Sample HCI publications in IS outlets

The following is a short list of HCI articles collected from JAIS, CAIS, MISQ, DSS and ISR. It is illustrative of some areas of recent HCI/IS research.

HCI conferences organized by AIS SIGHCI

http://sigs.aisnet.org/SIGHCI/

Proceedings for some years are available.

Knowledge-based Support in a Group Decision Making Context: An Expert-Novice Comparison
Volume 5 Issue 3 Article 5 March, 2004, JAIS
Fiona Fui-Hoon Nah
Izak Benbasat
This research examines the use of knowledge-based and explanation facilities to support group decision making of experts versus novices. Consistent with predictions from the persuasion literature, our results show that experts exhibit a higher level of criticality and involvement in their area of expertise; this not only decreases their likelihood of being persuaded by a knowledge-based system, but also accounts for a lower group consensus among experts as compared to novices. Novices are more easily persuaded by the system and find the system to be more useful than experts do. This research integrates theories from the persuasion literature to understand expert-novice differences in group decision making in a knowledge-based support environment. The findings suggest that the analyses and explanations provided by knowledge-based systems better support the decision making of novices than experts. Future research is needed to integrate other types of information provision support (e.g., cognitive feedback) into knowledge-based systems to increase their effectiveness as a group decision support tool for domain experts.
Keywords: Knowledge-based Support, Group Decision Making, Experts versus Novices, Social Judgment-involvement Theory, Elaboration Likelihood Model

WHO'S AFRAID OF THE VIRTUAL WORLD? Anxiety and Computer-Mediated Communication
Volume 5 Issue 2 Article 3, 2004, JAIS

Susan A. Brown
Robert M. Fuller
Chelley Vician
This study integrates the literature on computer anxiety and communication apprehension to determine their joint impact upon individual attitudes toward using and use of computer mediated communication (CMC). We introduce the application-specific CMC anxiety, defined as an individual' s level of fear or apprehension associated with actual or anticipated use of information technology to communicate with others. Furthermore, we advance a new nomological structure that positions CMC anxiety as a proximal mediating construct between the more general constructs of computer anxiety, communication apprehension, and CMC familiarity, and the dependent constructs of CMC attitudes and use. We develop and empirically test this nomological structure, finding that computer anxiety, oral communication apprehension, and CMC familiarity contribute to CMC anxiety, while written communication apprehension does not. CMC anxiety fully mediates the relationship between the general constructs and attitude toward using CMC. CMC anxiety explains 34% of the variance in attitudes, while attitudes, coupled with familiarity, explain 14% of the variance in CMC use.
Keywords: computer anxiety, communication apprehension, email, CMC anxiety, virtual team, computer-mediated communication, technology-mediated learning

Web Site Delays: How Tolerant are Users?
Volume 5 Issue 1 Article 1 January, 2004, JAIS
Dennis F. Galletta
Raymond Henry
Scott McCoy
Peter Polak

Web page loading speed continues to vex users, even as broadband adoption increases. Several studies have addressed delays in the context of Web sites as well as interactive corporate systems, and have recommended a wide range of rules of thumb. Some studies conclude that response times should be no greater than 2 seconds while other studies caution on delays of 12 seconds or more. One of the strongest conclusions was that complex tasks seemed to allow longer response times. This study examined delay times of 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 seconds using 196 undergraduate students in an experiment. Randomly assigned a constant delay time, subjects were asked to complete 9 search tasks, exploring a familiar and an unfamiliar site. Plots of the dependent variables performance, attitudes, and behavioral intentions, along those delays, suggested the use of non-linear regression, and the explained variance was in the neighborhood of 2%, 5%, and 7%, respectively. Focusing only on the familiar site, explained variance in attitudes and behavioral intentions grew to about 16%. A sensitivity analysis implies that decreases in performance and behavioral intentions begin to flatten when the delays extend to 4 seconds or longer, and attitudes flatten when the delays extend to 8 seconds or longer. Future research should include other factors such as expectations, variability, and feedback, and other outcomes such as actual purchasing behavior, to more fully understand the effects of delays in today's Web environment.
Keywords: attitudes, delay, electronic commerce, performance, response time, satisfaction, web site design

Retailer Web Site Influence On Customer Shopping: Exploratory Study on Key Factors of Customer Satisfaction
Volume 3 Article 3 September, 2002, JAIS
J.P. Shim
Yong B. Shin
Linda Nottingham
The Internet/World Wide Web (Web) is a critical medium for the sharing of business information between retail firms and their customers (business-to-customer or B2C). Although electronic commerce (e-commerce) has received considerable research attention, little research has examined the effect of e-commerce™s Web presentations on retail customer shopping experiences. This two-phase study explored customer reactions to Web retailers™ presentations of their products/services, attempting to identify Web-site characteristics that contribute to customer satisfaction arising from the Web-based shopping experience. Findings from use of the qualitative method of existential phenomenology were explored further with quantitative analyses including logistic regression. Findings suggest that two key elements in retail Web sites are convenience of site use and simplicity of site design for the customer™s access to information about product/service characteristics and customer-service policies.
Keywords: E-commerce, sales policy, customer service, Internet/Web-based firm, customer satisfaction, electronic shopping, audio/video streaming technology
　

