The perceptual evaluation of information systems using the construct of user satisfaction: case study of a large french group

Abstract

This research work concerns the perceptual evaluation of the performance of information systems (IS) and more particularly, the construct of user satisfaction. Faced with the difficulty of obtaining objective measures for the success of IS, user satisfaction appeared as a substitutive measure of IS performance (DeLone & McLean, 1992). Some researchers have indeed shown that the evaluation of an IS could not happen without an analysis of the feelings and perceptions of individuals who make use of it. Consequently, the concept of satisfaction has been considered as a guarantee of the performance of an IS. Also it has become necessary to ponder the drivers of user satisfaction. The analysis of models and measurement tools for satisfaction as well as the adoption of a contingency perspective has allowed the description of principal dimensions that have a direct or less direct impact on user perceptions The case study of a large French group, carried out through an interpretativist approach conducted by way of 41 semi-structured interviews, allowed the conceptualization of the problematique of perceptual evaluation of IS in a particular field study. This study led us to confirm the impact of certain factors (such as perceived usefulness, participation, the quality of relations with the IS Function and its resources and also the fit of IS with user needs). On the contrary, other dimensions regarded as fundamental do not receive any consideration or see their influence nuanced in the case studied (the properties of IS, the ease of use, the quality of information). Lastly, this study has allowed for the identification of the influence of certain contingency and contextual variables on user satisfaction and, above all, for the description of the importance of interactions between the IS Function and the users