ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we discuss a specific approach to design research that is characterized in the information systems discipline as ‘design science research’ (March et al. 1995). Design science research is a generative mode of research in the sense that scientific discoveries are developed through the design and creation of artefacts, that is, models, maps, plans and rules to inform, for example, organizational change, and the evaluation of these artefacts under practical use. Design scientists learn by designing these artefacts and positioning them in the real world, studying their impact on the world. Because the nature of design is action oriented (form and design indicate function and how we might use an artefact), design science operates with prescriptive rather than descriptive theories. Such theories often relate a class of design problems to a general design solution.
