Web Assistants: Towards an Intelligent and Personal Web Shop

Johan Åberg and Nahid Shahmehri Department of Computer and Information Science Linköping University, S-581 83 Linköping, Sweden phone: +46-13-281465, fax: +46-13-282666 e-mail: [email protected], [email protected] url: Johan Åberg, Nahid Shahmehri Abstract: Electronic commerce has recently shown enormous potential to take over the sales market. There is a need to provide services that can reach individual computer users with different information profiles and levels of expertise. In this paper we introduce the novel concept of web assistants, human assistants working in an electronic web shop. This humancomputer cooperation provides intelligent and personal services via an integrated communication media. A prototype of a web assistant system has been implemented. While browsing through the system the user can call for human assistance should the need arise. We present the results of a usability study performed on our prototype system. The results are encouraging especially when it comes to the attitude aspects of usability. The subjects were extremely enthusiastic about the concept of web assistants and its implications.