February 9, 1999
written by Marketing Communications sponsored by Architecture contact: Barry Radler, radler@doit.wisc.edu Division of Information Technology University of Wisconsin - Madison
Due to the success of the 1998 UW Online Computing Survey, DoIT's Architecture group sponsored a follow-up study in 1999. As with last year, the Architecture group wished to know the extent to which seven types of software were being used on the UW-Madison campus. Marketing Communications again included some general use and marketing information. Specifically, the objectives of the survey were to:
The core responsibility of the 1999 UW Online Computing Survey was to examine the use of seven software applications, chosen on the basis of their popularity (derived from usage statistics from DoIT's past surveys), and their importance to Architecture's mission. These applications were: Internet browsers, email, word processors, spreadsheets, software suites, databases and calendaring programs. Because the software questions required considerable control over the question sequences, and since respondents were likely to be presented with long lists of software, a web survey was determined to be the best modality to accomplish the research objectives. This relatively new technique combines the control of a Computer Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) system with the ease and self-administration of a printed questionnaire. Results from the 1998 UW Online Computing Survey were very similar to those from DoIT's 1998 annual faculty/staff and student computing surveys, and online surveying was tentatively deemed accurate and valid. DoIT is currently conducting a methodological comparison between mail and web-based surveys which will tell us how the two methodologies differ, if at all.
View larger image
A random sample of approximately 2,000 UW students and 2,000 UW faculty/staff (overall N=3,987) was created from records provided by the UW-Madison Registrar and UW System Office of Budget Planning and Analysis. Only individuals whose records contained a preferred email address were included in the sample. Thirty-three percent of faculty/staff and 3% of students did not have a preferred email address on record with the University. These figures are similar to those from last year's sample. Sampled individuals were sent an email cover letter explaining the purpose of the survey and how to connect to the survey web site. The web site's Universal Resource Locator (URL) was listed in the email. While all respondents were referred to the same web site, each individual URL address had a unique random number attached to it. This ensured that only those respondents with the correct random number or "password" to access the site. This also operated as a check against respondents filling out the survey more than once since they were only given one "spot" that corresponded with their random number "password." An Access database recorded survey responses.
On initial emailing and two follow-up emails were sent to non-respondents from February 2 through February 12. The figure below shows the rate of response to the initial and follow-up emailings. The three mailings are indicated by vertical arrows under the appropriate dates. The survey was in the field for a total of 11 days. It took respondents an average 9.5 minutes to complete the survey.
Out of a non-redundant sample of 3,997, 170 email addresses were judged to be undeliverable. Of the remaining respondents, 1,142 completed the entire survey for a response rate of 29.8% and a margin of error +/- 2.9%. When looking at faculty/staff and students separately, the margin of error for each is +/- 3.6% and +/- 4.5%, respectively. Additionally, 90 respondents started the survey but did not complete it. These individuals are included in the analysis, but not in the calculation of this survey's response rate. Some of these "incomplete" individuals answered all questions except for the final two, arguably the most taxing ones of the questionnaire. The response rate to this year's survey represents a 45% increase over 1998's survey. We learned much surveying via the Web last year and it showed in this improvement in response rate.
There is little agreement among practitioners on the accuracy and appropriateness of using the web for surveying. However, two characteristics of the UW campus likely make it both an accurate and appropriate method. First of all, we know from prior paper and pencil surveys that virtually all faculty, staff, and students use the web and email. Secondly, we have a database or phonebook of email accounts from which we can draw samples from. The ability to draw a sample is what gives this data generalizability, which means that the survey's responses are likely representative of the whole UW-Madison population. But the web is a new technology for surveying and it does not hurt to compare the results of a web survey to a method with an established track record, such as a mail survey. The following tables compare general computer ownership and use data from DoIT's latest annual mail surveys with the results of this survey. True to prediction, data from the web survey appears slightly biased in favor of technology. It is possible that the differences reflect an actual increase in computer ownership among students, a trend well-documented in other DoIT research.
1999 Student Survey (unweighted)
1999 DoIT Web Survey Students
Computer ownership
78.0%
80.8%
Own desktop computer
84.6%
94.1%
1999 Faculty/Staff Survey (unweighted)
1999 DoIT Web Survey Faculty/staff
Due to the nature of the medium used for this survey and the specific content--particularly the software use questions--the number of respondents upon which percentages are calculated varies widely from question to question. Because of this, the number of respondents is included in each Table (n=500, for example) in the Frequency Runs section.
