Personalized Decentralized Communication

Search engines, portals and topic-centered web sites are all attempts to create more or less personalized web-services. However, no single service can in general fulfill all needs of a particular user, so users have to search and maintain personal profiles at several locations. We propose an architecture where each person has his own information management environment where all personalization is made locally. Information is exchanged with other’s if it’s of mutual interest that the information is published or received. We assume that users are self-interested, but that there is some overlap in their interests. Our recent work has focused on decentralized dissemination of information, specifically what we call decentralized recommender systems. We are investigating the behavior of such systems and have also done some preliminary work on the users’ information environment

Avatar Designs are in the Eye of the Beholder: About Identifying Preferred Avatar Designs in Digital Learning - Research in Progress

Gamification focuses on using game-like elements in non- entertainment-based contexts. An example for a game element is an avatar. Although lots of research has focused on analyzing avatars in gamification, little is known about which kind of avatar design users prefer. Especially avatars in gamification that are used as tutors or mentors for learning purposes do not spark the interest of users. Thus, the goal of our paper is to analyze which avatar design users of digital learning environments such as learning management systems would prefer. For that purpose, we use a best-worst scaling approach to analyze if the familiarity and shape of avatars determine user preferences in gamification. Our research will contribute to research and practice as it delivers implications about how to design avatars in gamified learning systems. We will enrich theory by getting a better understanding about the general meaning of user-centered avatar designs in gamification

How Digital Nudges Influence Consumers – Experimental Investigation in the Context of Retargeting

Retargeting is an innovative online marketing technique in the modern age. Although this advertising form offers great opportunities of bringing back customers who have left an online store without a complete purchase, retargeting is risky because the necessary data collection leads to strong privacy concerns which, in turn, trigger consumer reactance and decreasing trust. Digital nudges – small design modifications in digital choice environments which guide peoples’ behaviour – present a promising concept to bypass these negative consequences of retargeting. In order to prove the positive effects of digital nudges, we aim to conduct an online experiment with a subsequent survey by testing the impacts of social nudges and information nudges in retargeting banners. Our expected contribution to theory includes an extension of existing research of nudging in context of retargeting by investigating the effects of different nudges in retargeting banners on consumers’ behaviour. In addition, we aim to provide practical contributions by the provision of design guidelines for practitioners to build more trustworthy IT artefacts and enhance retargeting strategy of marketing practitioners

Is it all about having Fun? – Developing a Taxonomy to gamify Information Systems

Gamification is a well-known approach that refers to the use of game design elements in information systems to make monotonous and tedious tasks more enjoyable. However, research and practice show that game design elements are oftentimes chosen and integrated in information systems randomly, therefore impeding the outcomes of such systems. In this regard, taxonomies can guide system developers, i.e., in selecting and combining game design elements to gamify their information system. Nonetheless, existing taxonomies do not provide such guidance for gamifying information systems. Therefore, the goal of our research is to consolidate the state of the art of gamification research and rigorously develop a gamification taxonomy. To achieve our goal, we conducted a systematic literature review and developed a taxonomy based on a rigorous taxonomy development process. We evaluate our theory by providing evidence of its feasibility with two practical cases: First, we show how the taxonomy helps to analyze existing gamification approaches, and, second, how the taxonomy guides to gamify information systems. Overall, we enrich theory by introducing a new taxonomy to better explain the meaning and characteristics of game design elements. Likewise, practitioners will be guided in selecting and combining game design elements for their gamification approaches

Data Analytics for Effective Decision-Making in Crises - Identifying Relevant Data Analytics Competencies for Automotive Procurement Departments

Crises become the norm for organizations, as recent years have shown. Especially the automotive industry is still facing disruptive changes such as e-mobility, connected cars or autonomous driving. Disrupted supply chains, related production downtimes and associated financial losses are consequences. Procurement departments are the interface between internal and external stakeholders in supply chains, and therefore, the central authority for managing crises. In such situations, effective decision-making is essential. Positive effects of data analytics on decision-making were part of numerous research endeavors, as well as related data analytics competencies. We conducted semi-structured interviews with experienced experts about relevant data analytics competencies in procurement departments. We present an overview specifically for procurement departments and derive implications of these competencies on decision-making. As a result, we apply our findings to existing research from a theoretical perspective and support procurement leaders and their departments in facing current and future challenges from a practical perspective