An Experiment In Collaborative Spreadsheet Development
Volume 2 Article 4 July, 2001, JAIS
Raymond R. Panko
Richard P. Halverson, Jr
To study the extent to which group development can reduce spreadsheet errors, an experiment compared error rates in spreadsheet development by subjects working alone (monads) and by subjects working in groups of three (triads). Impressively, triads made 78% fewer errors than monads. However, this was not as large a reduction as nominal group analysis suggests was possible. Members of triads were satisfied with group development. However, triads whose work went most smoothly, whose members were most satisfied with group interactions, and that had the loosest leadership structure were significantly more likely to make errors than other triads.
Keywords: spreadsheet, spreadsheet error, end user computing, human error, satisfaction, leadership.

Web Home Page Complexity and Communication Effectiveness
Volume 2 Article 2, 2001, JAIS

Gary Geissler
George Zinkhan
Richard T. Watson
To date, little research has been conducted to explore how consumers perceive and use the Web as an advertising medium. Although numerous guidelines for Web home page design exist, the vast majority of advice is based on opinion, personal experience or observation, not necessarily on empirical evidence. A combination of research methods (focus groups, interviews, and experiments) is used to identify design elements that influence consumers' perceptions of Web page complexity. The study reports that perceived complexity is a result of four major factors: number of links, number of graphics, home page length, and animation. Also, we find evidence that Web page complexity is related to communication effectiveness. The managerial implications are discussed.
Keywords: Web site design. advertising complexity, world wide web, home page, audience attention

The Effects of Animation on Information Seeking Performance on the World Wide Web: Securing Attention or Interfering with Primary Tasks?
Volume 1 Article 1 March, 2000, JAIS
Ping Zhang

Although animation is commonly used in the web environment, scant scientific evidence can be found either on the effects of animation on viewer information seeking performance or on the implications for online advertising. This paper reports a limited study that provides such scientific evidence. Using research results from visual attention and perception literature to guide the discovery, the study confirms four hypotheses. (1) Animation as a secondary stimulus deteriorates viewer information seeking performance. (2) As the difficulty of the task increases, viewer performance is less affected by animation. (3) Animation that is similar but irrelevant to a task has more negative impact on viewer performance than animation that is dissimilar to the task. (4) Animation that is brightly colored has a stronger negative effect on viewer performance than does dull colored animation. The study sheds light on the applicability of research results in visual attention to the web environment. It also provides practical guidance for content providers and online advertisers as they design and place online ads in web pages.
Keywords: animation, information seeking, visual attention, visual interference, world wide web

Surfing the Next Wave: Design and Implementation Challenges of Ubiquitous Computing
Volume 13 Article 40 June, 2004, CAIS
Kalle J. Lyytinen
Youngjin Yoo
Upkar Varshney
Mark Ackerman
Gordon Davis
Michel Avital
Daniel Robey
Steve Sawyer
Carsten Sorensen
As computing becomes more mobile and pervasive, designing and implementing ubiquitous computing environments emerge as key challenges for information systems research and practice. The four short papers in this article report the highlights of the second Ubiquitous Computing Workshop at Case Western Reserve University in October 2003. The objectives of the papers are to set up a research agenda in this emerging interdisciplinary field, to share current level of understanding of leading edge research topics, and to create cumulative research streams in this field. Note: This paper consists of an overview of the second Ubiquitous Computing Workshop by its organizers, Kalle Lyytinen and Youngjin Yoo, followed by four papers summarizing its four major working groups. The four papers were prepared and can be read independently. They are not integrated.

Keywords: ubiquitous computing, design, implementation.

Charity Begins at the Homepage: Providing Access to the Web for People with Disabilities
Volume 13 Article 29 May, 2004, CAIS
Eleanor Loiacono
Scott McCoy

The Web transformed the environment in which Nonprofit Organizations (NPOs) work. NPOs can now reach donors and recipients inexpensively through cyberspace. They may, however, be missing, a large, untapped clientele—people with disabilities who want to donate, volunteer, or access services of a NPO. If NPO homepages are not accessible to the growing population of people with disabilities, they may not be doing their job. This study assesses 100 NPO homepages to determine how accessible they are. The overall results show that only 10% of all NPO homepages examined are truly accessible.
Keywords: accessibility, web accessibility, nonprofit organizations

The Role of Human Computer Interaction in Management Information Systems Curricula:A Call to Action
Volume 13 Article 23 April, 2004, CAIS
Jane Carey
Dennis F. Galletta
Yinwoo Kim
Dov Te’eni
Barbara Wildemuth
Ping Zhang
This article presents a multifaceted case for the inclusion of the important Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) subject matter at both the graduate and undergraduate levels of the Association of Information Systems (AIS) model curricula. Based on the presentations and discussions during a panel at the 2003 Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS), we first present the rationale for incorporating HCI materials in Management Information Systems (MIS) curricula. Second, we present a list of relevant and important HCI knowledge and skills that our students need for effective careers. Third, given the limited number of credit hours available to each MIS program, we explore several strategies and options for the integration of HCI into current and future MIS courses. Finally, drawing upon teaching experiences of the authors, we provide pedagogical suggestions for teaching HCI to undergraduate and graduate students.
Keywords: human-computer interaction, HCI, human factors, management information Systems, MIS, model curriculum

