User Acceptance of Information Technology: System Characteristics, User Perceptions and Behavioral Impacts

Lack of user acceptance has long been an impediment to the success of new information systems. The present research addresses why users accept or reject information systems and how user acceptance is affected by system design features. The technology acceptance model (TAM) specifies the causal relationships between system design features, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude toward using, and actual usage behavior. Attitude theory from psychology provides the rationale for hypothesized model relationships, and validated measures were used to operationalize model variables. A field study of 112 users regarding two end-user systems was conducted to test the hypothesized model. TAM fully mediated the effects of system characteristics on usage behavior, accounting for 36% of the variance in usage. Perhaps the most striking finding was that perceived usefulness was 50% more influential than ease of use in determining usage, underscoring the importance of incorporating the appropriate functional capabilities in new systems. Overall, TAM provides an informative representation of the mechanisms by which design choices influence user acceptance, and should therefore be helpful in applied contexts for forecasting and evaluating user acceptance of information technology. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.