Design and natural science research on information technology
Decision Support Systems - Special issue on WITS '92
The sciences of the artificial (3rd ed.)
The sciences of the artificial (3rd ed.)
Information Systems Research
How does the design community think about design?
DIS '02 Proceedings of the 4th conference on Designing interactive systems: processes, practices, methods, and techniques
Web science: an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the web
Communications of the ACM - Web science
Design science in information systems research
MIS Quarterly
The nature of theory in information systems
MIS Quarterly
Criteria of progress for information systems design theories
Information Systems and e-Business Management
Theorizing in design science research
DESRIST'11 Proceedings of the 6th international conference on Service-oriented perspectives in design science research
Forms of reasoning in the design science research process
DESRIST'11 Proceedings of the 6th international conference on Service-oriented perspectives in design science research
Enhancing design science through empirical knowledge: framework and application
DESRIST'11 Proceedings of the 6th international conference on Service-oriented perspectives in design science research
Design science research and the core of information systems
DESRIST'12 Proceedings of the 7th international conference on Design Science Research in Information Systems: advances in theory and practice
DESRIST'12 Proceedings of the 7th international conference on Design Science Research in Information Systems: advances in theory and practice
Don't ignore the iceberg: timely revelation of justification in DSR
DESRIST'13 Proceedings of the 8th international conference on Design Science at the Intersection of Physical and Virtual Design
Information Systems and e-Business Management
| Hi-index | 0.00 |
This essay extends Simon's arguments in the Sciences of the Artificial to a critical examination of how theorizing in Information Technology disciplines should occur. The essay is framed around a number of fundamental questions that relate theorizing in the artificial sciences to the traditions of the philosophy of science. Theorizing in the artificial sciences is contrasted with theorizing in other branches of science and the applicability of the scientific method is questioned. The paper argues that theorizing should be considered in a holistic manner that links two modes of theorizing: an interior mode with the how of artifact construction studied and an exterior mode with the what of existing artifacts studied. Unlike some representations in the design science movement the paper argues that the study of artifacts once constructed can not be passed back uncritically to the methods of traditional science. Seven principles for creating knowledge in IT disciplines are derived: (i) artifact system centrality; (ii) artifact purposefulness; (iii) need for design theory; (iv) induction and abduction in theory building; (v) artifact construction as theory building; (vi) interior and exterior modes for theorizing; and (viii) issues with generality. The implicit claim is that consideration of these principles will improve knowledge creation and theorizing in design disciplines, for both design science researchers and also for researchers using more traditional methods. Further, attention to these principles should lead to the creation of more useful and relevant knowledge.