) derive a framework
from IS and marketing literature. They identify four factors that are critical to Web site success
in e-commerce: information and service quality, system use, playfulness, and system design quality.
Wan (2000) empirically categorizes the features of Web sites that can be evaluated from the
customer’s perspective. Barnes and Vidgen (2001) contend that WebQual should be used to evaluate a
Web site from a customer’s point of view. We think, from a customer’s perspective, an attractive
Web site can be addressed via four components: functionality, content, service, and
attractor.

As shown in
Figure
6-1, a framework is developed to relate the Web site quality (i.e., system quality,
information quality, service quality, and attractor), to customers’ perceived usefulness and
perceived ease of use, and further to customers’ preference and intention to reuse the site. The
framework is built upon TAM, IS success model, ServQual, and trust concept (Delone & McLean,
1992; Parasuraman et al., 1985; Davis, 1989; Lin & Lu, 2000; Chen et al., 2002). In e-commerce
Web sites, voluntary use is more common. Thus, the customer’s perceptions of a Web site are
considered by applying TAM (Davis, 1989). TAM indicates that perceived usefulness and ease of use
will influence an individual’s attitude and intention to use a Web site, and customers’ beliefs
(i.e., perceived usefulness and ease of use) are influenced by Web site quality (Davis, 1989;
Eighmey & McCord, 1998; Liu & Arnett, 2000; Lin & Lu, 2000; Chen et al., 2002).

Figure 6-1: A framework for
evaluating e-commerce Web site quality

There are many discussions on beliefs, attitudes, and intentions based on TAM (i.e., the
dotted-line box in
Figure
6-1). For further discussion, please see Davis (1989), Lederer et al. (2000), Chen et al.
(2002), and Lin and Lu (2000). Due to the restriction on the chapter space, this chapter devotes
only to the discussion on the dimensions that capture the Web site quality. Based on the previous
literature review section on dimensions of IS success and ServQual, four sets of factors which
capture the quality of e-commerce Web site are identified: system quality, information quality,
service quality, and attractor. Web site quality adapts IS success model by adding service quality,
consisting of trust and empathy, and one new dimension of attractor.

For e-commerce applications, service quality is an important dimension to supplement system
and information quality. Based on ServQual, any good service needs attributes of reliability,
assurance, empathy, and responsiveness. In the context of e-commerce Web site, the reliability and
assurance of a Web site make it possible to perform the promised service dependably and accurately,
and to inspire trust and confidence (Loiacono et al., 2002). The empathy and responsiveness of a
Web site include providing prompt service and caring, individualized attention to customers.
Therefore, two attributes of service quality (i.e., trust and empathy) need to be included in
examining a Web site quality. Service quality of a Web site, as well as system quality
(functionality) and information quality (content), determines the customers’ perceived usefulness
and ease of using the site.

A good Web site also has a human touch — attractor (Watson et al., 1998). Attractor is a
moderating variable, which includes the appeal and playfulness of a Web site. When the content and
graphics of a Web site are arranged in an appealing manner and playful features are embedded in the
site, users will enjoy navigating around. The users are also willing to introduce this particular
site to acquaintances. This will create a source of steady and loyal customers to revisit the site.
Therefore, a Web site with overall appeal (e.g., appropriate background and layout) is more likely
to keep repeat customers than a site without appealing organization. Smith and Merchant (2000)
recognize an appealing Web site will attract more buyers, and this will in turn increase the
revenues generated from Web-based sales.

System Quality

System quality measures the functionality of a Web site: usability, availability, and
response time (DeLone & McLean, 2003). Smith and Merchant (2000) find that online customers are
very particular about having a Web site easy to read, as well as easy to navigate. A responsive Web
site proves to be highly important to end-users (Robbins & Stylianou, 2003). Weinberg (2000)
emphasizes that a page design should consider not only appearance but also loading time.
Specifically the system quality of a Web site can be assessed by search facility, responsiveness,
and multi-media capability.

