Application of Multilevel Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process Assessment on the Performance Quality Evaluation of Websites

Abstract

Websites are mainly used as a virtual image and promotional platform of the organization that display all information and services given by them. There is a necessity for successive monitoring of the condition of the website to give a strong Internet-based information delivery and communication to the community, while performance quality is a good indicator to find out where the specific website is on the web, how good the content is and how it relates to the other parties. Moreover, high performance creates a strong and positive corporate image on the Internet and to convert it to attract visitors to the website and to encourage them to return. Building on this need, this paper engages in a scientific discussion on feasibility of an intelligent, fuzzy preference, and multicriteria decision making framework integrating with Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) to evaluate the performance quality of websites, which include various multidimensional technological and logical factors. The study conducted an extensive literature review of academic journals, conference proceedings, and web documents along with discussions with experts to identify the criteria that affect the performance of a website and how to measure these criteria. The framework for evaluating performance of websites was developed based on the fuzzy AHP technique, while research into the mathematics underlying the fuzzy theories and AHP was carried out using books and studies published as research papers. A case application shows the applicability of this framework in providing a valuable tool in the performance quality evaluation process in websites. It is expected that this approach may provide an effective, scientific, and objective measure to evaluate the performance in websites. Additionally, this study proposes a systematic framework of the fuzzy approach in the group decision-making environment. The proposed framework can be used for organizations to examine the strengths and weakness points of their websites and to have an ability to maintain a user friendly and informative website. Applying this framework also can help to get an accurate solution with a high degree of consensus.