The effect of decision support system expertise on system use behavior and performance

We performed an empirical investigation into the effect of users’ decision support system (DSS) expertise on their problem-solving strategies. The results indicated that individuals who had only recently learned to use the DSS were confused or restricted by the set of functions provided by the system and did not plan well for their use of the DSS. Those who had previous knowledge of the system exhibited more focused and efficient problem-solving behavior. Our findings suggested that problem-solving strategies depended significantly on the user's level of system expertise.