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Design Thinking in IS Research Projects

Mindset and Toolset Perspective

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Design Thinking for Innovation

Abstract

Many see the primary impact of Design Thinking in the area of industrial innovation. Given the engineering background of the methodology, this is definitely the most straightforward approach, with its practice-oriented nature. We claim, however, that Design Thinking—defined as the mindset as well as the toolset—can significantly contribute to the success of academic research in the Information Systems area. While building on the notion of inquiry from a philosophy of science, as well as the concept of a mindset from psychology, we offer an extended view of Design Thinking as a malleable paradigm. We argue that implementing Design Thinking phases in Information Systems research projects will contribute to a better traceability and understanding of the creative processes, as well as to the credibility of their results. We postulate that Design Thinking will also contribute to new findings, thus leveraging the knowledge contribution. We, provide proven and tested practical guidance on how Design Thinking can be embedded in research projects. While this paper primarily addresses an academic audience, practitioners and facilitators in the field of Design Thinking may benefit from a philosophical perspective on this paradigm.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Informatics, University of Zurich, Binzmühlestrasse 14, 8050, Zürich, Switzerland

    Mateusz Dolata & Gerhard Schwabe

Authors
  1. Mateusz Dolata
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  2. Gerhard Schwabe
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Correspondence to Mateusz Dolata .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Information Management, University of St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland

    Walter Brenner

  2. Institute of Information Management, University of St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland

    Falk Uebernickel

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Dolata, M., Schwabe, G. (2016). Design Thinking in IS Research Projects. In: Brenner, W., Uebernickel, F. (eds) Design Thinking for Innovation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-26100-3_5

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