Visualizing Digital Libraries with Open Standards
Volume 13 Article 22 March, 2004, CAIS
Mark Ginsburg
Large-scale research Digital Libraries (DLs) contain a large array of potentially useful metadata. Yet, many popular DLs do not provide a convenient way to navigate the metadata or to visualize classification schema in the user session. For example, in the broad world of Management Information Systems (MIS) research, a high-level overview of MIS topics and their inter-relationships would be useful to navigate a MIS DL before zooming in on a specific article. To address this obstacle, this paper describes a prototype, the Technical Report Visualizer System (TRV), which uses a wide variety of open standards to show DL classification metadata in the navigation interface. The system captures MIS article metadata from the Open Archives Initiative (OAI) compliant arXiv e-Print archive at Cornell University. The OAI Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH) is used to collect the topic metadata; the articles’ Association for Computing Machinery’s (ACM) Computing Classification System codes. We display the topic metadata in a Java hyperbolic tree and make use of XML conceptual product and implementation product standards and specifications, such as the Dublin Core and BiblioML bibliographic metadata sets, XML Topic Maps, Xalan and Xerces, to link user navigation activity to the abstracts and full text contents of the articles. We discuss the flexibility and convenience of XML standards and link this effort to related digital library visualization approaches. Keywords:
Keywords: digital library visualization, MIS classification, XML, XML topic maps, metadata, OAI-PMH, ARXIV, ACM CCS, ACM/IEEE CC2001, INSPE

Specifying An Expanded Framework for Classifying and DescribingDecision Support Systems
Volume 13 Article 13 February, 2004, CAIS
Daniel J. Power
This article defines an expanded conceptual framework for classifying and describing Decision Support Systems (DSS) that consists of one primary dimension and three secondary dimensions. The primary dimension is the dominant technology component or driver of decision support. The three secondary dimensions are the targeted users, the specific purpose of the system and the primary deployment or enabling technology.
Five generic DSS types are identified and defined based upon the dominant technology component, including Communications-driven, Data-driven, Document-driven, Knowledge-driven, and Model-driven Decision Support Systems. Specific targeted users like individuals, groups, or customers can use any of the five generic types of DSS. Also, a DSS can be created for a decision- specific or a more general purpose. Finally, in the framework, the DSS deployment and enabling technology may be a mainframe computer, a client/server LAN, a spreadsheet or a web-based technology architecture. The goal in defining an expanded DSS framework is to help researchers better identify meaningful, homogeneous categories for research and to help Information Systems professionals describe and explain the various types of decision support systems.

Keywords: DSS, decision support, frameworks, decision-making support

Making the Transition from OO Analysis to OO Design with the Unified Process
Volume 12 Article 45 December, 2003, CAIS
John W. Satzinger
Robert B. Jackson
The current momentum for object oriented (OO) development in industry makes OO techniques worthy of attention. Information systems researchers and practitioners are increasingly using constructs such as use cases and class diagrams to define system requirements. A glaring weakness in the literature is the lack of useful guidelines and strategies for taking a relatively high level OO requirements model and translating it into an implementable architecture and detailed OO design. This tutorial paper demonstrates techniques for bridging the gap between OO requirements models and detailed OO design drawing on the framework provided by the Unified Process (UP) and based on concepts and techniques developed by researchers working on OO design patterns. The examples provided illustrate the transition from requirements, to architecture, to detailed design, and on to program code for one UP iteration.
Keywords: object-oriented analysis (OOA), object-oriented design (OOD), design patterns, Unified Process (UP), Unified Modeling Language (UML)

Hypermedia Systems Development: A Comparative Study of Software Engineers and Graphic Designers
Volume 12 Article 16 September, 2003
Michael Lang
Hypermedia systems development is, in many regards, different from “conventional” systems development, chief amongst these differences being its multidisciplinary nature. Foremost amongst the roles in hypermedia development are software engineering and graphic design. However, traditionally the tension between software engineers and graphic designers is pronounced. It is therefore important to gain an understanding of the differences between the two camps with a view to bringing them closer together. This paper reports on the findings of a survey of hypermedia developers conducted in Ireland. One of the objectives of the survey was to compare and contrast the development approaches, methods, and techniques used by software engineers with those used by graphic designers. It was found that software engineers and graphic designers are much closer than might be believed in their attitudes on the value and importance of processes and documented working methods. However, graphic designers primarily base development approaches around the use of specific tools, whereas software engineers are more reliant on traditional and object-oriented software development methods. Regarding diagramming methods, there is some evidence of cross-pollination, as software engineers often use informal techniques such as storyboarding and graphic designers use software engineering techniques such as use case diagrams, but graphic designers find software engineering techniques to be less useful than vice versa.
Keywords: hypermedia, systems development methods, systems development techniques

