Notes

Outline

Affective Information Systems: Contributions  to IS from Design Research Dr. Terence Love

Presentation Part1: Connections between IS/MIS and Design Research Part 2: Meta-theoretical relationships Part 3: Affective cognition and implications for IS/MIS

Design Research Design Research is undertaken in three areas: The human activity of designing Problems and designs for solutions Improved processes and methodologies for designing

Benefits of Design Research Enormous commercial benefits in relation to innovation and new  product development Essential element for the avoidance of costly mistakes in change processes. Significant efficiency improvements in problem solving processes Help for addressing complex situations Provides significant insights into many human  activities and processes

Relationship between IS/MIS & Design Research Design Research contains the main body of knowledge about designing Designing is more significant in IS/MIS than usually recognised IS and Design Research are complementary

Some definitions ‘Design’ – (noun) a specification for making an artefact (inc system, theory etc) ‘Designing’ – (verb) non-routine human internal activity leading to production of a design ‘Designer’ – a person designing ‘Design process’ – any process that includes one or more acts of designing

Designing as a human activity Foundation of all design research Includes affective aspects of cognition Designing is emerging as a primary human activity alongside thinking and feeling Epistemologically difficult – brain research  is resolving many of the theory conflicts Cannot be described in terms of problem and designs for solutions

Research into methodologies More than 50 years of research by international Design Methods Movement Outcomes: hundreds of methodologies and models of design processes targeting specific non-routine scenarios across a very large number of sub-disciplines Support for management of design processes – a huge area (see definition of designing)

Problems & designs for solutions Problems: types of problems, formalising characteristics e.g. TRIZ Designs: types of designs, characterisitics of designed outcomes, how people interact with particular artefacts, how designs for artefacts fit together Relationship between problems & designs for solutions: automating the creation of designs. Good success in some areas, especially ‘pure’ technology / informatic situations.

Designing and IS/MIS Designing information systems & associated Business plans/cases Characteristics of information system problems and designs for solutions IS design processes and methodologies Managing designing & design processes in IS/MIS Designers in IS/MIS scenarios

Designers in IS/MIS scenarios Information System designers Business designers (directors) Product designers Organisational designers Marketing/advertising program designers Document designers (inc web) Human interface/ communication designers Manufacturing designers Managers of processes involving designers Customers as designers

Customers as designers Customers design their lives using the products of others Customers participate in designing products (participative design processes/market research) Marketing/advertising/sales activities are processes of managing customer’s designing and design processes Understanding customers’ designing is important Design Research supports customer’s designing and commercial interactions

Managing Design Processes All business plans & processes involve designing Change means that designing is an ongoing facet of commercial activities Information systems extend throughout business and change processes & are designed Managing change in business is, in essence, managing design processes and managing individuals designing. Design Research is a key source of info on managing designing and design processes

2. Meta-Theoretical analysis Different layers of theories and theoretical abstractions Focus on theory as theory – not what the theory is intended to represent Separate Popper’s worlds: Subjective/internal to humans Objective/external to humans Theory

Meta-theory:  theory layers Ontology Epistemology General theories Theories about human internal processes & collaboration Theories about structure of processes Methods of designing & researching Theories about mechanisms of choice Theories about behaviours of elements Initial conception and labeling of reality

Meta-theory analysis: axioms Elements at any level describe patterns in elements at lower levels and depend on constructs (assumptions) at higher levels There should be a complete pathway of inter-related theoretical elements spanning all levels

Theories of MIS & Design Research

3. Models of Cognition Object-based cognition (object) – thinking defined purely in terms of the logic of objects (science & engineering) Rational cognition (brain-based)– people are logical (cognitive science) Bounded rationality (brain-based)– people are not always rational and there are good reasons (post-positivist cognitive science) Affective cognition (brain + body) – people think using body processes and brain processes (combined cognitive & neurological science)

Affective cognition Feelings are used in thinking All cognition depends on closure Closure cannot be adequately defined except through a somato-sensory explanation (feeling that an answer is right) Individuals’ biophysically-based feelings are the basis for affective cognition Emotions are gross groupings of biologically-based affects that there is some public agreement.

Neural models of cognition Executive function: assumes most of brain is for process or domain specific purposes -  focus on frontal cortex as ‘executive’ Fully distributed brain function: focus on possibilities in neural behaviour Cognito-affective: has body included  - mainly through roles of cingulate cortex and amigdala

Role of cognition in IS All research, designing, management and theory making in IS/MIS has underpinning it assumptions about human cognition. Similarly, and at least as important, the above depend on assumptions about choice and decision making in humans. Both depend on explaining closure and that depends on understanding affective cognition

Example: failure of IS change There are many different explanations Faulty technical design and implementation Lack of market research/user participation Cultural issues, poor management, user ownership, laziness, incompetence. . . Understanding of cognito-affective processes in users, designers and managers offers pointers to different approaches.

Conclusions IS and Design Research are complementary Designing is more important to IS & MIS  than is usually recognised. At the core of many activities are the issues of closure Affective cognition provides the basis of understanding for addressing many problematic areas in IS/MIS