A new twist on an old method

A review of the Information Systems literature reveals that experiments are employed infrequently by IS researchers. Further, there is some evidence that the use of experiments is not increasing and may, in fact, be declining. A relatively new approach, the Web experiment, is introduced as a tool for Information Systems researchers to take advantage of the benefits of experimental methods, while avoiding some of the costs. A Web experiment resides on a Web site and can be accessed online through a browser. The experiment includes one or more independent variables that are dynamically manipulated through the Web. Subjects are typically remote from the experimenter and are free to complete the experiment at a time and place of their choosing. The strengths and weaknesses of Web experiments are explored.