Evaluating quality of conceptual modelling scripts based on user perceptions

This paper presents the development of a user evaluations based quality model for conceptual modelling scripts applying Seddon's variant of the well-known model of DeLone and McLean [W.H. DeLone, E.R. McLean, Information systems success: the quest for the dependent variable, Information Systems Journal 3(1) (1992) 60-95] for evaluating the success of information systems. Given the growing awareness among researchers and practitioners about the importance of high-quality conceptual modelling scripts, it is surprising that there is no practical evaluation framework that considers the quality of conceptual modelling scripts from the user perspective. A first research goal is therefore to determine what the appropriate dimensions are for evaluating the success or quality of conceptual modelling scripts from the user point of view. A second goal is to investigate the relationships between these quality dimensions. The paper also presents an empirical test of the proposed model of quality dimensions and their relationships. Results are presented of two experiments with 187 and 124 business students respectively, that were designed to test a set of hypotheses generated from the proposed model. The results largely support the proposed model and have implications for both theory and practice of quality evaluation of conceptual modelling scripts. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.