Variables

As mention in previous chapter (section 2.7 and 2.8), the dependent and independent

variable of this experiment as shown followed:

Dependent variable:

The independent variable is user’s satisfaction with the online selection process for

choosing a mobile phone.

Independent variable:

The independent variable is supporting for online selection of a mobile phone, with

three levels of support as follows:

A. Mobile phone catalogue and description only.

B. Support A, plus selection by mobile phone properties.

C. Support B, plus selection by performance criteria.

The control for this experiment was the selection support method A. This provided a

baseline for support, which many presented a description of the mobile phones.

Selection support methods B and C were the main treatments as they explored,

additional aspects of online support.

3.3.3 Subject Sample

Thirty males and thirty females from Massey University were selected to participate in

the experiment. The reason that students were selected as subject sample was because

they were more interesting in mobile phones rather than other age of society. These

sixty subjects were divided into three groups. Each group of subjects would use one of

following question was used to estimate mobile phone experience levels of subjects:

How many phone have you bought in previous 5 years? None 1 2 3

more than 3 _____

Random selection was used to pick the subjects. For example, every third person who

came to the lab would be selected. The support method assigned to each subject was

picked up by using random number. The resulting same demographics (see section 4.1

for more details) suggest that these subjects are experienced mobile phone users and

nearly fifty percent were at the time considering to buy a new mobile phone.

3.3.4 Task

Subjects would assume that they were customers in a mobile phone shop and that they

wished to select their next mobile phone. Their task was to select a mobile phone that

they are satisfied with using supporting system.

3.3.5 Procedure

1. Introduction:

People were selected to participate in the experiment. They were then asked to sign

the consent form and were asked to complete a simple background questionnaire.

2. Criterion understanding

Subjects were given the definition of each criterion (mobile phone feature), and

asked to rate the explanatory statements. This phase was designed to ensure that

subjects understood the criteria.

3. Experiment:

based mobile phone selection system.

4. Outcome evaluation:

Subjects were asked to fill in the post-test questionnaires. Final results were

collected after the experiment.

3.3.6 Questionnaire design

In this study, Davis’s (1989) questionnaires were used in order to measure the overall

satisfaction for three supporting methods by the following aspects: efficiency,

usefulness, ease of selection and ease of use. The questionnaire was used the following

seven questions to measure the satisfaction score for each selection support method (see

Appendix E for more details):

1. Software Performance

Q1. Efficiency: This software would enable me to choose a phone more quickly.

Q2. Usefulness: I would find this software is useful in my mobile phone selection.

Q3. Ease of selection: Using this software would make my mobile phone selection

easier.

Q4. Ease of use: I would find this software easy to use.

Q5. Satisfaction: Overall, I am satisfied with this software.

2. Confidence and Intention

Q6. Confidence: How confident are you that you have selected a good mobile phone

for you?

Q7. Intention to use again: I would like to use this method for selecting my mobile

Chapter 4: Results

4.1 User background

There were 30 males and 30 females that participated in the experiment. At the time of

the experiment 52 subjects were using only one mobile phone, and 8 of them were using

two mobile phones. As shown in Figure 4.1, 18 subjects were highly frequent mobile

phone users (bought over 5 mobile phones over the previous 5 years). 20 subjects were

frequent mobile phone users (bought 4 to 5 mobile phones over the previous 5 years)

and 22 were moderate experience mobile phone users (bought 1 to 3 mobile phones

over the previous 5 years). As shown in Figure 4.2, 7 subjects were looking to buy a

new mobile phone, 22 subjects wished to buy a new mobile phone and 31 of them did

not want to buy a new mobile phone. All users had bought at least one phone (i.e. none

of the subjects had no experiences).

22 20 18 0 5 10 15 20 25 Moderate Frequent High Frequent

7 22 31 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 Yes Maybe No

Figure 4.2 Are you currently looking to buy a new mobile phone?

4.2 Mobile phone properties

Mobile phone properties are simple features of the mobile phone. There were five

properties that were used in selection support methods B and C. These mobile phone

properties were: body design, brand, network system, main colour and price, with

options as follows:

1. Body Design: standard, clam shell, and slider

2. Brand: Imate, LG, Motorola, Nokia, Palm, OKTA, Samsung, Sagem, Sanyo, Sharp,

SonyEricsson, Other brand

3. Network System: Vodafone, Telecom

4. Main Colour: black, blue, red, yellow, pink

5. Price: below $300, $300-$599, $600-$899, $900-$1199, over $1200

There were forty people that participated using the selection support methods B and C.

Subjects were asked to select their favourite mobile phone properties. Subjects who left

options than the default (e.g. “clam shell” under body design) were counted as taking

that property as one in the use frequency for that property. For example, if subject A

selected “clam shell”, this was counted as 1 for the use frequency of the body design

property, but if he/she selected “Any” that would be counted as 0. The results of the

mobile phone properties use frequencies are shown in Figure 4.3.

7 13 14 26 38 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 Brand Main Colour Price Body Design Network System M o b il e P h o n e P ro p e rt y Use Frequency

Figure 4.3 Use frequencies by phone property

As shown in Figure 4.3, network system had the highest property use frequency (38)

which means that 95% of subjects used this property to select their desired mobile

phone. Body design had the second highest property use frequency (26). Price and main

colour showed a 35% of property use frequency. Only 18% of subjects (7 property use

frequencies) used brand property.

Overall, subjects were more concerned with network system (95% of property use

frequencies) and body design (65% of property use frequencies) than other properties.

Price and main colour showed 35% property use frequencies. Brand had the lowest

property use frequency which indicates that the subjects were less concerned with the