Respondents were often encouraged to respond to all relevant response options. In these cases column percentages will usually sum to more than 100. In the Frequencies and Analysis Runs section, these questions can be identified by the "check all that apply" instructions.
The percentage of students, faculty and staff who own a computer is about the same among the three (~82%). Virtually all faculty and staff queried (98%) have access to a computer at the UW. Laptop ownership is 17% of students and 20% of faculty /staff.
Students (84%) are more likely than faculty and staff (66%) to use Win95/98 on the computers they own. Faculty/staff (30%) are almost 3 times more likely than students (11%) to own a Mac. On UW computers Win95/98 continues to be the operating system of choice for computers used for faculty/staff (61%). About 31% of faculty/staff use Windows NT and 28% use Mac on UW computers.
When asked which of eight activities they engaged in while using computers almost all faculty/staff and students indicated they used them for work (99%) or school (99%), respectively (see figure below). "Browsing and information" (91%) and "communicating" (84%) were the most prevalent uses by far among the combined groups. There is also an apparent generational difference in use. More students than faculty or staff report using their computers for "shopping," "socializing" and "gaming," although the "shopping" statistic rose dramatically for both groups this year.
Activities Computers are Used for View larger image
Respondents were asked about their use of six types of software. Nearly all respondents indicated they regularly used a browser, email, and word processor. Far fewer used spreadsheets, software suites, databases, or calendaring programs. Student were much less likely to use the later four types. (see Question 12 and figure below).
Among the top three software applications, respondents were most likely to use Netscape as a browser (94%), Eudora as email (79%), and Microsoft Word as their word processor (81%). While Netscape and Eudora held substantial leads over the next closest competitors, WordPerfect was still used as a word processor by 26% of respondents.
Use of Eudora among faculty/staff (75%) and students (86%) was not equal. The second most-used email package was ccMail for faculty/staff (12%) and Microsoft Outlook for students (10%).
Microsoft Excel was the most popular spreadsheet (93%) and MeetingMaker the most popular calendaring software. Among all six software applications, the largest gap in use between faculty/staff (44%) and students (14%) existed for databases.
Advice and Purchasing
For advice on making hardware and software purchases, respondents overwhelmingly turn to colleagues, family and friends (77%). DoIT showroom staff were fourth most popular sources of advice with 28% after computer trade magazines (39%) and the World Wide Web (39%). Students are much more likely than faculty/staff to consult salespeople in stores while faculty/staff were much more likely than students to look for advice from DoIT's showroom staff. (see Question 18)
There were also large differences between faculty/staff, and students regarding their campus-area media use. Students were much more likely than faculty/staff to read The Daily Cardinal, The Badger Herald, and The Onion. Faculty were likely to read UW web sites and Wisconsin Week. Interestingly, a very small proportion of students indicated they read @wisconsin--a publication designed and distributed for them--yet almost three times as many faculty/staff read this publication. Additionally, students were much more likely to read IT than their "own" publication. (See Question 20) When asked how they prefer to receive news about computing at UW-Madison, 75% chose "email announcements," more than twice that of any other media.
Respondents somewhat split into two groups regarding how often they preferred to receive news. That is, one group of respondents (about 39%) want to receive UW-Madison computing information weekly or more, while another group (about45%) wish to receive this information every month or less.
Price, reputation of product and technical support were, in order, the most important factors in making hardware and software purchases. The following table shows the average importance ranks for all 10 factors. Note that a lower average rank indicates greater importance. There were differences between faculty/staff and students regarding their average importance rankings. (see Question 24)
Factors
Average Rank Overall (n=1094)
Reasonable price
2.7
Reputation of product
3.4
Quality of technical support
4.6
Reputation of seller
5.1
Knowledgeable sales staff
5.2
Wide selection
6.0
Product/service available in one place
6.6
Quick delivery
6.7
Able to try products before purchase
Convenient location
7.0
When respondents were asked to choose one company they associate with each of the above factors, analysis showed that DoIT was consistently associated with "technical support" and "knowledgeable sales staff." Referring to the table above, the reader can see that these two attributes were ranked 3rd and 5th in importance by respondents. Comparison with last year's perceptual map shows little overall change regarding which factors respondents associate with DoIT and its competitors. (See Questions 23 and 24)
This section presents the frequency counts, in percentages, for the questions asked on the survey. Each question appears in the same sequence as it did on the actual survey. There are three separate subsections, organized by content. The first subsection presents computer ownership and use questions, the second the software use information sought by Architecture, and the third sales and marketing data. More in-depth market analysis is performed on the last two questions of the third section
Within this section respondents were asked different questions depending on how they classified themselves in Question 1. Questions 5, 6, and 7 were asked of faculty and staff only . Question 8 was only asked of undergraduate and graduate students. All of these questions and their Tables clearly indicate the relevant audience.
