Can Consumer Software Selection Code for Digital Cameras Improve Consumer Performance?

  • Authors:

  • A. L. Norman;M. Aberty;K. Brehm;M. Drake;S. Gour;C. Govil;B. Gu;J. Hart;G. El Kadiri;J. Ke;S. Keyburn;M. Kulkarni;N. Mehta;A. Robertson;J. Sanghai;V. Shah;J. Schieck;Y. Sivakumaran;J. Sussman;C. Tillmanns;K. Yan;F. Zahradnic

  • Affiliations:

  • Department of Economics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA 78712;Department of Economics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA 78712;Department of Economics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA 78712;Department of Economics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA 78712;Department of Economics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA 78712;Department of Economics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA 78712;Department of Economics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA 78712;Department of Economics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA 78712;Department of Economics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA 78712;Department of Economics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA 78712;Department of Economics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA 78712;Department of Economics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA 78712;Department of Economics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA 78712;Department of Economics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA 78712;Department of Economics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA 78712;Department of Economics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA 78712;Department of Economics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA 78712;Department of Economics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA 78712;Department of Economics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA 78712;Department of Economics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA 78712;Department of Economics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA 78712;Department of Economics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA 78712

  • Venue:
  • Computational Economics
  • Year:
  • 2008

Quantified Score

Hi-index 0.00

Visualization

Abstract

Forecasting the performance of products undergoing rapid technological change requires data and the knowledge to interpret that data. We surveyed students about one such product--digital cameras--and found that they lacked knowledge to interpret the data. To show that decision aids could improve their performance, we created a digital camera selection code that included an education module and in an experiment demonstrated its superiority to (1) the recommendations of sales clerks, (2) the recommendations of digital camera owners, and (3) the recommendations of subjects with Internet access, but without access to our code.