Web Engineering: An Assessment of Empirical Research
Volume 12 Article 14 August, 2003
Bouchaib Bahli
Dany Di Tullio
Web engineering is the process used to create high-quality Web-based systems and applications that deliver a complex array of content and functionality to a broad population of end-users. As Web Engineering continues to grow in popularity with practitioners and academics alike, so far, there hasn’t been any assessment of its accumulated body of knowledge in terms of academic research. Because Web engineering was established as a new discipline some five years ago, it is perhaps time to take stock of the efforts made in this field. Using the Web Engineering Process Model developed by Pressman, this paper organizes and map progress made so far. The results suggest a significant need for theory-based research in Web Engineering. The paper discusses some of the managerial and research implications of the findings.
Keywords: web engineering, resarch agenda

An Interpretive Study of How Practitioners Use Entity-Relationship Modelling in a Ternary Relationship Situation
Volume 11 Article 26 April, 2003, CAIS
Steve Hitchman
This paper discusses the use of interpretive research to learn about the practicality of entity-relationship modelling in ternary relationship situations. The findings can be compared with previous studies of novice modellers who used the same invented scenario. Previous research excluded the interaction between practitioners that would occur during a modelling session because novices were used to complete tasks in isolation. A team of experienced practitioners are shown to use entity-relationship modelling in a business context of social interaction about design. The interaction proves to be a key part of the modelling process. Practitioners ‘talk with the notation’ as well as using the notation to draw a diagram. The entity-relationship model constrains the social interaction because the model provides a way of talking about design. The practitioners use the model to talk about a normalized relational data structure in a way that undermines the idea of the entity-relationship model as an independent conceptual model. The findings show that theories from the field of linguistics explain why the model is used in this design-dependent way and suggest that this dependency may be inevitable. When the design conversation is about a normalized relational data structure there is no benefit to the practitioners from using a special notation for ternary relationships. On the contrary, the practitioner’s design dependence seems to enable them to expose aspects of a domain that do not make business sense. The wider implication is that interpretive research’s role is important in generating insights about the extent to which conceptual modelling is usable by practitioners. Interpretive research highlights the importance of being able to distinguish between ideas about conceptual modelling and ideas about how to apply modelling to practice.
Keywords: entity-relationship modelling, ERM, ternary relationships, normative language, interpretive research methods

AMCIS 2002 Panels and Workshops I: Human-Computer Interaction Research in the MIS Discipline
Volume 9 Article 20 November, 2002, CAIS
Ping Zhang
Izak Benbasat
Jane Carey
Fred Davis
Dennis F. Galletta
Diane Strong
Human Computer Interaction (HCI)or Human Factors studies in MIS are concerned with the ways humans interact with information, technologies, and tasks, especially in business, managerial, organizational, and cultural contexts. This article describes the existence and importance of HCI research in the MIS discipline, its historical development, some of its characteristics, publication opportunities, and future research directions. It is believed that HCI is the subject of a strong research stream in MIS, and will continue to be strong in the foreseeable future. It is hoped that HCI studies can provide the evolution of the human centered technology development that enhances our work/job, our various needs, our organizations, our societies, and ourselves.
Keywords: Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Human Factors in Information Systems (HFIS), user-computer interface, individual differences, cognition, affect, computer self-efficacy, technology acceptance, user resistance, IS/IT use, user perception, user attitude, user intention, user behavior, user productivity, user satisfaction

The Details of Conceptual Modelling Notations are Important - A Comparison of Relationship Normative Language
Volume 9 Article 10 September, 2002, CAIS
Steve Hitchman
Discussions of conceptual modelling assume that notation details are of secondary importance, a matter of taste and past experience rather than of science. For example, it does not really matter if cardinality is shown with a ‘crow’s foot’ or with the symbol ‘1..*’. This paper argues that such an assumption is wrong and that the notation is extremely important in the process of modelling relationships because of the normative language that the notation specifies. Normative language is shown to be a useful way of understanding and comparing relationship notation. Barker’s practical relationship definition, using a formal notation, is shown to be sufficiently well formed to allow the modeller to make sense of the domain in their own linguistic context. Less formal notations are shown to disadvantage the less experienced modeller
Keywords: entity-relationship modelling, ERM, OMT, UML

Virtual Reality: A Technology in Need of IS Research
Volume 8 Article 20 March, 2002, CAIS
Kenneth R. Walsh
Suzanne D. Pawlowski
Although virtual reality (VR) technology has been available since the 1970’s, it is becoming increasingly sophisticated and cost effective. Architecture, education, medicine, electronic commerce, collaboration, and data visualization are some of areas where VR is beginning to be applied. Much of the reported research on VR is technological rather than social, leaving only a limited understanding of its behavioral and organizational impacts and its potential for novel situations. Immersion, interactivity, and presence are intriguing concepts that emerged as important to VR research, but are yet ill-defined. In this paper we argue that the information system research community offers a unique and valuable perspective on VR research, and that this capability represents a logical extension of the work in several IS research domains. Multi-methodological approaches using both positivist and emergent perspectives are needed. A research framework that can be used to begin this work is described.
Keywords: virtual reality, information systems research