1. What is your classification?
Students had a lower response rate than did faculty and staff. Out of a sample of approximately 2,000 each, 453 students responded (22.7% response rate), compared with 689 of faculty and staff (34.4% response rate) . It's worthy to note that while our overall response rate increased by 45% over last year, the improvement was more substantial for students (54% improvement) than for faculty and staff (33% improvement).
n
%
1. Undergraduate student
326
26.6%
152
12.4%
275
22.5%
4. Academic staff
a. Instructional
38
3.1%
b. Non-instructional
283
23.1%
5. Faculty
a. Tenured
112
9.2%
b. Non-tenured
2. Do you own a computer?
Computer ownership increased from last year's data. Increasing computer ownership is a trend noted in other DoIT research as well.
1998
1999
Faculty/Staff (n=746)
75.4%
82.8%
Students (n=478)
72.6%
3. How many of each kind of computer do you own? What brand is/are your computer(s). [Check all that apply]
The majority of faculty/staff computer owners only own one computer, but about 39% own more than one. Only about 10% of student computer owners own more than one computer.
Faculty/Staff
Students
Average #
% of Computer Owners
Desktop
1.8
95.9%
1.1
Laptop
1.2
26.1%
20.7%
Macintosh desktop and laptop computers appear much more popular among faculty/staff than students. Another notable difference between the two groups is the propensity of students to own more desktop and laptop Compaqs than faculty, possibly indicating that more students have bought their desktops through DoIT. Note also that fac/staff percentages are larger than students' among most brands. This is likely because fac/staff are more likely than students to own more than one computer (see table above). Faculty and staff are more likely to own Dell and Gateway laptops than students.
Desktop Computers
Faculty/Staff (n=570)
Students (n=334)
Macintosh
29.8%
12.0%
Dell
13.9%
10.2%
Gateway
16.5%
13.8%
IBM
12.8%
Compaq
7.4%
12.6%
Hewlett Packard/ Packard Bell
10.0%
12.3%
Omnitech
0.7%
0%
Micron
3.0%
2.7%
Other
31.4%
32.0%
Laptop Computers
Faculty/Staff (n=164)
Students (n=80)
29.9%
16.3%
11.0%
8.8%
11.6%
3.8%
10.4%
5.5%
11.3%
3.7%
2.5%
5.0%
32.3%
47.5%
4. What operating systems are on the computers you own? [Check all that apply]
Faculty and staff appear to be the Macintosh stalwarts on campus while the vast majority of students have migrated to Windows 95/98 platforms. Linux has a strong toehold on the campus market as well, with more users than either Unix or OS/2. About as many students use Linux as Windows NT.
5. FACULTY/STAFF ONLY Do you have access to a computer at UW-Madison?
Faculty/Staff (n=734)
Yes
98.2%
6. FACULTY/STAFF ONLY How many of each kind of computer do you regularly use at UW-Madison? What brand is/are your computer(s) you regularly use at UW-Madison? [Check all that apply]
Slightly less than a third of faculty/staff use Macs at work, about the same amount who own them at home. Thirty-nine percent of faculty and staff have access to more than one desktop computer at the UW, while about 17% have access to more than one laptop. Dell and Gateway are by far the most popular PC brands on desktops, while Dell and IBM are the most popular brands of laptops.
2.5
95.0%
42.4%
Faculty/Staff (n=661)
29.2%
30.4%
22.4%
12.1%
0.6%
Hewlett Packard/Packard Bell
3.2%
4.8%
29.3%
Faculty/Staff (n=128)
28.9%
21.1%
9.4%
16.4%
0.8%
2.3%
7.0%
12.5%
7. FACULTY/STAFF ONLY Which operating systems are on the computer(s) you use at UW-Madison? [Check all that apply]
Most notable in the following table is the relatively large percentage of faculty and staff who use Windows NT at the UW. This is a considerably higher percentage than seen on any prior DoIT research.
Faculty/Staff (n=708)
27.5%
OS/2
4.1%
Unix
Linux
3.5%
Windows 3.x
8.3%
Windows 95/98
60.9%
Win NT
30.6%
2.8%
8. STUDENTS ONLY Overall, which operating system have you most frequently used since the beginning of fall semester (September 1, 1998)?
