Design Science Research Process: A Model for Producing and Presenting Information Systems Research

TL;DR

This paper introduces a structured design science research process model for information systems, demonstrated through two case studies, aiming to standardize and promote DS research acceptance in IS.

Contribution

It develops a comprehensive DS research process model aligned with existing literature, facilitating research execution and presentation in IS.

Findings

The process includes six clear steps from problem identification to communication.

Demonstrated effectiveness through two practical case studies.

Potential to increase acceptance of DS research in the IS discipline.

Abstract

The authors design and demonstrate a process for carrying out design science (DS) research in information systems and demonstrate use of the process to conduct research in two case studies. Several IS researchers have pioneered the acceptance of DS research in IS, but in the last 15 years little DS research has been done within the discipline. The lack of a generally accepted process for DS research in IS may have contributed to this problem. We sought to design a design science research process (DSRP) model that would meet three objectives: it would be consistent with prior literature, it would provide a nominal process model for doing DS research, and it would provide a mental model for presenting and appreciating DS research in IS. The process includes six steps: problem identification and motivation, objectives for a solution, design and development, evaluation, and communication. We demonstrated the process by using it in this study and by presenting two case studies, one in IS planning to develop application ideas for mobile financial services and another in requirements engineering to specify feature requirements for a self service advertising design and sales system intended for wide audience end users. The process effectively satisfies the three objectives and has the potential to help aid the acceptance of DS research in the IS discipline.