User-centered E-Government in practice: A comprehensive model for measuring user satisfaction

New information and communication technologies (ICT) offer the government new possibilities for providing citizens and businesses with better, more efficient services. Criticism about the provision of E-Government services, however, has proposed a more user-oriented approach. The user needs to be placed at the center of the development and the provision of electronic public services. Simultaneously, it is important to investigate the impact of the new services on customers. User satisfaction may indeed have a decisive influence on large-scale adoption and use of E-Government services. This article describes the development of a comprehensive model for measuring user satisfaction in the context of E-Government. It rethinks the e-strategies of government and subsequently presents a conceptual model derived from ICT acceptance theory. Both quantitative as well as qualitative research have been carried out in order to elaborate the model and to formulate adequate indicators for measuring user satisfaction. The measurement model has been tested using data from five Flemish E-Government websites. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied in order to investigate the goodness of fit of the model and the underlying indicators. Based on the results, it becomes possible to reduce the list of indicators to nine items, still covering the full conceptual model. With this shortlist of satisfaction determinants, E-Government suppliers would be able to get a clear view on acceptance of their internet services by the users. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.