Computer User Satisfaction

Computer user satisfaction (and closely related concepts such as System Satisfaction, User Satisfaction, Computer System Satisfaction, End User Computing Satisfaction) is the attitude of a user to the computer system (s)he employs in the context of his/her work environments. Doll and Torkzadeh's (1988) definition of user satisfaction is, the opinion of the user about a specific computer application, which they use. In a broader sense, the definition of user satisfaction can be extended to user satisfaction with any computer-based electronic appliance. However, scholars distinguish between user satisfaction and usability as part of Human-Computer Interaction. Successful organisations have systems in place which they believe help maximise profits and minimise overheads. It is therefore desirable that all their systems succeed and remain successful; and this includes their computer-based systems. According to key scholars such as DeLone and McLean (2002), user satisfaction is a key measure of computer system success, if not synonymous with it. However, the development of techniques for defining and measuring user satisfaction have been ad hoc and open to question. The term Computer User Satisfaction is abbreviated to user satisfaction in this article.