Object-Oriented Systems Development: A Review of Empirical Research
Volume 8 Article 4 January, 2002, CAIS
Richard A. Johnson
Object-oriented systems development (OOSD) is viewed by many as the best available solution to the ongoing "software crisis." However, some caution that OOSD is so complex that it may never become a mainstream methodology. To settle the controversy requires high-quality empirical evidence. This paper surveys the most rigorous research on OOSD available over the past decade. A review of these empirical studies indicates that the weight of the evidence tends to slightly favor OOSD, although most studies fail to build on a theoretical foundation, many suffer from inadequate experimental designs, and some draw highly questionable conclusions from the evidence. This set of conditions points to the need for additional, higher quality research to build a better case either for or against OOSD.
Keywords: object-oriented, object-orientation, systems development, empirical research, methodology

Sociocultural Learning: A Perspective on GSS-Enabled Global Education
Volume 7 Article 9 August, 2001, CAIS
Douglas R. Vogel
Robert M. Davison
Ronnie H. Shroff
Virtual teams are rapidly developing in organisations of the new economy. As educators, we have a responsibility to ensure that our students are appropriately prepared for work in the virtual workspace, where teams may cross time, geographical, and cultural boundaries. In this article, the culturally sensitive theory of sociocultural learning is combined with GSS (Group Support Systems) in an illustration of how cross-cultural, globally distributed virtual teams of students located in The Netherlands, Greece, and Hong Kong work on vested interest projects. Finally, a set of critical success factors that inform virtual learning contexts is derived from our findings and recommendations are made for operational practice in the virtual work space.
Keywords: sociocultural learning; virtual teams; virtual workspaces; culture; group support systems.

The Ape that Used E-Mail: Understanding E-Communication Behavior Through Evolution Theory
Volume 5 Article 3 February, 2001, CAIS
Ned Kock
This article reviews theoretical research on e-communication behavior, identifying two main types of theories - technological and social. This review provides the rationale for developing a new theory, based on Darwin's theory of evolution, that is neither technological nor social. Three theoretical principles are developed from evolution theory: media naturalness, innate schema similarity, and learned schema variety. The article concludes by illustrating how the theoretical principles can be used as a basis for developing a simple predictive model in the context of an online broker.
Keywords: Computer-mediated communication, media richness theory, evolution theory, biological influences, social influences

A Taxonomy of Web Site Traversal Patterns and Structures
Volume 3 Article 17 June, 2000, CAIS
Mark L. Gillenson
Daniel L. Sherrell
Lei-da Chen
As electronic commerce grows rapidly and web sites proliferate, the issue of web site design becomes increaasingly important. A significant aspect of web side design is the set of choices for traversing from one web site page to another and the ramifications that these choices have for establishing the overall flow patterns throughout the web site. This study establishes a taxonomy of web site traversal patterns and structures which will allow the organized study of the navigational aspects of web site design. It also points out the ramifications of key structures. Finally, it describes how the use of traversal patterns and structures can achieve web sites that range from loose to tight control of the end user's experience in visiting the web site.
Keywords: Internet, taxonomy, traversal, web site design

Business Information Visualization
Volume 1 Article 4 January, 1999, CAIS
David P. Tegarden
With the flood of data produced by today’s information systems, something must be done to allow business decision-makers to extract the information the data contains. The recent advances in visualization technologies provide the capability to begin to use human visual/spatial abilities to solve the abstract problems found in business. If business problems can be visualized with an appropriate representation, then it may be possible to use innate spatial/visual abilities to allow the business decision-maker to separate the "wheat from the chaff." This tutorial surveys the issues related to applying visualization technologies to business problem solving.
Keywords: Artificial Reality, Data Visualization, Decision Support Systems, Information Visualization, Scientific Visualization, Virtual Environment, Virtual Reality

GIST: A Model for Design and Management of Content and Interactivity of Customer-Centric Web Sites
Terri C. Albert, Paulo B. Goes, and Alok Gupta

VOLUME 28 ISSUE 2 - JUNE 2004, MISQ

Abstract
Customer-centric Web-based systems, such as ecommerce Web sites, or sites that support customer relationship management (CRM) activities, are themselves information systems, but their design and maintenance need to follow vastly different approaches from the traditional systems lifecycle approach. Based on marketing frameworks that are applicable to the online world, and following design science principles, we develop a model to guide the design and the continuous management of such sites. The model makes extensive use of current technologies for tracking the customers and their behaviors, and combines elements of data mining and statistical analyses. A case study based on a financial services Web site is used to provide a preliminary validation and design evaluation of our approach. The case study showed considerable measured improvement in the effectiveness of the company�s Web site. In addition, it also highlighted an important benefit of the our approach: the identification of previously unknown or unexpected segments of visitors. This finding can lead to promising new business opportunities. Keywords: Web site analysis and design, customer segmentation, personalization

The Effect of Relationship Encoding, Task Type, and Complexity on Information Representation: An Empirical Evaluation of 2D and 3D Line Graphs
Nanda Kumar and Izak Benbasat

