User Behavior and Decision Making: The role of decisional Guidance in Decision Support

The very nature of decision support systems (DSS) is to guide and support the user. Yet decisional guidance has surprisingly not dominated empirical DSS research. In this research we examine the role of decisional guidance in decision support. We postulate that the effect of decisional guidance on decision outcomes is mediated by the subjective experience of the user in interacting with the DSS. Furthermore we develop a theoretical and empirical analysis of the different role decisional guidance plays for users of different levels of domain expertise: novices and experienced (but not expert) practitioners. Using a purpose built experimental platform with 135 subjects we find the effects on decisional guidance on perceptions of the DSS and confidence in decision outcomes varies interactively between type of guidance (informative versus suggestive) and level of expertis