Search Facility

Search facility reflects the extent to which a tool or structure actually helps a Web site
user to find information as perceived by the user (Huizingh, 2000). One of the problems in Web site
design, whereby Web site users lose track of the context and are unsure of how to proceed, is
called the navigation problem (Levene, 2001). For example, participants in a study report that they
are disconcerted in cases where they have to scroll to locate the selection and add an item to the
shopping cart (Bhatti et al., 2000).

So, navigation tools should help users to maintain a mental map of where they are, and how
various sections/pages are related to each other. Tools for navigation include: menus, directories,
frames, buttons, site maps, subject trees, a search engine, image maps, and colors (Clyde, 2000).
It is helpful to have a site map that Web site users can use to see the layout of the site and
maneuver around it (Hudson et al., 2000). Some of the Web sites are large and this makes it
difficult to find all the information on a specific subject. One way to mitigate this problem is to
include a search engine on the site (Clyde, 2000).

Responsiveness

Responsiveness is defined as the willingness to help online customers. It can be measured by
the time taken before replying to a customer’s inquiries (Watson et al., 1998). Advances in the
Internet and computer technology leave little excuse for any delay in responding (Wan, 2000). Wan
(2000) considers the issue of responsiveness can be seen in at least two ways: load time and search
time. Search time mostly relies on the size of the database. Many pages are designed with being
aware of the load time problems and have small pictorial illustrations. Amazon.com puts a sign of
text-only on its homepage.

One of the e-commerce challenges on the Web is when users experience intolerably long waits
for a Web site’s page to load. When the loading time exceeds the time that a Web user is willing to
wait, the Web user will either redirect the Web-browser to another Web site or quit using the Web
(Weinberg, 2000). Researchers have studied the significance of waiting time in service evaluations
(Roslow et al., 1992). Schleifer and Amick (1989) report that system response time is inversely
related to computer user satisfaction. Weinberg (2000) concludes, in terms of waiting time on the
Internet, that it is best if the homepage loads relatively fast, and that efforts toward achieving
this result will be rewarded.

Multi-Media Capability

Multi-media capability refers to the non-verbal cues or features about the product and
services that enhance the customer’s feeling of preference for a Web site. Graphics, video clips,
audio clips, and animation used to demonstrate products are examples of these features. These
features can fulfill individual information needs, engender trust, and facilitate better learning
experience (Chen, 2001). Non-text elements also enhance communication by helping visitors find or
interpret the information presented. On the other hand, more multi-media enabled content takes more
time to download. Designers must find a balance between an attractive design and providing
information; this is not always easy (Huizingh, 2000).

It is probably not a good idea to go overboard with elaborate graphics, which add no more
information. People may use the same site frequently. Graphics that may appear impressive when they
are first seen and quickly become very tiresome when they have been viewed many times before
(Hudson et al., 2000).

Information Quality

Information quality captures the e-commerce content issues. “Content is king” is a well-known
slogan (Huizingh, 2000). Providing information is the basic goal of a Web site (Bhatti et al.,
2000). Deciding what content to place on a Web site is extremely important.

The reasoning stands that the target audience a company wants to attract drives the site
content (Day, 1997; Iyer, 2001). Lin and Lu (2000) address the issue of how customers’ acceptance
is affected by the features and accurate information. Huizingh (2000) distinguishes content from
design and operationalizes both concepts by using objective and subjective measures to capture
features as well as perceptions. Perkowitz and Etzioni (1999) explore the importance of updated
information with the notion of adaptive Web sites. Content is represented by two constructs:
information accuracy and relevance.

Information Accuracy

The most fundamental capability of a Web site is the presentation of information about
products, services, people, events or ideas. By providing the inappropriate information on the
site, companies can endanger their precious business images. It is, thus, imperative for companies
to extend their attentions to the possible factors to enhance the information quality (Lin &
Lu, 2000). The information on the Web site should be accurate, informative, and updated. The extent
to which the information is accurate determines, among others, whether the promise is fulfilled. In
Ducoffe’s (1996) terminology, it is the informativeness that matters. Updated information means
both updating existing content and adding new content to the site. For example, amazon.com states,
in its side bar, that its list of 100 hot books is updated hourly.

