The role of avatars in e-government interfaces

This paper investigates the use of avatars to communicate live message in e-government interfaces. A comparative study is presented that evaluates the contribution of multimodal metaphors (including avatars) to the usability of interfaces for e-government and user trust. The communication metaphors evaluated included text, earcons, recorded speech and avatars. The experimental platform used for the experiment involved two interface versions with a sample of 30 users. The results demonstrated that the use of multimodal metaphors in an e-government interface can significantly contribute to enhancing the usability and increase trust of users to the e-government interface. A set of design guidelines, for the use of multimodal metaphors in e-government interfaces, was also produced

Components of Trust Influencing eGovernment Adoption in Germany

Part 2: Acceptance and DiffusionInternational audienceUser acceptance plays a pivotal role in success of all IS projects. Yet, most of the e-government endeavors worldwide have fallen short of their potential. Online transactions with public administrations are plagued with concerns of data protection and privacy resulting in reluctance to engage in egovernment. Although trust is confirmed to be an effective instrument for dealing with the anxiety of the faceless transactions, the majority of trust studies have been conducted in the context of e-commerce. Until now, relatively little research has focused on the role of trust influencing willingness of citizens to use e-government services. Based on a nationwide representative survey, our study contributes to prior literature by delivering the empirically-validated components of trust influencing the adoption of e-government in Germany. Enhanced with a research model of trust, this paper promotes a better understanding of the factors that halt or slow down e-government adoption in the German household