Mechanisms of Common Ground in Human-Agent Interaction: A Systematic Review of Conversational Agent Research

Human-agent interaction is increasingly influencing our personal and work lives through the proliferation of conversational agents in various domains. As such, these agents combine intuitive natural language interactions by also delivering personalization through artificial intelligence capabilities. However, research on CAs as well as practical failures indicate that CA interaction oftentimes fails miserably. To reduce these failures, this paper introduces the concept of building common ground for more successful human-agent interactions. Based on a systematic review our analysis reveals five mechanisms for achieving common ground: (1) Embodiment, (2) Social Features, (3) Joint Action, (4) Knowledge Base, and (5) Mental Model of Conversational Agents. On this basis, we offer insights into grounding mechanisms and highlight the potentials when considering common ground in different human-agent interaction processes. Consequently, we secure further understanding and deeper insights of possible mechanisms of common ground in human-agent interaction in the future

Towards an Integrative Understanding of Privacy Nudging – Systematic Review and Research Agenda

When using digital technologies, various data traces are left behind for collection, storage and analysis. Innovative solutions for information systems are needed that mitigate privacy risks and foster information privacy. One mechanism to achieve this are privacy nudges. Nudges are a concept from behavioural economics to influence individual’s decisions. This paper focusses on building an integrative understanding of privacy nudging. Specifically, we conceptualize the constituting characteristics of privacy nudges by conducting a systematic literature review to cover the current state of knowledge in the interdisciplinary privacy nudge literature stream. We structure the intrapersonal factors that determine effectiveness for each privacy nudge in a morphological box and conceptualize on this basis current research coverage as well as demand for future research. Finally, we develop theoretical propositions contributing to the discussion of how to study and design effective privacy nudges that can pave the way for more privacy sensitive IT systems

MEETINGS AT DIGITAL WORKPLACES – AN EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH TO ANALYZE GROUP ATTACHMENT AND ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT IN DIGITAL WORLDS

After facing the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations request their employees to work from home permanently. For an organization, this provides positive benefits such as reducing costs for rent. From an employee perspective, working from home can cause a feeling of isolation towards co-workers and lower attachment to an organization. One way to counteract this problem is to transfer the office to the digital world, especially spurred by the metaverse discussion to represent processes of our real world in digital environments that allow us to do everything in the same way digitally as we are doing in the real world. In this paper, we present a theoretical model for conducting a 2x2 between-subject experiment to analyze how digital real-world meeting experiences influence team attachment and organizational commitment. We contribute to theories such as the need of belonging and transfer them to digital environments and provide practical implications for designing digital offices

The Dark Side of Privacy Nudging – An Experimental Study in the Context of a Digital Work Environment

In digital environments, individuals tend to share disproportionally more information than in face-to-face communication. Critically, disclosing personal information can yield risks such as unwanted monitoring or discrimination. Privacy nudging is a promising approach to get users to disclose less personal information. In this work, we tested two nudges corresponding to the issue of personal privacy. A framing nudge conveys an intensive message and a social nudge provides social cues. To empirically test these nudges, we evaluated an experiment with 223 participants. The results indicate that privacy nudges negatively influence information disclosure behavior. The social nudge was perceived as a threat. The framing nudge directly affected negative emotions and the social nudge indirectly. Perceived threat and negative emotions have a significant negative effect on information disclosure intention. With this research, we contribute to the discussion of what drives privacy nudge effectiveness and influences information disclosure behavior in digital work environments

Towards Conversational Co-Creation of Learning Content in Digital Higher Education

Today formal education like higher education relies on digital learning content like learning videos or quizzes. Using such online learning material enables students to learn independently from time and place. While improvements have been made, there are still many issues as the two-year long crisis in 2020 has revealed. Many offerings do not consider the learners’ needs and can result in unsuccessful learning. One way to address these short comings is to actively include learners in the creation process of learning content. However, co-creation oftentimes relies on face to face and or group settings that may not be possible for all students at all times. Therefore, we undertake a long-term action design research project to investigate the novel concept of conversational co-creation of learning material using a conversational agent and persuasive design to engage and motivate learners. In this article we present an early-stage prototype and concept of conversational co-creation