Integrating user-perceived quality into Web server design

Abstract

Quality of Service, user perception, eCommerce, server design, internet, web server design As the number of Web users and the diversity of Web applications continues to explode, Web Quality of Service (QoS) is an increasingly critical issue in the domain of e-Commerce. This paper presents experiments designed to estimate users' tolerance of QoS in the context of e-commerce. In addition to objective measures we discuss contextual factors that influence these thresholds and show how users' conceptual models of Web tasks affect their expectations. We then show how user thresholds of tolerance can be taken into account when designing web servers. This integration of user requirements for QoS into systems design is ultimately of benefit to all stakeholders in the design of Internet services. AbstractAs the number of Web users and the diversity of Web applications continues to explode, Web Quality of Service (QoS) is an increasingly critical issue in the domain of e-Commerce [re]. This paper presents experiments designed to estimate users' tolerance of QoS in the context of e-commerce. In addition to objective measures we discuss contextual factors that influence these thresholds and show how users' conceptual models of Web tasks affect their expectations. We then show how user thresholds of tolerance can be taken into account when designing web servers. This integration of user requirements for QoS into systems design is ultimately of benefit to all stakeholders in the design of Internet services.

Waiting on the internet: A review of the multi-disciplinary literature and suggestions for future research

“…In general, empirical results reflect the claims of practitioners, that users are willing to tolerate a certain maximum level of delay of between 8 to 30 seconds; (8.57 seconds, Bhatti et al, 2000); (10 seconds, Selvidge, 1999). On the whole, the longer the wait involved before downloading fully a web page, the greater the chance the user will quit the website.…”

“…Of these, 13 papers are based on separate empirical research projects (Perfetti, 2001;Borella et al, 1997;Selvidge et al, 2000;Ramsay et al, 1998;Meyer & Hildebrandt, 2001;Bhatti et al, 2000;Dellaert & Kahn, 1999;Weinberg, 2000;Proctor, 1999;Hoxmeier & DiCesare, 2000) and a further 8 are papers by the same authors related to or based on the same or similar empirical research Sears & Jacko, 1998;Sears et al, 1997a;Sears et al, 1997b;Selvidge, 1999;Meyer & Hildebrandt, 2002;Bouch et al, 2000).…”

“…Marketing and waiting in traditional services (Weinberg, 2000;Dellaert & Kahn, 1999); Retail marketing and store patronage ); Social psychology (time anchoring and adjustment) (Weinberg, 2000); Systems response time studies within human-computer interaction (Weinberg, 2000;Sears et al, 1997a;Borella et al, 1997;Sears & Jacko, 1998;Ramsay et al, 1998;Selvidge, 1999); Network quality-of-service studies ; Web and systems design (Weinberg, 2000;Bhatti et al, 2000); Economics (hedonic utility) (Dellaert & Kahn, 1999;Bouch et al, 2000); Management science and decision-making (Dellaert & Kahn, 1999). These studies also draw from numerous professional, practitioner and internet consultant reports (Dembeck, 1999;Tedeschi, 1999).…”

“…For example, based their research exclusively on download time, which they define as "the time it takes for a web client to fully receive, process and display files submitted by a web server once those files are requested." Although Bhatti et al, (2000) refer to 'internet latency', their definition is similar to that of Rose & Straub. They define latency as the "delay between a request for a web page and receiving that page in its entirety."…”

“…Dellaert & Kahn (1999) varied the download time in their experiments between 0 and 240 seconds. Download levels ranged from 2 to 73 seconds in experiments by Bhatti et al (2000) and from 2 to 3 seconds in Meyers & Hildebrandts' experiments (2001& 2002.…”