INTERRELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN USERS AND SYSTEM FLEXIBILITIES WITH PERCEIVED USABILITY OF ONLINE AIRLINE RESERVATION SYSTEMS

• Main Author: MUSHTAQ, ARIF
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2011
• Online Access: http://utpedia.utp.edu.my/6683/1/2011%20PhD%20-%20Interrelationships%20Between%20Users%20and%20System%20Flexibilities%20with%20Perceived%20Usability%20of%20.pdf; http://utpedia.utp.edu.my/6683/
• Institution: Universiti Teknologi Petronas

It is very critical for the organizations to design flexible systems that are easy to use and can accomplish all the requirements by way of offering customizability. Philosophers argue that users are good in adapting the systems; however, research shows users dissatisfaction with existing Online Airline Reservation Systems in terms of task completion. Therefore, researchers are eager to find out ways for improving online usability of the systems, how users' Perceived Usability of the system is formulated by its flexibility functions. This research therefore examines travelers' expectations, preferences and online behavior (Users' Flexibility) and aligns that with designing of flexible online airline reservation systems (System's Flexibility) and users' as evaluators of the online systems to determine its Perceived Usability through users' effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction (Perceived Usability). In this dissertation, both quantitative and qualitative techniques were used to analyze the data collected in the context of SF, lJF and PU of the systems. A redesign solution for enhanced usability was developed based on HCI guidelines and the flexibility tactics used in online travel agencies, which led to a proposed interface with the integration of opaque mechanism. The two interfaces were used in the experiment. Participants were requested to complete the evaluation of the existing and proposed interfaces. The findings suggested that users can be classified on the basis of their Flexible Traveling Behavior which led to the development of a Users' Flexibility measuring scale. It is further investigated that integration of opaque fares concept would increase the usability of the system. Since flexibility is referred to its ability to respond to internal or external changes, systems incorporated with opaque fares would serve the role of external change agent by way of providing flexibility in users' decision making and will also serve the role of internal change agent by way of providing the capability of accepting changed decisions.