Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy Emerald Article: Perceptions of information system success in the public sector: Webmasters at the steering wheel?

Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationships between constructs ofinformation system (IS) success in the public sector, as perceived by webmaster intermediaries, andinvestigate how user testing affects these relationships.Design/methodology/approach – Online surveys were conducted, using questionnaires, withwebmasters in Denmark and Norway who participated in the public sector web award contestsorganized by the government (n ¼ 1,237, n ¼ 541; response rate 44 per cent).Findings – It was found that the frequency with which webmasters carry out user testing affectstheir perceptions of IS success, with those who conduct no user testing displaying the weakestassociations among success variables. Findings also suggest that webmasters who do little or no usertesting conveniently assume that citizen users are satisfied, while webmasters who are moreknowledgeable of the user experience have a greater perception of levels of success.Practical implications – The fact that the majority of webmasters do not perform any type of usertesting triggers a reflection on the need for such important intermediaries to enhance their feedbackchannels. User involvement in assessing IS success cannot be overlooked, especially considering thatuser empowerment in the design, implementation, and evaluation of information systems matches awindow of opportunity originating in the ongoing growth of web interactivity.Originality/value – The paper is one of the few that investigates constructs of IS success in thepublicsector,andarguablythefirstonethatfocusesontheimpactsofusertestingontherelationshipsbetween constructs of IS success in a public setting.KeywordsDenmark,Norway,Informationsystems,Websites,Publicsector,Feedback,Intermediaries,DeLone and McLean IS success model, Webmasters, User testingPaper type Research paper