ARE STUDENTS SATISFIED WITH THE USE OF SMARTPHONE APPS?

Abstract

No matter what smartphone you use, applications (apps) installed can affect your satisfaction with the use of the smartphone. A smartphone is a consumer device, and smartphone apps are Consumer Information Systems (CIS) that provide value and utility to end-users. Major players in the area of smartphone apps are developers creating apps as well as consumers downloading and using apps. The research focuses on consumer aspects of smartphone apps in terms of their satisfaction with the use of the apps. The study elaborates on factors affecting consumers’ satisfaction such as needs fulfillment, performance improvement, easy to use, easy to understand, security/privacy, and influence of the peer. The study also finds out who are satisfied with smartphone apps in terms of age, gender, frequent user, years of usage, and preference for free apps. A survey was conducted to college students representing consumers. In the study, most respondents were satisfied with the use of smartphone apps, and their satisfaction level was affected by factors such as needs fulfillment, performance improvement, ease of use, security/privacy, and peer influence. It is also found out that consumers of younger age, frequent users, frequent downloaders, having more number of apps on their smartphones, and choosing Android and iOS as their future smartphone platforms were more satisfied while gender, longer years of owning smartphone, preference for free apps, and smartphone platforms currently used did not significantly affect consumers’ satisfaction.