Windows 95/98 was the most frequently used operating system among students this past semester, and almost as many of them used Windows NT as Mac.
Students (n=474)
10.8%
0.4%
1.3%
2.1%
73.6%
9.3%
0.2%
9. What activities do you use a computer for? [Check all that apply]
The table below mirrors the results of last year's survey with one notable exception. The "generation gaps" between faculty/staff and students still exist in "shopping," "socializing" and "gaming," but the amount of both groups using a computer for "shopping" jumped substantially this year, and faculty and staff closed the gap between themselves and students.
Faculty/Staff (n=726)
Browsing/information/reference
90.2%
91.1%
Communicating
84.0%
85.0%
Work-related
99.2%
47.0%
School-related
23.8%
99.6%
Shopping
30.6% (17.7% last year)
38.2% (25.8% last year)
Gaming
22.3%
40.1%
Socializing
20.4%
39.2%
Financial/Banking
34.3%
23.0%
Creative/Artistic
20.8%
21.7%
10. FACULTY/STAFF ONLY Do you make the final decision regarding what software is on the computer(s) you use at UW-Madison?
Faculty/Staff (n=720)
38.8%
No
51.5%
Don't know
1.5%
8.2%
11. FACULTY/STAFF ONLY Would you prefer to purchase your own combination of desktop software applications, or would you prefer to purchase them as a suite?
Faculty/Staff (n=715)
Choose my own combination of desktop applications
48.5%
Purchase them as a suite
23.4%
28.1%
Overall, nearly half of faculty and staff would prefer to choose their own combination of desktop applications, yet when this figure is broken down by the respondent's purchasing responsibility we see that a majority of those who do make the final decision over their software would prefer to choose their own combination of applications. This compares to only 37% of individuals who do not make the final decision over what software is on their computer. In fact, an even larger proportion of these individuals (39%) say they don't know what option they prefer.
Would you prefer to purchase your own combination of desktop software applications, or would you prefer to purchase them as a suite?
Do you make the final decision regarding what software is on the computer(s) you use at UW-Madison?
Choose my own
62.6%
37.3%
Purchase suite
21.9%
24.0%
15.5%
38.7%
There was substantial question "branching" among the questions in this section. Branching means that choices respondents made on one question determined which question they were presented with next. For instance, if a respondent indicated that he or she used an Internet browser they were then asked to choose what brand browser they used. Based on
this response the respondent was then asked which particular version of this software he or she used. One result of this method is that fewer individuals answer each subsequent question as they self-select themselves out of that particular line of questioning (e.g., they don't use databases). As with the rest of this report, "n's" are reported in each table. The reader should be aware of the number of respondents before interpreting the percentages in each table.
12. Which of the following computer software do you regularly use for work- or school-related computing? [Check all that apply]
While equal percentages of faculty/staff and student use browsers, email and word processors, faculty and staff are more likely than students to use all of the other four types of software.
13. Which Internet browsers do you regularly use for work- or school-related computing? [Check all that apply ]
There is nothing too surprising in the next three tables, with Netscape Navigator claiming the lion's share of the browser market. The versions of Navigator and IE that people use tend to be newer. Mac users account for a large proportion of IE users.
13a. What version of Netscape do you regularly use for work- or school-related computing? [Check all that apply ]
Faculty/Staff (n=664)
Students (n=426)
Netscape Navigator 1.x Mac
Netscape Navigator 1.x Unix
Netscape Navigator 1.x Win
0.5%
0.9%
Netscape Navigator 2.x Mac
1.7%
1.6%
Netscape Navigator 2.x Unix
Netscape Navigator 2.x Win
2.0%
1.9%
Netscape Navigator 3.x Mac
Netscape Navigator 3.x Unix
Netscape Navigator 3.x Win
19.9%
14.1%
Netscape Navigator 4.x Mac
17.6%
Netscape Navigator 4.x Win
50.2%
56.1%
DON'T KNOW
15.1%
20.2%
13b. What version of Internet Explorer do you regularly use for work- or school-related computing? [Check all that apply ]
Faculty/Staff (n=130)
Students (n=103)
Microsoft Internet Explorer 1.x Win
Microsoft Internet Explorer 2.x Mac
Microsoft Internet Explorer 2.x Win
Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.x Mac
Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.x Win
8.7%
Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.x Mac
65.4%
67.0%
Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.x Win
16.2%
23.3%
11.5%
3.9%
14. Which Email packages do you regularly use for work- or school-related computing? [Check all that apply ]
Eudora is by far the most popular email program among faculty, staff and students. ccMail and Microsoft Outlook are the second most popular email program among faculty/staff and students, respectively.
