Limitations and Future Research

The research described in this chapter has a couple of limitations worth noting. First and foremost, the data are based on a single experiment, with a specific type of search task and a limited range of interface designs. While this is not a concern for the basic finding that skill acquisition leads to a preference for the incumbent, as this finding has been replicated in a number of other domains with a variety of tasks (see for example, Johnson et al., 2003; Murray and H ubl, 2002), additional tests of the effect of skill acquisition on consumers' perceptions are warranted. In addition, this study focused on a relatively select set of simple measures of consumers' perceptions. Other perceptual measures and/ or more in-depth measures (e.g., multi-item scales ) would add to our understanding in this area.

In terms of future research, an interesting extension of this work is the impact of interface personalization on both consumers' learning curves and the formation of preferences over time (see for example, H ubl et al., 2004). Given the important role that ease of use plays in effective Web site design (Nielsen, 2000) and consumers' choice of interfaces (Murray and H ubl, 2002), it seems clear that personalization has the potential to enhance the ability of Web sites to lock buyers in. In addition, human capital theorists (e.g., Ratchford, 2001) have laid out a number of variables that could play an important role in moderating the impact of skill acquisition on preference. These include, but are not limited to, the value the consumer places on his/her time, the complexity of the consumption task (i.e., the amount of learning required to successfully complete the task), the generalizability of acquired skills, and the degree to which consumers are forward looking. Finally, the majority of research to date has focused on skill acquisition for utilitarian purposes, such as finding a specific product or searching out particular pieces of information or making a purchase online. However, computer interfaces are used for hedonic purposes as well. An interesting question in this regard is what role skill acquisition plays in determining the interface choices people make when their goals are hedonic rather than utilitarian .