Information Relevance

Information relevance refers to the extent to which the information on the Web site is
related to the information needs of the customer. It is unlikely that a company wants to provide
the same information to different groups of customers (Huizingh, 2000). Different parts of the Web
site should be designed to meet the needs of different groups of customers. The potential customers
of the Web site should be identified and their needs investigated (Clyde, 2000). Thus the needs of
customers, as well as the subject coverage, have guided the development of different sections of
the Web site. For example, the content of an automaker’s Web site should include information
related to its branches in different regions or countries and different models and features. In
addition, a Web site represents an ongoing commitment. It has to be monitored and tended carefully,
in the light of new developments in the company. If this does not happen, the site will become less
and less relevant to the customers’ needs (Clyde, 2000).

Service Quality

Service quality is an important dimension of IS success in the e-commerce environment where
customer service is crucial (DeLone & McLean, 2003). Bhatti et al. (2000) present experiments
designed to estimate customers’ tolerance of quality of service in the context of e-commerce.
Service quality measures the overall support delivered by the Web site. It includes trust and
empathy. That is, the Web site should be secure and personalized.

Trust

Trust refers to the extent to which customers believe the Web site is legal, ethical, and
credible and is able to protect their privacy (Wan, 2000). According to a survey conducted by the
European Electronic Messaging Association, more than 79% of respondents said that reliability is
the top concern of e-commerce customers (Shankar, 1996). Once users perceive that reliability has
been compromised, no purchase will be made. It is therefore crucial for systems designers to
understand the effect of cumulative frustration, especially as it is typically in the later stages
of interaction that users are likely to commit to a purchase (Bhatti et al., 2000).

Empathy

Empathy refers to the extent to which a Web site provides caring, individualized information
and attention to customers. Empathy is the presence of response mechanisms for improving the
communication quality of Web sites. The nature of this dimension purports that two-way
communication must exist. Features included in this dimension are email, chat rooms, bulletin
boards, and mailing lists (Chen, 2001).

The concept of empathy involves the exchange of individualized messages regardless of
distance or time. The Internet is well suited in this regard where users can virtually visit any
Web site at any time and from any place. E-commerce is an interactive function between customers
and business enterprises (Bakos, 1991). Web site users must be able to specify their needs; the
site should produce the desired response (Light & Wakeman, 2001). For example, the supplier and
customer may need to interact several times before all details of the order are agreed (Huizingh,
2000).

Attractor

Attractor consists of the issues of whether Web pages are fun to read and subjectively
pleasing. Watson et al. (1998) coin the concept of “attractors.” They use the metaphors to
label/group sites into different potential attractors (e.g., entertainment park, archive, and
club). Chen (2001) examines the playfulness and how it affects the quality of Web site design. His
finding suggests that playfulness is an influential factor to attract customers.

Appeal

Watson et al. (1998) argue the overall appeal is a key component of Web site quality. No
matter how well the content is or how interactive, reliable, and easy to search the Web site is, if
users do not find the site appealing, they are not going to spend much time there (Smith &
Merchant, 2001).

Playfulness

Playfulness includes the devices that attract the attention of Web site users with enjoyable
constructs. Online games, software downloads, and Q&A are examples of these devices (Chen,
2001). Embedding playful features within the Web site not only differentiates a site from others,
but also enhances the user’s perceived level of satisfaction (Eighmey, 1997). Watson et al. (1998)
also suggests that online users seek gratification in escape, entertainment, and interaction. This
suggests that there is a need for Web designers to cultivate pleasure in site design by motivating
customers to participate, promoting customer excitement and concentration, and including charming
features to attract customers and to help them enjoy the visit (Liu & Arnett, 2000). This will
lead to increased customer activities (Schmidt, 1996).