WHAT IS AN END-USER ? IDENTIFYING MULTIPLE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG INFORMATION SYSTEMS USERS

The relationship of the computer user to the system and to the information gained is a subtle one, and in organizations many different types of relationship are possible. Previous definitions of user\u27 and end-user emphasize direct interactive forms of computer use and do not cover indirect relationships; they also do not take into consideration the reason for the interaction. A new definitional framework is required which encompasses the different modes and purposes of IS users. This paper proposes a two-dimensional typology which employs an association dimension and a purpose dimension in order to identify the nature of the relationships more accurately. The association dimension indicates how close the user is to the information source; the purpose dimension indicates what the user does with the information. The new typology will help to clarify the subtle and changing relationships between computer users, systems and IS support staff

RSS Feeds, Browsing and End-User Engagement

Despite the vast amount of research that has been devoted separately to the topics of browsing and Really Simple Syndication (RSS) aggregation architecture, little is known about how end-users engage with RSS feeds and how they browse while using a feed aggregate. This study explores the browsing behaviors end-users exhibit when using RSS and Atom feeds. The researcher analyzed end-users’ browsing experiences and discusses browsing variations. The researcher observed, tested, and interviewed eighteen (N=18) undergraduate students at the University of Tennessee to determine how end-users engage with RSS feeds. This study evaluates browsing using two variations of tasks, (1) an implicit task with no final goal and (2) an explicit task with a final goal. The researcher observed the participants complete the two tasks and conducted exit interviews, which addressed the end-users’ experiences with Google Reader and provided further explanation of browsing behaviors. The researcher analyzed the browsing behaviors based upon Bates’ (2007) definitions and characteristics of browsing. The results of this exploratory research provide insights into end-user interaction with RSS feeds

What is an Analogue for the Semantic Web and Why is Having One Important?

This paper postulates that for the Semantic Web to grow and gain input from fields that will surely benefit it, it needs to develop an analogue that will help people not only understand what it is, but what the potential opportunities are that are enabled by these new protocols. The model proposed in the paper takes the way that Web interaction has been framed as a baseline to inform a similar analogue for the Semantic Web. While the Web has been represented as a Page + Links, the paper presents the argument that the Semantic Web can be conceptualized as a Notebook + Memex. The argument considers how this model also presents new challenges for fundamental human interaction with computing, and that hypertext models have much to contribute to this new understanding for distributed information systems

Antecedents and Outcomes of End User Computing Competence

The tremendous proliferation of end user computing (EUC) in the workplace over the past few decades is cause for concern in public and private organizations. Computer use has moved from individuals working with dumb terminals in centralized networks to individuals operating personal computers, just as powerful as yesterday\u27s mainframe. The end user has had to evolve and will continue evolving as well; from someone with low level technical skills to someone with a high level of technical knowledge and information managerial skills. Because EUC continues growing more sophisticated, end users must not only maintain a level of competence, but prepare for the next generation of computing technology. Doing so will enable organizations to continue enjoying the positive benefits of EUC success. Research indicates that EUC success may depend on end user competence. Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to test an integrated model of EUC success, the results of this study show that computer training, education level, beliefs about computer systems and the ability to operate them lead to end user computing competence. Additionally, results show that computer system use, a factor in achieving EUC success, is an outcome of end user computing competence. The overall conclusions drawn from this study is that the Air Force organization may be able to improve its efforts to successfully use computing technology, however it appears individual personnel have the competence to do so already. There may be additional underlying factors contributing to the lack of significant computing success, the discovery of which is a prospect for future research

Design Ltd.: Renovated Myths for the Development of Socially Embedded Technologies

