Development and validation of an instrument to measure user perceived service quality of information presenting Web portals

Increasing numbers of organizations have set up material on their Web portals as a way of providing users with information about their products or services. This study developed and validated an instrument to measure user perceived service quality of such portals. Based upon conceptual models in the areas of IS and technology adoption, and using responses from 1992 users, we validated a five-dimension service quality instrument involving: usability, usefulness of content, adequacy of information, accessibility, and interaction. This scale provides a useful instrument for researchers who wish to measure the service quality of Web portals and for portal managers who want to improve their service performance.

[1]  Sanghyuk Park,et al.  Development of electronic commerce user-consumer satisfaction index (ECUSI) for Internet shopping , 2001, Ind. Manag. Data Syst..

[2]  Jayant V. Saraph,et al.  An Instrument for Measuring the Critical Factors of Quality Management , 1989 .

[3]  A. Parasuraman,et al.  A conceptual framework for understanding e-service quality : implications for future research and managerial practice , 2000 .

[4]  Fred D. Davis,et al.  User Acceptance of Computer Technology: A Comparison of Two Theoretical Models , 1989 .

[5]  R. Peterson,et al.  Taking the pulse of Internet pharmacies. , 2001, Marketing health services.

[6]  Christian N. Madu,et al.  Dimensions of e‐quality , 2002 .

[7]  Dennis L. Hoffman,et al.  Marketing in Hypermedia Computer-Mediated Environments : Conceptual Foundations 1 ) , 1998 .

[8]  A. Parasuraman,et al.  Service quality delivery through web sites: A critical review of extant knowledge , 2002, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science.

[9]  Fred D. Davis Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, and User Acceptance of Information Technology , 1989, MIS Q..

[10]  Sheng Wu,et al.  Exploring the impact of online service quality on portal site usage , 2002, Proceedings of the 35th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences.

[11]  William J. Doll,et al.  A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the End-User Computing Satisfaction Instrument , 1994, MIS Q..

[12]  Jc Ko de Ruyter,et al.  On the relationship between perceived service quality, service loyalty and switching costs , 1998 .

[13]  B. Byrne Book Review: Structural Equation Modeling with EQS and EQS/Windows: Basic Concepts, Applications, and Programming , 1994 .

[14]  Kevin Crowston,et al.  The Effects of Market-enabling Internet Agents on Competition and Prices , 2001, J. Electron. Commer. Res..

[15]  Peter A. Todd,et al.  Perceived Usefulness, Ease of Use, and Usage of Information Technology: A Replication , 1992, MIS Q..

[16]  Allard C. R. van Riel,et al.  Exploring consumer evaluations of e‐services: a portal site , 2001 .

[17]  Nelson K. H. Tang,et al.  The effectiveness of commercial Internet Web sites: a user's perspective , 1998, Internet Res..

[18]  A. Parasuraman,et al.  SERVQUAL: A multiple-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality. , 1988 .

[19]  T Raykov,et al.  Scale Reliability, Cronbach's Coefficient Alpha, and Violations of Essential Tau-Equivalence with Fixed Congeneric Components. , 1997, Multivariate behavioral research.

[20]  William J. Doll,et al.  The Measurement of End-User Computing Satisfaction , 1988, MIS Q..

[21]  Ping Zhang,et al.  Expectations and rankings of Web site quality features: results of two studies on user perceptions , 2001, Proceedings of the 34th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences.

[22]  Gilbert A. Churchill A Paradigm for Developing Better Measures of Marketing Constructs , 1979 .

[23]  Chang Liu,et al.  Exploring the factors associated with Web site success in the context of electronic commerce , 2000, Inf. Manag..

[24]  Elazar J. Pedhazur,et al.  Measurement, Design, and Analysis: An Integrated Approach , 1994 .

[25]  George R. Franke,et al.  Structural Equation Modeling with EQS and EQS/Windows , 1995 .

[26]  Barbara M. Byrne,et al.  Structural equation modeling with EQS : basic concepts, applications, and programming , 2000 .

[27]  Veronica Liljander,et al.  Boost customer loyalty with online support: the case of mobile telecoms providers , 2003 .

[28]  Mary Jo Bitner,et al.  Technology infusion in service encounters , 2000 .

[29]  Gerald L. Lohse,et al.  Electronic shopping , 1998, CACM.

[30]  Yi-Shun Wang,et al.  An Instrument for Measuring Customer Satisfaction Toward Web Sites That Market Digital Products and Services , 2001, J. Electron. Commer. Res..

[31]  Steven A. Taylor,et al.  Measuring Service Quality: A Reexamination and Extension , 1992 .

[32]  Prashant C. Palvia,et al.  Developing and validating an instrument for measuring user-perceived web quality , 2002, Inf. Manag..

[33]  Peter M. Bentler,et al.  EQS : structural equations program manual , 1989 .

[34]  Gisela M. von Dran,et al.  User Expectations and Rankings of Quality Factors in Different Web Site Domains , 2001, Int. J. Electron. Commer..

[35]  Eliot R. Smith,et al.  Research methods in social relations , 1962 .

[36]  Paul Resnick,et al.  Reputation systems , 2000, CACM.

[37]  Fatemeh Zahedi,et al.  The Measurement of Web-Customer Satisfaction: An Expectation and Disconfirmation Approach , 2002, Inf. Syst. Res..

[38]  Hakman A. Wan,et al.  Opportunities to enhance a commercial website , 2000, Inf. Manag..

[39]  Anthony R. Hendrickson,et al.  An assessment of structure and causation of IS usage , 1996, DATB.

[40]  C. Fornell,et al.  Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. , 1981 .

[41]  Magid Igbaria,et al.  Personal Computing Acceptance Factors in Small Firms: A Structural Equation Model , 1997, MIS Q..

[42]  K. Sheehan,et al.  Dimensions of Privacy Concern among Online Consumers , 2000 .

[43]  Gráinne Conole,et al.  Quality assurance in subject gateways: creating high quality portals on the Internet , 2000 .

[44]  R. Bagozzi,et al.  On the evaluation of structural equation models , 1988 .

[45]  Peter B. Seddon A Respecification and Extension of the DeLone and McLean Model of IS Success , 1997, Inf. Syst. Res..

[46]  Donald J. Shemwell,et al.  Measuring Service Quality in Hospitals: Scale Development and Managerial Applications , 1999 .

[47]  Jay Kandampully,et al.  Electronic retailing and distribution of services: cyber intermediaries that serve customers and service providers , 2002 .

[48]  Ephraim R. McLean,et al.  Information Systems Success: The Quest for the Independent Variables , 1992, J. Manag. Inf. Syst..

[49]  Kelsey L. Johnson,et al.  Benchmarking: a tool for Web site evaluation and improvement , 1999, Internet Res..

[50]  Howard B. Lee,et al.  Foundations of Behavioral Research , 1973 .

[51]  Patrali Chatterjee,et al.  Commercial Scenarios for the Web: Opportunities and Challenges , 1997, J. Comput. Mediat. Commun..