Status Quo, Critical Reflection and Road Ahead of Digital Nudging in Information Systems Research -- A Discussion with Markus Weinmann and Alexey Voinov

TL;DR

This paper reviews the current state of Digital Nudging in Information Systems, critically reflects on its challenges, and suggests future research directions emphasizing design principles and practical implementation issues.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive literature review, expert insights, and highlights the gap between theoretical understanding and practical application of Digital Nudging in IS.

Findings

Identifies a gap between Digital Nudging theory and practice.

Highlights inherent challenges related to individual welfare in Nudging.

Suggests adopting a Design Science approach for future Digital Nudging research.

Abstract

Research on Digital Nudging has become increasingly popular in the Information Systems (IS) community. This paper presents an overview of the current progress, a critical reflection and an outlook to further research regarding Digital Nudging in IS. For this purpose, we conducted a comprehensive literature review as well as an interview with Markus Weinmann from Rotterdam School of Management at Erasmus University, one of the first scholars who introduced Digital Nudging to the IS community, and Alexey Voinov, director of the Centre on Persuasive Systems for Wise Adaptive Living at University of Technology Sydney. The findings uncover a gap between what we know about what constitutes Digital Nudging and how consequent requirements can actually be put into practice. In this context, the original concept of Nudging bears inherent challenges, e.g. regarding the focus on the individuals' welfare, which hence also apply to Digital Nudging. Moreover, we need a better understanding of how Nudging in digital choice environments differs from that in the offline world. To further distinguish itself from other disciplines that already tested various nudges in many different domains, Digital Nudging Research in IS may benefit from a strong Design Science perspective, going beyond the test of effectiveness and providing specific design principles for the different types of digital nudges.