AN EMPIRICAL EXAMINATION OF THE USER SATISFACTION/ SYSTEM EFFECTIVENESS INTERRELATION

摘要

User satisfaction, a subjective measure, is often substituted for system effectiveness, an objective measure, (and vice versa) in evaluating system success. This substitution is based upon the assumption that these two measures are conceptually and empirically interrelated. This study empirically examines this assumption by analyzing the relationships between user satisfaction and three system effectiveness measures in the context of decision support system. The study found that user satisfaction has weak relationship with system effectiveness and should not be substituted. To avoid an incomplete and potentially misleading evaluation of a DSS, researchers and managers should use both types of measures.