Speedy services : time, usability and E-Commerce

Abstract

Times play a vital role in human-computer interaction. However, when interaction takes place over a network, as is the case with e-commerce, it is impossible to guarantee that temporal requirements will be met. Therefore we must look for ways in which we can enhance usability despite the inevitable delays that the user will face. In this paper we show that, by considering the users temporal experience at the interface as separate from underlying hardware and performance issues, it is possible to provide support to the user which will alleviate some of the difficulties caused by a failure to meet temporal requirements. In e-commerce the user’s temporal experience at the interface is directly affected by both site design, and the functionality of the web browser. We highlight those areas of site design which impact upon the user’s temporal experience, and propose a number of changes to the functionality of the web browser which would provide support for the user.