Introduction to the Digital and ICT Enabled Services Minitrack

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

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 p…

Cultural Values’ Influences on Users’ Preferences for Gamification Techniques

Gamification techniques such as badges, levels, roles, are widely adopted in information systems (IS). Though researchers have noted that cultural values may influence users' usage of IS, there is a lack of research regarding the relationship of cultural values and gamification techniques. Our study aims to contribute to this area. We propose that users' cultural values may influence how they are motivated and further influence their preferences toward specific gamification techniques. In this research in progress, we review cultural values, examine the currently adopted gamification techniques, and then propose how cultural values influence users' preferences toward specific gamification t…

Sociability in Virtual Reality

This study investigates sociability in the context of immersive Virtual Reality (VR). A Design Science Research process was applied, and three iterative development versions of a VR application were studied. Sociability around the technology was investigated with two theoretical perspectives: social presence and social interactions. The results of qualitative interviews and observations as well as a quantitative experiment are combined to make a proposal for four design principles enhancing the beneficial sociability of VR systems. These principles address the importance of ease-of-use and personalization in the activation of a customer, customer empowerment and emancipation through familia…

Responsible cognitive digital clones as decision-makers: A design science research study

This study uses a design science research methodology to develop and evaluate the Pi-Mind agent, an information technology artefact that acts as a responsible, resilient, ubiquitous cognitive clone – or a digital copy – and an autonomous representative of a human decision-maker. Pi-Mind agents can learn the decision-making capabilities of their “donors” in a specific training environment based on generative adversarial networks. A trained clone can be used by a decision-maker as an additional resource for one’s own cognitive enhancement, as an autonomous representative, or even as a replacement when appropriate. The assumption regarding this approach is as follows: when someone was forced t…

Building Strategic Partnerships for Value Co-Creation : A Conceptual Framework for Digital Service Organizations

In today’s competitive, fast-paced, and technology-driven markets, digital service organizations are increasingly forming strategic partnerships to transform their businesses, accelerate innovation opportunities, and offer customers enhanced value. How these partnerships should be built to enable value co-creation and strengthen collaboration between the partner organizations has thus become an important question for research and practice. This research develops a conceptual framework to explain value co-creation in strategic (digital service) partnerships and identifies its key enablers. We contribute to the literature by expanding our understanding of how value co-creation between partner…

Strategic Design Towards Platform Collaboration in The Newspaper Industry: A Design Science Research Study

The newspaper industry is challenged by unsustainable business models. To stabilize dwindling revenue streams, publishers opted for digital subscriptions as one avenue for generating additional revenue streams. Large publishers have indeed benefited from rising subscription numbers. However, smaller publishers are challenged to achieve the same results. Some of the root causes are high churn rates, adoption costs and lock-in effects of subscription services. News aggregator platforms may promise newspaper publishers a large pool of paying readers. But platform fees and the loss of direct customer relationships enact commercial barriers among publishers. This study proposes design science re…

Enabling Sociability When Using Virtual Reality Applications : A Design Science Research Approach

Immersive virtual reality applications aim at providing an all-encompassing spatial experience where a user can feel like being in another world or dimension. The systems are inherently designed for individual use as the devices disconnect the user from the physical environment. However, the applications are seldom used alone. Specifically, when used for sales and marketing, the user often needs help from other people but also benefits from social interaction as a part of the experience. Design research methodology is applied to three iterative development versions of a virtual-reality application. The focus of the evaluation of the artifacts is in the social use emphasizing three sociabili…

Introduction to the Minitrack on Advances in Design Science Research

Immersive Virtual Reality Education Application : Four Development Iterations along Design Science Research Methodology

This study introduces a research and development process of an immersive Virtual Reality (VR) education application. Altogether four application development iterations are showcased along the Design Science Research methodology. The results show how initial problems change and new problems occur during the course of a long-term DSR project with multiple iterations. Moreover, the study results confirm various previous findings, for example, that VR works better on higher learning levels such as application -level and personalization is a way to achieve this. In addition, 360 photos and videos were found to be easy and cost-efficient ways to increase personalization of VR applications. The re…

Evaluation of IS Curriculum Design : A Pilot Study using the California Critical Thinking Skills Test

A Research Agenda for Evaluating Strength of Internal Preferences and External Influences in Consumer Smartphone Switching

This article proposes a research agenda to study what causes consumers to switch smartphone manufacturer and operating system brands. International consumer survey is planned for data collection and structural equation modeling method will be used to extrapolate whether internal preferences play a larger role than external influences in consumers’ switching behavior. The effects are expected to be moderated by behavioral control, subjective uncertainty and prior switching experience and controlled with a set of constraint variables. As a theoretical contribution, we propose a new theory to evaluate switching primarily through the latent construct of magnitude of switch. Potential practical …

Three Stages of Consumers’ Multi-Stage Dichotomic Switching Process Pre-Switch, switch, and post-switch

This research examines why and how consumers switch their mobile phones. We propose a framework that is grounded on decision-making and motivational theories and draws on the findings from a multinational qualitative survey on consumers’ mobile phone switching process. We show that consumers’ pre-switching decisions are affected by push and pull factors, their mobile phone selections are based on utilitarian or hedonic values, and their justifications for switching are based on cognition or affect. Furthermore, we identify two archetypical routes (i.e., cognitive and affective routes) and three conjoint routes that explain the dichotomic switching processes in pre-switch, switch, and post-s…

