5.2 Predictors of users’ preferences for digital content
5.2.1 Perceived ease of use
Results on the perceived ease of use showed that the majority of respondents perceived digital information as easy to use. Overall, the results from the survey questionnaire revealed that 92% (22) of the respondents perceived digital information as easy to use, while only 8%
85 (2) of the respondents did not perceive digital information as easy to use. Similarly, results obtained from the focus group discussions showed that most respondents perceived digital information to be easy to use and outlined, among other reasons, that it was up-to-date and offered a wide coverage, it was easy and quick to access, easy to store, share and carry around. In part, these results concur with observations made by Armstrong and Lonsdale (2007:258) that access to e-resources had reduced the time spent searching for information, as saving time is a priority. A study by Deng (2010:96) revealed the availability of a variety of resources and their accessibility and time-saving features, availability of search tools and the absence of physical space limitations as attributes of ease of use. Renwick (2005:23) added that ease of use of electronic resources was also divulged by its international coverage to both retrospect and current information. In support of this view, narrative findings of this study revealed that respondents preferred digital information because it provided the latest methodologies which made their work easier and improved its quality.
Ease of use is affected by the adequacy of, or a lack of, ICT infrastructure. A study by Park et al. (2009:204) confirmed that ease of access had a positive effect on perceived ease of use, adding that accessibility was one of the prominent disadvantages for users in developing countries. Deng (2010:96) noted that ICT facilities play an important role in facilitating easier, faster and wider access to digital information. A study conducted by Egberongbe (2011) on the use and impact of e-resources at the University of Lagos showed that users were dissatisfied with IT infrastructure and this affected the use of digital resources.
Ndinoshiho (2010) found that many e-resources were substantially under-utilised in African universities because of a shortage of computers and unreliable Internet connection. Ahmed’s study (2013) on the use of electronic resources in some universities in Bangladesh found that electronic resource usage could be better with the improvement of IT infrastructure. Early studies in developed countries revealed that limited access to computer terminals deterred respondents from using digital resources (Ray and Day 1998). In the present study, ease of use was facilitated by the accessibility to IT infrastructure by respondents of this study. All respondents of this study had networked computers in their offices; with some having laptops to work on during field trips.
However, like other studies, not all respondents agreed to perceived ease of use of digital information. Only two (8%) of the respondents in the survey questionnaire did not perceive
86 digital information as easy to use. Results from focus group discussion provided reasons why some respondents did not perceive digital information as easy to use (see section 4.7.4). As examples, slow Internet, difficult-to-use websites, unclear instructions and inability to download material were cited. In a study to identify factors affecting virtual patron satisfaction with online library resource services, Tyler and Hastings (2011:27) found that there was need to improve the search tools, make instructions clearer and create more friendly websites as this was compromising ease of use of the digital library. Thong, Hong and Tam (2009:233) revealed interface characteristics which include terminology, screen design and navigation as significant deterrents to perceived ease of use, with terminology having the strongest impact on perceived ease of use of digital libraries. Similarly, Ibrahim (2004:24) emphasised the influence of language as a barrier to the use of electronic resources in the United Emirates, where the Arabic language is the formal language of communication and yet electronic resources are in English. Language was also found to be one of the largest obstacles facing access to fisheries information, as it is published in many different languages (FAO 2009:20).
Within the African context, Brown (2002:3) gave cautionary advice:
For cultures with high uncertainty and avoidance, as is found in South Africa, and Africa in general, more structure and fewer complications when using a technology provide for more favourable perceptions about that technology.
In a nutshell, Brown (2002:3) was advising that, in Africa, for technology to be accepted, it has to be free from the antecedents mentioned above, as they negatively impact on ease to use.
Within the field of aquatic and marine science, Macharia (2005:89) found that digital collections were easy to use, in the sense that important information was placed close at hand, dissemination of new research was made faster and this created access for wider audiences.
The availability of grey literature, which is often difficult to discover and access, yet essential to fisheries science, could now be disseminated and retrieved easily online (Haas et al., 2009:5).
87 The above discussions show a correlation between perceived ease of use and usage. It can be observed that usage is high when a system is easy to use in terms of functionality and accessibility. Conversely, usage is low when access is restricted and when a system is not easy to use or manipulate. Therefore this study confirmed the perceived ease of use as a valid determinant of technology acceptance.
5.2.1.1 Correlations between perceived ease of use and actual usage
Past research has proved that perceived ease of use can directly influence system usage (Davis 1989; Brown 2002; Vaidyanathan, Sabbaghi and Bargellini 2005; Yusoff et al., 2009).
In his attempt to validate the TAM, Davis (1989) conducted a series of studies using perceived ease of use as an independent variable and system usage as the dependent variable.
Davis (1989) found that perceived ease of use was significantly correlated with current usage and future usage. A strong correlation is also revealed in this current study, where preference is tending towards digital information. Results showed that current usage was high because 22 (92%) of the respondents perceived digital resources to be easy to use.
Yusoff et al. (2009) obtained similar results when they investigated usage of the e-library among students in a public university in Malaysia. The study employed the TAM to examine how individual differences, perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness relate to actual use of an e-library. With regards to perceived ease of use, the authors hypothesised that, when the application of the e-library is perceived to be easy to use, it is more likely to be accepted by the users. The results confirmed the assumption and further indicated that students found that the e-library was easy to use and they were more willing to use it for information retrieval to improve the quality of their assignments. Their study concluded that digital library settings need to be both easy to learn and easy to use.
Correlations between ease of use and usage were also revealed in a survey conducted by Suki and Suki (2011) to examine the relationship between perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived enjoyment, attitude and subscribers’ intention towards using 3G mobile services. Among other findings, the results confirmed that perceived ease of use was significantly related to actual use. The findings showed that subscribers learnt to use 3G services quickly. The importance of perceived ease of use towards 3G mobile services, in terms of how easy or effortless it is to communicate with each other, was emphasised.
88 A meta-analysis of the TAM, conducted by Yousafzai, Foxall and Pallister (2007:299), revealed that while the direct effect of perceived ease of use on usage has been found in selected studies, the cumulative findings indicate that perceived ease of use is not a dominant predictor of usage in the TAM. The authors qualified their statement by explaining that, although perceived ease of use might not be important in determining the level of use of a system, it may influence the initial decision to adopt a system in voluntary situations. The inclusion of perceived ease of use was thus significant in this study, as the use of digital information was a behavioural choice initiated by individual library users. In addition, the inclusion was necessary as the use of digital resources was a new development within the organisation.
Venkatesh (2000:342) acknowledged that much previous research has established that perceived ease of use was an important factor influencing user acceptance and usage behaviour of information technologies. There are many investigations that found ease of use to be influential in system usage (Davis 1989; Adams, Nelson and Todd 1992; Brown 2002;
Averweg 2008; Suki and Suki 2011). Based on these and the overall findings of this study, perceived ease of use can be confirmed as a significant determinant in predicting the actual use of electronic resources. The results confirm a correlation between perceived ease of use and actual usage.