The contribution of apparent and inherent usability to a user's satisfaction in a searching and browsing task on the Web.

Previous research found that apparent and inherent usability had big influences on user's acceptance of computer systems. This research extended these findings to the area of user's satisfaction. The study investigated the impact of inherent and apparent usability on user's satisfaction of Web page designs while the two main tasks on the World Wide Web, searching and browsing, were performed. The results indicated that inherent usability was the main factor contributing to user's satisfaction in both searching and browsing. General principles and specific recommendations for the design and evaluation of Web page designs are derived from these findings.