An Empirical Study on the Relationship Between User Interface Design Attributes in Smartphone Applications and Intention to Use

Abstract

Smartphones, which debuted in the form of personal digital assistants (PDAs) in the late 1990s, have evolved continuously. However, hardware features and the external environment restrict their use, making it difficult to ensure high interactivity. The structure and usage of mobile applications are also becoming increasingly complex and it is often found to be difficult to understand the user interface (UI). These user environments and conditions inhibit the smooth interaction of the user with the application. This is expected to negatively affect the user’s intention to use the applications eventually. However, past studies on information systems have not shown much interest in the impact of smartphone UI designs on the attitudes and behaviors of users. Thus, this study attempted to empirically explore the impact that UI application designs have on the behavior intentions of the users utilizing the application. This study specifically looked at the following aspects of UI design: simplicity and consistency. The data was collected through a survey and structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed for the analysis. The results showed that these attributes have a significant effect on the interaction as well as a positive impact on the intention to use the application.