15. Which word processors do you regularly use for work- or school-related computing? [Check all that apply ]
Word is the dominant word processor on campus, while faculty/staff are much more likely than students to use WordPerfect.
15a. What version(s) of Word do you regularly use for work- or school-related computing? [Check all that apply ]
Faculty/Staff (n=523)
Students (n=391)
Word 5.1 Mac
7.3%
Word 6.0 Win
10.5%
Word 6.0.1 Mac
12.2%
5.9%
Word 7.0 Win95
16.1%
Word 97 Win95/98/NT
57.4%
62.7%
Word 98 Mac
13.4%
6.9%
8.4%
15b. What version(s) of WordPerfect do you regularly use for work- or school-related computing? [Check all that apply ]
Faculty/Staff (n=215)
Students (n=63)
WordPerfect 4.x DOS
WordPerfect 5.2 Win
4.7%
WordPerfect 5.2 WinServer
WordPerfect 6.0c DOS
WordPerfect 6.1 DOS
WordPerfect Office 6.1 Win
25.6%
15.9%
WordPerfect 7 Win95
26.0%
25.4%
WordPerfect 8 Win95/98/NT
55.6%
9.5%
16. Which of the following spreadsheets do you regularly use for work- or school-related computing? [Check all that apply]
The UW campus is an overwhelmingly Microsoft one when it comes to spreadsheet use. Other notables mentions are the fact that students were much more likely than faculty/staff to choose "don't know" when asked what version of Lotus 1-2-3 they used. It is possible that this is a design flaw; students' version of 1-2-3 might not have been listed. And because there was no write-in option, they chose "don't know." 1-2-3 users also tend to have older versions of their software than either Excel or Quattro Pro
16a. What version(s) of Excel do you regularly use for work- or school-related computing? [Check all that apply ]
Faculty/Staff (n=454)
Students (n=205)
Excel 4.0 Mac
1.0%
Excel 4.0 Win
1.8%
Excel 5.0 Mac
8.1%
4.4%
Excel 5.0 Win
7.9%
Excel 7.0 Win95
Excel 97 Win95/98/NT
58.4%
63.4%
Excel 98 Mac
7.7%
11.7%
16b. What version of Lotus 1-2-3, Improv or Symphony do you regularly use for work- or school-related computing? [Check all that apply ]
Faculty/Staff (n=28)
Students (n=13)
1-2-3 3.4 DOS
10.7%
1-2-3 4.0 DOS
1-2-3 5.0 Win
35.7%
30.8%
1-2-3 97 Win95/98/NT
15.4%
1-2-3 Millennium
3.6%
38.5%
16c. What version of Quattro Pro do you regularly use for work- or school-related computing? [Check all that apply ]
Faculty/Staff (n=38)
Students (n=12)
Quattro Pro 5.0 DOS
13.2%
Quattro Pro 6.0 Win
50.0%
Quattro Pro 8.0 Win95/98/NT
57.9%
58.3%
17. Which of the following calendars do you regularly use for work- or school-related computing? [Check all that apply]
Among faculty and staff, MeetingMaker was the most popular listed response option. Outlook also held considerable share among this very fragmented market. Only a handful of students said they used calendaring software and among these Outlook was the most popular brand.
18. Where do you look for advice before purchasing computing hardware and software for work, home or school? [Check all that apply]
Colleagues/friends/family is the primary source for computing advice. Other DoIT research strongly supports the finding that people overwhelmingly turn to friends and family for advice on making computing purchases. Among a few sources of advice, faculty/staff and students did differ significantly on where they turn for advice: faculty/staff are more likely to turn to DoIT showroom staff and students are more likely to turn to salespeople in stores.
Faculty/Staff (n=686)
Students (n=452)
Colleagues/Friends/Family
73.9%
Computer trade journals/Magazines
41.7%
35.6%
World Wide Web/Internet
37.8%
39.8%
DoIT's showroom staff
37.2%
13.1%
Salespeople in stores
15.6%
Academic journals
2.6%
DoIT's architecture staff
6.6%
19. During which of the following months did you purchase your last computer?
The most striking thing about the table below is the 36% of students who bought their last computer during the summer months. While large percentages from both groups did not know when they purchased their last computer, more faculty/staff bought their last computer during the fall. Nothing in the table, though, rivals the 36% figure for students.
