A Survey of Personal Productivity Software Use by Business Professionals

Abstract

This research investigated the adoption of software by persons in various professions, contrasting the use of graphical (GUI) versus non-graphical (CUI) software and the pattern of adoption in the State of Washington versus the remainder of the United States. Our hypotheses were that the profession of the user would influence the software type used and the preferred interface to the software. We also expected to find differences based on proximity to a major software publisher. Additionally, we wished to determine the skill level desired by software users, and whether the skill level varied based on the software interface. The rate of software updates was also examined with respect to the number of firm employees. Our findings are that accountants prefer CUI word processors while marketing and MIS professionals prefer GUI word processors. This pattern is reversed for spreadsheet software. Microsoft Word processing and database management software are more likely to be used in their home state. Additionally, employers expect a higher proficiency in GUI word processing software. We also found that as firms increase in size their propensity to upgrade to new software versions declines markedly.