Extended web assessment method (EWAM) - Evaluation of electronic commerce applications from the customer's viewpoint

Abstract

The paper presents and applies the Extended Web Assessment Method (EWAM) an evaluation tool which has been specifically created for the assessment of e-commerce applications. EWAM is one of the oldest evaluation methods of its kind. It has been revised and improved over the years. EWAM builds on the Web Assessment Method developed at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland and integrates findings from the Technology Acceptance Model and several alternative approaches. It defines an evaluation grid including a set of criteria to appraise the quality and success of existing e-commerce applications. The focus lies on consumer perspectives and the specific features of the Internet as medium. In order to illustrate how the EWAM tool works, an analysis of commercial Web sites in two different business sectors - consumer goods and e-banking - was performed. The findings show that according to the assessors most of the Web sites assessed do still not fully meet their expectations.