Introduction to the special issue on design science

The rigorous application of design science in information and communications technology (ICT) research is growing rapidly and producing exciting results. The five papers published in this special issue reflect some of the most recent ideas and research projects in ICT design science research (DSR). This introduction begins with concise summaries of the published papers. We then reflect on three key design science issues, using the published papers to illustrate our views. The three issues are: (1) the nature of the artifacts/problems studied in DSR in ICT disciplines; (2) the research approaches that are used; and (3) the nature of the research contributions that are made. We explain why we believe that these issues are interdependent and why thinking about these three issues as a whole can support an improved understanding of the goals and processes of design science research.

[1]  Omar El Sawy,et al.  Building an Information System Design Theory for Vigilant EIS , 1992, Inf. Syst. Res..

[2]  Alan R. Hevner,et al.  Design Science in Information Systems Research , 2004, MIS Q..

[3]  Shirley Gregor,et al.  The Anatomy of a Design Theory , 2007, J. Assoc. Inf. Syst..

[4]  J. Aken.  Management Research as a Design Science: Articulating the Research Products of Mode 2 Knowledge Production in Management , 2005 .

[5]  Jörg Becker,et al.  Ontology-Driven Method Engineering for Information Systems Development , 2005 .

[6]  Michael Rosemann,et al.  Toward Improving the Relevance of Information Systems Research to Practice: The Role of Applicability Checks , 2008, MIS Q..

[7]  Juhani Iivari,et al.  A Paradigmatic Analysis of Information Systems As a Design Science , 2007, Scand. J. Inf. Syst..

[8]  Wil M. P. van der Aalst,et al.  A configurable reference modelling language , 2007, Inf. Syst..

[9]  Alan R. Hevner,et al.  Design Research in Information Systems: Theory and Practice , 2010 .

[10]  Salvatore T. March,et al.  Design and natural science research on information technology , 1995, Decis. Support Syst..

[11]  Les Gasser,et al.  A Design Theory for Systems That Support Emergent Knowledge Processes , 2002, MIS Q..

[12]  Samir Chatterjee,et al.  A Design Science Research Methodology for Information Systems Research , 2008 .

[13]  Wanda J. Orlikowski,et al.  Research Commentary: Desperately Seeking the "IT" in IT Research - A Call to Theorizing the IT Artifact , 2001, Inf. Syst. Res..

[14]  Vijay K. Vaishnavi,et al.  Design Science Research Methods and Patterns: Innovating Information and Communication Technology , 2007 .

[15]  Jay F. Nunamaker,et al.  Systems Development in Information Systems Research , 1990, J. Manag. Inf. Syst..

[16]  Jan Pries-Heje,et al.  Strategies for Design Science Research Evaluation , 2008, ECIS.

[17]  J. Aken.  Management Research Based on the Paradigm of the Design Sciences: The Quest for Field-Tested and Grounded Technological Rules , 2004 .