Faculty/Staff (n=656)
Students (n=423)
January through March
20.3%
14.7%
April through June
11.9%
8.5%
July through September
17.4%
35.9%
October through December
25.8%
18.2%
24.7%
22.7%
20. What campus-area media do you read? [Check all that apply]
The table below shows that students are much more likely than faculty/staff to read the student dailies and The Onion. Faculty and staff, on the other hand, are more likely to read Desktop Journal, IT, Wisconsin Week, The Isthmus and @wisconsin. Faculty/staff readership of @wisconsin is puzzling considering that a paucity of its intended audience (students) report reading it. Also puzzling is that so many more students read IT than their "own" publication, @wisconsin. One explanation may be that IT is more closely associated with computing due to its name, while @wisconsin may be to vague a description. This is somewhat born out by the fact both IT and @wisconsin have links on the same homepage, yet students ignore @wisconsin and click on IT.
Faculty/Staff (n=654)
Students (n=446)
The Daily Cardinal
41.9%
The Badger Herald
28.0%
77.1%
Desktop Journal
10.9%
6.5%
IT Web
Print
10.6%
3.4%
Wisconsin Week Web
13.6%
76.3%
1.1%
@wisconsin Web
2.9%
8.6%
The Onion Web
34.4%
5.6%
71.1%
Isthmus Web
73.2%
43.9%
21. How do you prefer to receive news about UW-Madison computing issues? [Check all that apply]
Faculty/Staff (n=688)
Students (n=458)
Printed newsletter
32.4%
21.4%
Email
74.0%
76.6%
World Wide Web/Internet site
28.6%
22. How often do you want to receive news about UW-Madison computing issues?
There is a large contingent of respondents who would prefer to receive computing news monthly or every other month. About a fifth of both groups prefer to receive this news as often as it occurs.
Faculty/Staff (n=670)
Students (n=431)
As often as it occurs
22.2%
21.3%
Weekly
14.2%
Every other week
17.2%
Monthly
36.1%
Every other month
7.6%
23. Thinking about your work- or school-related computing purchases, please indicate which retailer you most associate with each of the following factors.
24. Below is a list of factors that can describe the experience of buying computer hardware and software. Please rank order the following factors from most important (1) to least important (10) as they apply when you make computer hardware and software purchases.
Data from the last two questions of the survey were designed to be included in a correspondence analysis. First, averages were computed for each factor in question 24. The following table presents the average ranks for each factor for both faculty/staff and students. A lower average rank indicates its greater importance to the respondent when making computer hardware and software purchases. For instance, "reasonable price" has the lowest average rank for both faculty/staff (2.8) and student (2.6) groups. These data are best utilized in conjunction with the perceptual map below.
Table 28
Average Rank
Significantly different
2.8
2.6
3.3
3.6
Technical support
4.3
4.9
5.0
5.6
6.4
7.1
_
Below is a perceptual map, the result of performing a correspondence analysis on the data in Question 23. Correspondence analysis is an exploratory data analysis technique for the graphical display of crosstab tables and categorical data. The multivariate nature of correspondence analysis and its resultant map show relationships between variables that are not readily apparent from standard methods of analysis. This technique is often used for positioning studies because it shows howvariables are related, not just that they are related.
The computer retailers featured in Question 23 are represented in this graph as circles. The ten factors or attributes which individuals were to associate with one company are represented as diamonds. The reader can see which computer retailers are associated with particular attributes by looking at the distances between a company and an attribute. For illustrative purposes there is a circle around DoIT in both maps below. We can see that DoIT is most closely associated with "knowledgeable sales staff," "technical support," and "product and service available in one location." Gateway and Dell are associated with "seller reputation" and "product reputation," respectively. Best Buy and CompUSA are associated with "reasonable price," "quick delivery" and "wide selection." And lastly, the UBS Digital Outpost is associated with "convenient location," not surprising considering its location at the corner of State and Lake Streets.
The rank order data listed in the table above is represented in this map as the size of the triangles; the larger the triangle the more important it is, according to respondents. Thus, we can see that "reasonable price" is the most important factor, "product reputation" is the second most important factor, and so on, all the way to "convenient location," the least important factor. This information adds a dimension to the map by emphasizing how important an associated factor is, not just that it is associated with a particular retailer.