The role of perceived user-interface design in continued usage intention of self-paced e-learning tools

While past studies on user-interface design focused on a particular system or application using the experimental approach, we propose a theoretical model to assess the impact of perceived user-interface design (PUID) on continued usage intention (CUI) of self-paced e-learning tools in general. We argue that the impact of PUID is mediated by two variables, namely perceived functionality (PF) and perceived system support (PSS), which influence perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEOU), respectively. We empirically validated the model using data collected from a survey administered to university students in Hong Kong. We found that most hypotheses are valid and PUID is an important antecedent of CUI of a self-paced e-learning tool. We also showed that PU and user satisfaction (USat) are two essential predictors of CUI. However, the impact of PEOU on CUI is indirect via PU as a mediator. Our findings enrich the theory on the continued usage of technology, and provide e-learning developers with managerial insights on how to entice learners to continue using their e-learning tools.