Design Theory and Research

Track Chairs

Jacky Akoka, CNAM Paris (France)
Michel Avital, University of Amsterdam (Netherlands)

http://www.unice.fr/icis2008/step1/themeTracks.html 

Track Description

Design has long been an underlying theme in the study of information systems. Yet, until recently, the term design has been used primarily to denote the activity of creating technical artifacts, especially software applications. Most design concepts, models, and methods are treated in this limited context of technically designed systems with social consequences. In this track we encourage a much broader view of design that refers to a set of situated practices which yield alternative socio-technical and cognitive-based futures by shaping social, physical, semiotic and technological environments via intentional IS-oriented design acts. This view treats IS design as an inclusive, open-ended process (and not as a concrete outcome or a finite object) where interactions and boundary processes between different IS-related realms are the focus of interest. Accordingly, we understand the term design in the IS context as including a design attitude that purposefully seeks to shape our cognitive, semiotic, social or physical environments. Through interaction with and reconfiguration of technical artifacts these aspects of an IS environment function as agents of change and carriers of situated discourse. The conference theme, Ethics, Design and Consequence of Information Technologies, calls for a broad, inclusive view of IS scholarship that aspires to promote positive social impact and suggests ways of using information technology for fulfilling human ideals. Developing a design attitude in IS research that involves both social and technical elements has the potential to foster betterment for all levels of human organizations and communities. Extending IS scholarship beyond the traditional boundaries of design science allows us to ask legitimately not only how things work “mechanically” and how to engineer them well based on first principles, but also to ask what we should do to make it work in other realms, and why we ought to do it at all. The design stance in this broader conception is action-oriented towards seeking betterment of activities, practices and social systems.

Associate Editors

• Mark Aakhus, Rutgers University, USA
• Joan van Aken, Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands
• Said Assar, Institut TELECOM, France
• Mike Chiason, Lancaster University, UK
• Isabelle Comyn-Wattiau, CNAM Paris, France
• Kevin Crowston, Syracuse University, USA
• Jan Dietz, Delft University of Technology, Netherlands
• Ola Henfridsson, Viktoria Institute, Sweden
• Alan Hevner, University of South Florida, USA
• Ard Huizing, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Julie Kendall, Rutgers University, USA
• Jeffrey Parsons, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada
• Oscar Pastor, Universitat Politècnica de Valencia, Spain
• Geert Poels, University of Gent, Belgium
• Nicolas Prat, ESSEC, France
• Steve Sawyer, Penn State University, USA
• Ulrike Schultze, Southern Methodist University, USA
• Carsten Sørensen, London School of Economics, UK
• Erik Stolterman, Indiana University Bloomington, USA
• Veda Storey, Georgia State University, USA
• Bernhard Thalheim, Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel, Germany
• Tuure Tuunanen, University of Auckland, New Zealand
• John Venable, Curtin University of Technology, Australia
• Volker Wulf, University of Siegen, Germany