Rethinking design theory in information systems

Abstract

Design Theory has been written about extensively in Information Systems (IS), but remains heavily problematic. Some researchers explicitly exclude design theory as an outcome of Design Science Research (DSR), others disagree about the form and purpose of design theories, many consider design theories to be too complicated to construct, some journal editors and researchers give low priority to design theory, and very few DSR publications propose design theories. This paper reviews and critically examines the IS literature on design theories, the nature of technological design artefacts compared to phenomena in the natural, biological, and social domains, and whether design theory is 'prescriptive' or 'explanatory'. Using a DSR approach, the paper makes recommendations concerning the form and use of design theory, in order to move toward a resolution of the disagreements about design theory and progress the development of clearer and more useful formalisations of knowledge for practical use. © 2013 Springer-Verlag.