VOLUME 28 ISSUE 2 - JUNE 2004, MISQ

Abstract
Most of the recent research in data visualization has focused on technical and aesthetic issues involved in the manipulation of graphs, specifically on features that facilitate data exploration to makegraphs interactive and dynamic. The present research identifies a gap in the existing knowledge of graph construction, namely potential problems in both 3D and 2D graphs that will impede comprehension of information when three or more variables are used in a graphical representation. Based on theories regarding perceptual issues of graph construction (Bertin 1981; Pinker 1991), we evaluate specific cases where 3D graphs may outperform 2D graphs, and vice-versa. Two experiments have been conducted to test these hypotheses, and 3D graphs have been found to consistently outperform 2D graphs in all of our experimental scenarios. A third experiment has been conducted to identify situations where 2D graphs might perform at least as well as 3D graphs, but its results suggest that 3D graphs outperform 2D graphs even for simple tasks, thus leading to the conclusion that 3D graphs perform better than 2D graphs under all task conditions with more than two variables.

Keywords: Computer graphics, 3-D graphics, human information processing, information presentation, information retrieval, information characteristics, information processing

User Heterogeneity and its Impact on Electronic Auction Market Design: An Empirical Exploration
Ravi Bapna, Paulo Goes, Alok Gupta, and Yiwei Jin

VOLUME 28 ISSUE 1 - MARCH 2004, MISQ

Abstract
While traditional information systems research emphasizes understanding of end users from perspectives such as cognitive fit and technology acceptance, it fails to consider the economic dimensions of their interactions with a system. When viewed as economic agents who participate
in electronic markets, it is easy to see that users preferences, behaviors, personalities, and ultimately their economic welfare are intricately linked to the design of information systems. We use a data-driven, inductive approach to develop a taxonomy of bidding behavior in online auctions. Our analysis indicates significant heterogeneity exists in the user base of these representative electronic markets. Using online auction data from 1999 and 2000, we find a stable taxonomy of bidder behavior containing five types of bidding strategies. Bidders pursue different bidding strategies that, in aggregate, realize different winning likelihoods and consumer surplus. We find that technological evolution has an impact on bidders� strategies. We demonstrate how the taxonomy of bidder behavior can be used to enhance the design of some types of information systems. These enhancements include developing usercentric bidding agents, inferring bidders� underlying valuations to facilitate real-time auction calibration, and creating low-risk computational platforms for decision making.

Keywords: Electronic markets, online auctions, bidding strategies, user behavior taxonomy, smart agents, valuation discovery, calibration, simulation

The Influence of Query Interface Design on Decision-Making Performance
Cheri Speier and Michael G. Morris

VOLUME 27 ISSUE 3 - SEPTEMBER 2003, MISQ

Abstract
Managers in modern organizations are confronted with ever-increasing volumes of information that they must evaluate when making a decision. Data warehousing and data mining technologies have given managers a number of valuable tools that can help them store, retrieve, and analyze information contained in large databases; however, maximizing user performance with these tools remains a challenge for information systems professionals. One important and under-explored aspect of the effectiveness of these tools is the design of the query interface. In this study, we compared the use of visual and text-based interfaces on both low and high complexity tasks. Results demonstrated that decision maker performance was more accurate using the text-based interface when task complexity was low; however, decision makers using the visual interface performed better when task complexity was high. In addition, decision makers’ subjective mental workload was significantly lower when using the visual interface, regardless of task complexity. In contrast to expectations, less time was needed to make a decision on low complexity tasks when using the visual interface, but those results were reversed under conditions of high task complexity. These results have important implications for the design of managerial decision- making systems, particularly in complex decision-making environments.

Keywords: Database, computer interface, decision-making

An Empirical Examination of Individual Traits as Antecedents to Computer Anxiety and Computer Self-Efficacy
Jason Bennett Thatcher and Pamela L. Perrewe

VOLUME 26 ISSUE 4 - DECEMBER 2002, MISQ

Abstract
To better understand how individual differences influence the use of information technology (IT), this study models and tests relationships among dynamic, IT-specific individual differences (i.e., computer self-efficacy and computer anxiety), stable, situation-specific traits (i.e., personal innovativeness in IT) and stable, broad traits (i.e., trait anxiety and negative affectivity). When compared to broad traits, the model suggests that situation-specific traits exert a more pervasive influence on IT situation-specific individual differences. Further, the model suggests that computer anxiety mediates the influence of situation specific traits (i.e., personal innovativeness) on computer self-efficacy. Results provide support for many of the hypothesized relationships. From a theoretical perspective, the findings help to further our understanding of the nomological network among individual differences that lead to computer self-efficacy. From a practical perspective, the findings may help IT managers design training programs that more effectively increase the computer self-efficacy of users with different dispositional characteristics.
Keywords: Self-efficacy, anxiety, personality, negative affectivity, personal innovativeness

Media and Group Cohesion: Relative Influences on Social Presence, Task Participation, and Group Consensus
Youngjin Yoo and Maryam Alavi

VOLUME 25 ISSUE 3 - SEPTEMBER 2001, MISQ

Abstract
Organizations deploy advanced communication media such as audio and videoconferencing to enhance and extend group communication interactions. However, established groups (i.e., groups with a history of working together) can view and use the same technology differently from groups without any past experiences of working together. This study examines the relative influences of media condition and group cohesion on social presence, task participation, and group consensus. Results from a controlled laboratory experiment with 45 triads of college students working on a decision-making task showed that media condition (audio conferencing vs. desktop videoconferencing) has significantly smaller influences on social presence and task participation than group cohesion in established groups. The study found that influence of group cohesion over social presence is additive, rather than substitutive, to that of media condition. The study also established that task participation played a more important role than social presence in determining the degree of consensus among group members in computer-mediated communication environments.