Value Co-Destruction: A Conceptual Review and Future Research Agenda

The service-dominant (S-D) logic lens for understanding value co-creation and customers’ interactive roles in the service exchange has emerged as a focal theme of interest among service academics and practitioners. While recent investigations have also focused on the process of value co-destruction—that is, how potential negative outcomes occur—the concept and its distinction from value co-creation remain unclear. This conceptual review synthesizes the concept of value co-destruction and proposes a framework consisting of two interrelated dimensions—actor–actor interaction and individual actor —and their components at three temporal points of the service encounter. We distinguish value co-…

Introduction to the Minitrack on Digital Services and the Digitalization of Services

Supplemental Material - Value Co-Destruction: A Conceptual Review and Future Research Agenda

Supplemental Material for Value Co-Destruction: A Conceptual Review and Future Research Agenda by Juuli Lumivalo, Tuure Tuunanen, and Markus Salo in Journal of Service Research

sj-pdf-2-jsr-10.1177_10946705221082775 – Supplemental Material for Modular Service Design of Information Technology-Enabled Services

Supplemental Material, sj-pdf-2-jsr-10.1177_10946705221082775 for Modular Service Design of Information Technology-Enabled Services by Tuure Tuunanen, Markus Salo, and Feng Li in Journal of Service Research

Introduction to the Minitrack on Advances in Design Science Research

sj-pdf-1-jsr-10.1177_10946705221082775 – Supplemental Material for Modular Service Design of Information Technology-Enabled Services

Supplemental Material, sj-pdf-1-jsr-10.1177_10946705221082775 for Modular Service Design of Information Technology-Enabled Services by Tuure Tuunanen, Markus Salo, and Feng Li in Journal of Service Research

A Personal Values-Based Approach to Understanding Users’ Co-Creative and Co-Destructive Gaming Experiences in Augmented Reality Mobile Games

Background: Understanding how users evaluate their experiences has been recognized as being fundamental to designing services that meet the users’ needs and support the emergence of positive rather than negative value outcomes in service use. Still, the current literature does not explicitly describe how the users’value determination unfolds or how the levels of experienced value could be measured to support service design. We address this gap in the context of augmented reality (AR) mobile games by scrutinizing users’ personal values as a potential basis for achieving such an understanding. Method: Through a qualitative content analysis of 43 in-depth laddering interviews with active Pokém…

sj-pdf-1-jsr-10.1177_10946705221082775 – Supplemental Material for Modular Service Design of Information Technology-Enabled Services

Supplemental Material, sj-pdf-1-jsr-10.1177_10946705221082775 for Modular Service Design of Information Technology-Enabled Services by Tuure Tuunanen, Markus Salo, and Feng Li in Journal of Service Research

Balance of Hedonic and Utilitarian Values in Information Systems Use

This paper investigates the balance of hedonic and utilitarian values in information systems (IS). More specifically, we are interested in the continuum of such values in IS use. The paper reviews a set of literature to investigate the differences of hedonic and utilitarian IS and the role of hedonism in them. Furthermore, we define hedonic and utilitarian values in this context. We propose that the balance between hedonic and utilitarian values varies depending on the nature of the IS, and we present a conceptual model of hedonic and utilitarian values in IS use. The article provides an argument that the nature of the IS influences the balance of hedonic and utilitarian values that the IS …

sj-pdf-2-jsr-10.1177_10946705221082775 – Supplemental Material for Modular Service Design of Information Technology-Enabled Services

Supplemental Material, sj-pdf-2-jsr-10.1177_10946705221082775 for Modular Service Design of Information Technology-Enabled Services by Tuure Tuunanen, Markus Salo, and Feng Li in Journal of Service Research

Supplemental Material - Micro-Level Mechanisms to Support Value Co-Creation for Design of Digital Services

Supplemental Material for Micro-Level Mechanisms to Support Value Co-Creation for Design of Digital Services by Tuure Tuunanen, Juuli Lumivalo, Tero Vartiainen, Yixin Zhang, and Michael M. Myers in Journal of Service Research

Micro-Level Mechanisms to Support Value Co-Creation for Design of Digital Services

This study identifies micro-level value co-creation mechanisms that support the design of digital services. As services are now becoming digital—or at least digitally enabled—how to design digital services that enable value co-creation between a service provider and customers has become an increasingly important question. Our qualitative research study provides one answer to this question. Based on 113 in-depth laddering interviews analyzed using interpretive structural modeling, our study shows that value co-creation mechanisms differ between business-to-business and customer-to-customer digital service types. We identify five mechanisms to support value co-creation in the design of digit…

Domain Specific Case Tool for ICT-Enabled Service Design

One major problem in service design is the limited availability of information gathered during the development process. In particular, information on end-user requirements is difficult for designers, developers, and maintainers to access. Here, we provide a mechanism that supports the gathering and modeling of various types of information throughout the service and software development life cycle. As various existing tools focus on a particular part of the life cycle, essential information is not available, or it is more difficult to obtain in later stages. The linkage between information collected in the different stages is often lost. The implemented tool support enables the modeling of r…

Immersive Virtual Reality in Experiential Learning : A Value Co-creation and Co-destruction Approach

Immersive Virtual Reality (later VR) has its potential in enabling learning experiences. Several studies adopt experiential learning as a key concept to understand the outcomes of VR. This study consists of two parts – the first part conducts a systematic literature review on VR experiential learning and suggests seven main dimensions for the concept identified by the existing literature: engagement, sociability, contextual information, physical sensation, interactivity, cognitions, and presence. The second part adopts a value co-creation and co-destruction approach to empirically test the construction underlying VR experiential learning. The findings indicate 33 value co-creation and 19 va…

Introduction to the Minitrack on Digital and Cybernized Services