The Role of Perceived User-interface Design in Continued Usage Intention of Self-paced e-Learning Tools
Cho, V., Cheng, T.C.E.,
& Lei, W.M.J. (2009). The role of perceived user-interface design in
continued usage intention of self-paced e-learning tools. Computers and Education 53: 216-227. doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2009.01.014
In this quantitative
study, Cho, Cheng, and Lei investigate the impact of perceived user-interface
design (PUID) on the perceived usefulness (PU) of e-learning technologies in
order to predict the continued usage intention (CUI).
Situating their study in
the field of Human Computer Interactions (HCI), Cho, Cheng, and Lei identify
the importance of understanding user-interface design (UID) to contribute to
the still-maturing field of HCI. Defining interface as “a point of contact that
enables interaction between user and system” (p. 216), they argue the
importance of understanding how effective UID can facilitate HCI.
Through a literature review,
Cho, Cheng, and Lei establish a need for generalized research on PUID. The majority
of current research, they illustrate, has focused primarily on case studies of
particular interface designs and techniques using an experimental approach to
gauge user reactions. Only a small percentage of studies have conducted
extensive surveys and described the more general influence of PUID on
information technology systems.
To address the need for a
more generalized description of the impact of PUID on CUI, they focus on
e-learning technologies because of the importance of interface design in
education. Good user interface design, they argue, can increase motivation by
providing control while poor design impairs students’ overall motivation (p.
217). As a result, the quality of education software is directly related to the
quality of the interface (p. 217).
To assess the impact of
PUID on CUI, Cho, Cheng, and Lei designed a 27-item survey to test a series of
hypotheses:
H1: Perceived
user-interface design has a positive effect on perceived usefulness
H2: Perceived
functionality mediates the impact of perceived user-interface design on perceived
usefulness
H3: Perceived
user-interface design as a positive effect on perceived ease of use
H4: Perceived system
support mediates the impact of user-interface design on perceived ease of use
H5: Perceived ease of use
has a positive effect on perceived usefulness
H6: Perceived usefulness
has a positive effect on continued usage intention
H7: User satisfaction has
a positive effect on continued usage intention.
Cho, Cheng, and Lei
surveyed a random sample of 100 Hong Kong university students using a 27-item
questionnaire to assess PUID (perceived user-interface design), PSS (perceived
system support), PF (perceived functionality), PEOU (perceived ease of use), PU
(perceived usefulness), USat (user satisfaction), and CUI (continued usage
intention). Responders rated their satisfaction with e-learning technologies
and continued usage intention above 3.0 (on a 5-point Likert scale), indicating
a positive overall user satisfaction rating.
Using correlational and
regression statistical analyses, Cho, Cheng, and Lei found statistically
significant correlations to support each of the seven hypotheses. They conclude
that their findings corroborate with previous findings on the influential role
of perceived user-interface design on continued use of technology.
Additionally, this influential relationship is not direct—rather it is mediated
by perceived functionality and perceived system support while perceived
usefulness and user satisfaction serve as indicators for continued use.
This study offers an
additional approach to considering user interface design and usability. In
class, we have focused on the graphic and rhetorical nature of interface
design. This study helps to further our understanding of the complexity of the
relationship, especially in light of our focus on interactivity as described by
Porter, Carnegie, and Bolter and Grusin.
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