A framework for evaluating user acceptance of individual system functionalities : a case study on the editor role for the PUMA glossary

Abstract

With the rise of the digital workplace and enterprise cloud technologies, the modern corporate intranet has evolved substantially; from a static information hub to a dynamic and interactive ecosystem of applications and services. Prior research has validated the technology acceptance model as a reliable method for evaluating the user acceptance of information systems. However, it is not always practical to evaluate an entire system when feedback on an individual functionality within that system is needed. Established methods for evaluating individual functionalities within information systems remains scarce. This thesis presents the seven-step PUMA user acceptance framework, created to evaluate user acceptance of a current implementation of the editor role for the PUMA glossary, an application within the company global intranet. A SharePoint Site Collection was created for the evaluation environment. A questionnaire containing Likert scale ratings and open-ended questions was used for data and feedback acquisition. A sample of ten participants from the target user group took part in the user acceptance evaluation process. A Top Box report was compiled to communicate the findings, and the open-ended feedback was used for insight to future development. The proposed framework establishes a valid method for acquiring actionable user acceptance data for steering development of individual functionalities within a system for the PUMA IT ecosystem specifically. This thesis provides a foundation on which further research may be conducted to evaluate user acceptance of other system functionalities in the future.