This paper argues that traditional and mainstream mythologies, which have been continually told within the Information Technology domain among designers and advocators of conceptual modelling since the 1960s in different fields of computing sciences, could now be renovated or substituted in the mould of more recent discourses about performativity, complexity and end-user creativity that have been constructed across different fields in the meanwhile. In the paper, it is submitted that these discourses could motivate IT professionals in undertaking alternative approaches toward the co-construction of socio-technical systems, i.e., social settings where humans cooperate to reach common goals by means of mediating computational tools. The authors advocate further discussion about and consolidation of some concepts in design research, design practice and more generally Information Technology (IT) development, like those of: task-artifact entanglement, universatility (sic) of End-User Development (EUD) environments, bricolant/bricoleur end-user, logic of bricolage, maieuta-designers (sic), and laissez-faire method to socio-technical construction. Points backing these and similar concepts are made to promote further discussion on the need to rethink the main assumptions underlying IT design and development some fifty years later the coming of age of software and modern IT in the organizational domain.Comment: This is the peer-unreviewed of a manuscript that is to appear in D. Randall, K. Schmidt, & V. Wulf (Eds.), Designing Socially Embedded Technologies: A European Challenge (2013, forthcoming) with the title "Building Socially Embedded Technologies: Implications on Design" within an EUSSET editorial initiative (www.eusset.eu/

Business Intelligence & Analytics (BI&A) Systems:Measuring End-User Computing Satisfaction (EUCS)

Business intelligence and analytics (BI&A) have become part of almost every com- pany/organisation nowadays, as the benefits of a successful adoption are many. However, the failure scenarios are many as well, with companies/organisations facing dissatisfied employ- ees who do not use the BI&A tools because they find them difficult to use -despite the train- ings-, and others who start using them and then stop this usage. In an effort to help compa- nies/organisations who want to adopt or have adopted a BI&A solution to understand their employees, as well as BI&A vendors to understand their end-users, we conducted this study where we examined the relationships among training, system usage, EUCS and UCI. What is more, we decided to focus only to descriptive BI&A as it is the type of BI&A that is mostly adopted by companies/organisations. The data needed for the study was collected with the help of a questionnaire-based survey and four hypotheses were developed for our literature- based proposed model. Data analysis was conducted with Excel, SPSS and AMOS and all of our hypotheses were confirmed. This is a sign that companies/organisations should keep in- vesting on training in order to achieve higher levels of BI&A usage and eventually higher levels of EUCS and UCI

Why-Oriented End-User Debugging of Naïve Bayes Text Classification

Machine learning techniques are increasingly used in intelligent assistants, that is, software targeted at and continuously adapting to assist end users with email, shopping, and other tasks. Examples include desktop SPAM filters, recommender systems, and handwriting recognition. Fixing such intelligent assistants when they learn incorrect behavior, however, has received only limited attention. To directly support end-user “debugging” of assistant behaviors learned via statistical machine learning, we present a Why-oriented approach which allows users to ask questions about how the assistant made its predictions, provides answers to these “why” questions, and allows users to interactively change these answers to debug the assistant's current and future predictions. To understand the strengths and weaknesses of this approach, we then conducted an exploratory study to investigate barriers that participants could encounter when debugging an intelligent assistant using our approach, and the information those participants requested to overcome these barriers. To help ensure the inclusiveness of our approach, we also explored how gender differences played a role in understanding barriers and information needs. We then used these results to consider opportunities for Why-oriented approaches to address user barriers and information needs

A review of the characteristics of 108 author-level bibliometric indicators

An increasing demand for bibliometric assessment of individuals has led to a growth of new bibliometric indicators as well as new variants or combinations of established ones. The aim of this review is to contribute with objective facts about the usefulness of bibliometric indicators of the effects of publication activity at the individual level. This paper reviews 108 indicators that can potentially be used to measure performance on the individual author level, and examines the complexity of their calculations in relation to what they are supposed to reflect and ease of end-user application.Comment: to be published in Scientometrics, 201

End-User Needs of Fragmented Databases in Higher Education Data Analysis and Decision Making

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)In higher education, a wealth of data is available to advisors, recruiters, marketers, and program directors. However, data sources can be accessed in a variety of ways and often do not seem to represent the same data set, presenting users with the confounding notion that data sources are in conflict with one another. As users are identifying new ways of accessing and analyzing this data, they are modifying existing work practices and sometimes creating their own databases. To understand how users are navigating these databases, the researchers employed a mixed methods research design including a survey and interview to understand the needs to end users who are accessing these seemingly fragmented databases. The study resulted in a three overarching categories – access, understandability, and use – that affect work practices for end users. The researchers used these themes to develop a set of broadly applicable design recommendations as well as six sets of sketches for implementation – development of a data gateway, training, collaboration, tracking, definitions and roadblocks, and time management