Measuring the satisfaction and loyalty for Chinese smartphone users: A simple symbol-based decision making method

User satisfaction and loyalty are very important in the mobile communications market because mobile is frequently updated. It is very necessary work that builds up a scientific assessment method to assist product in understanding and knowing well the trend of customers. This paper is intend to build up a scientific assessment method for measuring user satisfaction and loyalty. First, combining the group decision making and TOPSIS (technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution) technique, a theoretical framework of evaluation method is established. Second, the respondents are allowed to express their opinions by using some simple symbols or by leaving the lack of answers to some measurement questions, even whole questionnaire. Then the symbol information along with the nonresponses in questionnaires are fused into an intuitionistic fuzzy information. Third, the levels of user satisfaction are ranked based on TOPSIS technique and projection measure in an intuitionistic fuzzy environment. Finally, the theoretical and practical implications of current model are discussed, the important limitations are recognized and future research directions are suggested.