Keywords: Desktop videoconferencing, group cohesion, social presence, media richness, group history, group consensus, task participation

The Effect of Multimedia on Perceived Equivocality and Perceived Usefulness of Information Systems
Kai H. Lim and Izak Benbasat

VOLUME 24 ISSUE 3 - SEPTEMBER 2000, MISQ

Abstract
With the advent of multimedia and intranet technologies, managers and information systems designers face a new challenge: how to capture and present information using a variety of representation formats (text, graphics, audio, video, and animations) so that members of an organization can make better sense out of the information available. In this study, we develop a task-representation fit model to generate several predictions about the potential of multimedia to alleviate the limitations of text-based information in the context of individual decision makers utilizing organizational data and test them in a laboratory experiment. Results support the task-representation fit relationships predicted. For analyzable tasks, text-based representation and multimedia representation are equally effective in reducing perceived equivocality levels. For less-analyzable tasks, only multimedia representation was instrumental in reducing perceived equivocality levels.
Keywords: Multimedia, perceived equivocality, task analyzability, information presentation, taskmedia fit

Development of a fisheye-based information search processing aid (FISPA) for managing information overload in the web environment
Pages 415-434

Decision Support Systems
Volume 37, Issue 3, Pages 315-456 (June 2004)

Ozgur Turetken and Ramesh Sharda

Abstract Information technologies have proliferated at an unprecedented rate to provide access to information across geographical boundaries. However, this proliferation has led to an information overload. Information overload has adverse impacts on information use and decision quality. This research focuses on the overload problem resulting from a web search, and proposes a potential remedy. We develop the requirements of a system that makes use of clustering and visualization for browsing the results of a typical web search. Based on this model, we develop a prototype that visualizes search results by first organizing them into a hierarchy according to their individual contents. This system presents a visual overview of the groups in this hierarchy, and lets the users focus (zoom) on specific groups of interest. One general problem with zooming within hierarchical structures is the separation between the details and the context. To address this problem, we implement a fisheye zooming capability in our system. This paper describes a typology of the various components necessary for addressing the problem and then the proposed solution based upon a fisheye view-based visualization. Next, the specific visualization algorithm and the system implementation are described. We conclude with research questions for further development of such interfaces for presentation of the results from web searches.

Convincing DSS users that complex models are worth the effort
Pages 71-82

Decision Support Systems
Volume 37, Issue 1, Pages 1-186 (April 2004)

Tim Chenoweth , Karen L. Dowling and Robert D. St. Louis

Abstract Many management science/operations research (MS/OR) models have been developed to improve decision making. Too often, these models are underutilized. Users generally favor less effortful strategies. The challenge then is to increase the users’ willingness to expend effort. We perform a study using cognitive feedforward and feedback to increase awareness of the improved accuracy to be obtained from complex models. Models of increasing complexity are presented to subjects with feedback regarding their accuracy. Participants overwhelmingly indicated an intention to use the most complex model. The implication for decision support system (DSS) designers is that users will expend more effort if the potential accuracy gains are made more salient.

The effects of information request ambiguity and construct incongruence on query development
Decision Support Systems, Volume 32, Issue 1, November 2001, Pages 3-25
A. Faye Borthick, Paul L. Bowen, Donald R. Jones and Michael Hung Kam Tse

Abstract This paper examines the effects of information request ambiguity and construct incongruence on end user’s ability to develop SQL queries with an interactive relational database query language. In this experiment, ambiguity in information requests adversely affected accuracy and efficiency. Incongruities among the information request, the query syntax, and the data representation adversely affected accuracy, efficiency, and confidence. The results for ambiguity suggest that organizations might elicit better query development if end users were sensitized to the nature of ambiguities that could arise in their business contexts. End users could translate natural language queries into pseudo-SQL that could be examined for precision before the queries were developed. The results for incongruence suggest that better query development might ensue if semantic distances could be reduced by giving users data representations and database views that maximize construct congruence for the kinds of queries in typical domains.

