Evaluating the perceived and estimated quality in use of Web 2.0 applications

• The concept of the quality in use proposed in relevant standards on quality of software was extended and adapted to the context of Web 2.0 applications.
• The usefulness of a research model was empirically confirmed.
• The reliability and validity of employed objective and subjective measures were empirically supported.
• The relevance of the proposed measures in evaluating the quality in use of mind mapping and diagramming Web 2.0 applications was identified.
• The importance that users assign to certain attributes and categories of the quality in use of Web 2.0 applications was determined.

Web 2.0 refers to a new generation of web applications where individuals are able to participate, collaborate, and share created artefacts. Despite the fact that Web 2.0 applications are widely used for both educational and professional purposes, a consolidated methodology for their evaluation is still not available. This paper presents and discusses the results of two empirical studies on the case of mind mapping and diagramming Web 2.0 applications. Both studies employed logging actual use method to measure the estimated quality in use, while the retrospective thinking aloud method and an online questionnaire were applied to assess the perceived quality in use. Achieved analytical results showed that the results of the estimated and the perceived quality in use match partially, which indicates that quality in use should be measured with both subjective and objective instruments. The work presented in this paper is the first step towards a comprehensive methodology for evaluating the quality in use of Web 2.0 applications. Consequently, the usage of the proposed quality in use model for other types of Web 2.0 applications as well as contexts of use needs to be investigated in order to draw generalizable conclusions.