A longitudinal examination of information technology acceptance: The influence of system experience on user perceptions and behavior

Measuring and predicting end user acceptance of information technology has long been an area of interest for IS researchers and practitioners. In looking at this issue, a number of relevant theories which incorporate a variety of attitudinal, social, and/or control factors have been utilized by IS researchers, including Fishbein and Ajzen's (1975) Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and Ajzen's (1991) Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB).; Of the IS-specific applications of TRA or TPB, Davis, Bagozzi, and Warshaw's (1989) Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) is the best known. TAM suggests that two perceptions of technology, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, are important variables which affect user acceptance of technology. Conclusions from the empirical studies to date have generally suggested that user attitudes influence user behavior. However, other psychological theories (e.g., Social Cognitive Theory, Cognitive Dissonance Theory) suggest that the reverse relationship is also possible; i.e., that behavior influences changes in attitudes.; To study this issue, an Extended Technology Acceptance Model (ETAM) was developed which examined the influence of user behavior on subsequent perceptions and attitudes. Specifically, two variables, amount of system experience and quality of system experience, were presented as directly influencing user perceptions (i.e., perceived usefulness and ease of use) of technology.; A field study was used to test hypotheses derived from ETAM. Data was collected over the course of an entire semester from business students. The behavior which was evaluated in this research was the discretionary usage of Netscape, a World Wide Web browsing tool. The results of this study suggest that (1) perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use are important determinants of attitudes and intentions to use technology, (2) the quality of system experience has a significant influence over user perceptions of usefulness and ease of use, but the amount of system experience does not, rather (3) the amount of one's experience in using the system has a direct influence on actual usage. These results provide an important extension to existing research on technology acceptance and carry important implications for the design and implementation of new technology in organizations.