Information Systems Research Vol. 15, No. 1, March 2004, pp. 60–86

Does Animation Attract Online Users’ Attention? The Effects of Flash on Information Search Performance and Perceptions Weiyin Hong Department of Management Information Systems, University of Nevada–Las Vegas, 4505 Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, Nevada 89154, whong@unlv.nevada.edu James Y. L. Thong, Kar Yan Tam Department of Information and Systems Management, School of Business and Management, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong {jthong@ust.hk, kytam@ust.hk} The proliferation of information on the Internet poses a significant challenge on humans’ limited attentional resources. To attract online users’ attention, various kinds of animation are widely used on websites. Despite the ubiquitous use of animation, there is an inadequate understanding of its effect on attention. Focusing on flash animation, this study examines its effects on online users’ performance and perceptions in both taskrelevant and task-irrelevant information search contexts by drawing on the visual search literature and two theories from cognitive psychology. In the task-relevant context, flash is applied on the search target; while in the task-irrelevant context, flash is applied on a nontarget item. The results of this study confirm that flash does attract users’ attention and facilitates quicker location of the flashed target item in tightly packed screen displays. However, there is no evidence that attracting attention increases recall of the flashed item, as is generally presumed in practice, and may even decrease the overall recall. One explanation is that when users have to use their limited attentional resources on suppressing the distraction of flash, they will have less mental resources to process information. Moreover, the results suggest that processing information about an item depends not only on the attention it attracts per se, but also on the attention that other items on the same screen attract. While flashing an item may not increase the recall of that item, it can reduce the recall of other items (especially the nontarget items) on the screen. Finally, flash has negative effects on users’ focused attention and attitude towards using the website. These results have implications for website interface design, online product promotion, online advertising, and multimedia training systems, among others. Key words: flash animation; attention; online information search; visual search; central capacity theory; associative network model; laboratory experiment; website interface design

Information Systems Research  Vol.14, No.2, June 2003, pp.146–169

Developing and Validating an Observational Learning Model of Computer Software Training and Skill Acquisition Mun Y.Y i • Fred D.Davis Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29208 Walton College of Business, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701 myi@moore.sc.edu • fdavis@walton.uark.edu Computer skills are key to organizational performance, and past research indicates that behavior modeling is a highly effective form of computer skill training.The present research develops and tests a new theoretical model of the underlying observational learning processes by which modeling-based training interventions influence computer task performance. Observational learning processes are represented as a second-order construct with four dimensions (attention, retention, production, and motivation).New measures for these dimensions were developed and shown to have strong psychometric properties.The proposed model controls for two pretraining individual differences (motivation to learn and self-efficacy) and specifies the relationships among three training outcomes (declarative knowledge, post-training self-efficacy, and task performance).The model was tested using PLS on data from an experiment (N = 95) on computer spreadsheet training.As hypothesized, observational learning processes significantly influenced training outcomes. A representative modeling-based training intervention (retention enhancement) significantly improved task performance through its specific effects on the retention processes dimension of observational learning.The new model provides a more complete theoretical account of the mechanisms by which modeling-based interventions affect training outcomes, which should enable future research to systematically evaluate the effectiveness of a wide range of modeling-based training interventions.Further , the new instruments can be used by practitioners to refine ongoing training programs. (Observational Learning; Modeling-Based Training; Retention Enhancement; Behavior Modeling; Computer Training; Skill Aquisition)

Information Systems Research,  Vol. 13, No. 4, December 2002, pp. 363–376

Research Commentary: Information Systems and Conceptual Modeling— A Research Agenda Yair Wand • Ron Weber Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada V6T 1Z2 Faculty of Business, Economics, and Law, The University of Queensland, Australia 4072 yair.wand@ubc.ca • weber@commerce.uq.edu.au Within the information systems field, the task of conceptual modeling involves building a representation of selected phenomena in some domain. High-quality conceptualmodeling work is important because it facilitates early detection and correction of system development errors. It also plays an increasingly important role in activities like business process reengineering and documentation of best-practice data and process models in enterprise resource planning systems. Yet little research has been undertaken on many aspects of conceptual modeling. In this paper, we propose a framework to motivate research that addresses the following fundamental question: How can we model the world to better facilitate our developing, implementing, using, and maintaining more valuable information systems? The framework comprises four elements: conceptual-modeling grammars, conceptual-modeling methods, conceptual-modeling scripts, and conceptual-modeling contexts. We provide examples of the types of research that have already been undertaken on each element and illustrate research opportunities that exist.

Information Systems Research,  Vol. 13, No. 2, June 2002, pp. 151–167

Web Site Usability, Design, and Performance Metrics Jonathan W. Palmer University of Maryland, R. H. Smith School of Business, Decision and Information Technologies, 4348Van Munching Hall, College Park, Maryland 20742-1871 jpalmer@rhsmith.umd.edu Web sites provide the key interface for consumer use of the Internet. This research reports on a series of three studies that developand validate Web site usability, design and performance metrics, including download delay, navigability, site content, interactivity, and responsiveness. The performance metric that was developed includes the subconstructs user satisfaction, the likelihood of return, and the frequency of use. Data was collected in 1997, 1999, and 2000 from corporate Web sites via three methods, namely, a jury, third-party ratings, and a software agent. Significant associations between Web site design elements and Web site performance indicate that the constructs demonstrate good nomological validity. Together, the three studies provide a set of measures with acceptable validity and reliability. The findings also suggest lack of significant common methods biases across the jury-collected data, third-party data, and agent-collected data. Results suggest that Web site success is a first-order construct. Moreover, Web site success is significantly associated with Web site download delay (speed of access and display rate within the Web site), navigation (organization, arrangement, layout, and sequencing), content (amount and variety of product information), interactivity (customization and interactivity), and responsiveness (feedback options and FAQs).