Perceived Software Platform Openness: The Scale and its Impact on Developer Satisfaction

Application developers are of growing importance to ensure that software platforms (e.g. Facebook, Android) gain or maintain a competitive edge. However, despite calls for research to investigate developers’ perspective on platform-centric ecosystems, no research study has been dedicated to identifying the facets that constitute developers’ perception of platform openness. In this paper, we develop a scale of platform openness as perceived by third-party application developers. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods, we conceptualize perceived platform openness as a second-order construct. Empirical evidence from a survey of Android application developers (N=254) support this construct’s validity. Furthermore, we identify perceived platform openness as a major driver of complementors’ overall satisfaction with the platform. Our study thus contributes to a better understanding of platform openness in particular and the management of platform-centric ecosystems in general.