Design Science Research Methods and Patterns Innovating Information and Communication Technology Second Edition Design Science Research Methods and Patterns Innovating Information and Communication Technology Second Edition Vijay K. Vaishnavi Georgia State University William Kuechler, Jr. University of Nevada at Reno CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group 6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300 Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742 © 2015 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC CRC Press is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business No claim to original U.S. Government works Version Date: 20150402 International Standard Book Number-13: 978-1-4987-1526-3 (eBook - PDF) This book contains information obtained from authentic and highly regarded sources. Reasonable efforts have been made to publish reliable data and information, but the author and publisher cannot assume responsibility for the validity of all materials or the consequences of their use. 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Visit the Taylor & Francis Web site at http://www.taylorandfrancis.com and the CRC Press Web site at http://www.crcpress.com To my family for their love and support V.K.V. “The professional schools will reassume their professional responsibilities just to the degree that they can discover a science of design [design science], a body of i ntellectually tough, analytic, partly formalizable, partly empirical,  teachable  doctrine about the design process.” Herbert Simon Contents Foreword ...................................................................................................xxxv Preface ......................................................................................................xxxix 1 Introduction ...........................................................................................1 References ....................................................................................................5 Part I DESIGN SCIENCE rESEarCH MEtHODOLOGY 2 Introduction to Design Science Research in Information and Communication Technology ..................................................................9 Overview of Design Science Research ..........................................................9 Research .............................................................................................9 Design ..............................................................................................10 Design Science and DSR ..................................................................10 Can Design Be Research? .................................................................11 DSR versus Design Research ............................................................13 DSR versus Routine Design ..............................................................14 DSR Methodology .....................................................................................14 A DSR Process Model .......................................................................14 Awareness of Problem ..............................................................14 Suggestion ...............................................................................15 Development ...........................................................................16 Evaluation ...............................................................................16 Conclusion ..............................................................................17 Cognitive Processes Used in DSR .....................................................17 Other DSR Process Models ..............................................................18 Outputs of DSR .........................................................................................19 Theory in DSR .................................................................................22 Profile of a DT .........................................................................24 A Framework for Theory Development in DSR .......................25 Theory Development in DSR: A Brief Literature Review.........26 ix x ◾ Contents General Guidance on Expected Outputs from DSR .........................27 Example of Community-Determined Outputs .................................28 Philosophical Grounding of DSR ..............................................................30 An Example of ICT DSR ...........................................................................33 Smart Objects: A DSR Project ..........................................................33 Awareness of Problem ..............................................................33 Suggestion ..............................................................................34 Awareness of Problem Revisited ..............................................34 Development ...........................................................................35 Evaluation ...............................................................................35 Conclusion ..............................................................................36 Epilogue ..................................................................................36 References ..................................................................................................36 Appendix 2A A Design Science Research Bibliography ..............................39 General References on Design Science Research ...............................39 References on Philosophical Grounding of Design Science Research .......................................................................................40 References on Design Science Research Methodology ......................41 References on Understanding Design Science Research in the Context of Information Systems Research .......................................42 References on Theory and Theory Development in Design Science Research ..............................................................................44 References on Design and Design Science Research .........................45 3 Aggregate Design Science Research Cycle as a Perspective on the Evolution of Computing Communities of Interest ...............................49 Introduction ..............................................................................................49 Design Science Research Cycle ..................................................................51 Aggregate DSRC ........................................................................................52 Exercising the ADSRC Framework: Concept Mapping 25 Years of Database Research .....................................................................................53 Using the ADSRC to Explain Coordination between Diverse Groups .......54 Conclusion .................................................................................................55 References ..................................................................................................56 4 A Framework for Theory Development in Design Science Research: Multiple Perspectives ...........................................................59 Introduction ..............................................................................................59 Design Science Research in IS (DSR-IS) Defined ......................................60 A `Knowledge Representation Perspective on the Framework ...................64 Extending Knowledge Capture in DSR-IS: Alternative Approaches ..........67 Structure of the Remainder of the Chapter ................................................69 Mid-Range Theory in DSR-IS ...................................................................69