Narrativization in Information Systems Development

Abstract

People see the world and convey their perception of it with narratives. In an information system context, stories are told and collected when the systems are developed. Requirements elicitation is largely dependent on communication between systems designers and users. Thus, stories have a significant impact on conceptualizing future users' needs. This paper presents a literature review on how stories and narratives have been considered in central IS literature. Narrative-theoretical parameters are used as a lens to analyze the literature. This shows that explicit discussion is non-existent, and the characteristics are considered partially. The result is a biased and narrow understanding of the informants' needs and wishes. This may be significant in the requirements because narratives are not as simple a form of communication as is usually assumed. It is proposed that better understanding narratives would equip systems analysts with an in-depth understanding about the nuances inherent in communication when communicating with users.