What Every Information Systems (IS) Researcher Should Know About IS History (ISH) Research

Growing attention has recently been devoted to studying information systems by utilizing research approaches from History. IS history has come to stay in the arsenal of IS research methodologies. Our team of academics from both history and information systems recognize and discuss what is good historical research and contribute into this very scientific discourse. The underlying methodological issues raised in this article must be understood by all IS historians. The major contribution is a set of practical recommendations for effectively conducting Information Systems History (ISH) research following the methodology of General History. This endeavor helps IS researchers present their scientific works in such a manner that also historians working outside of the IS field would accept those studies as scientifically acceptable, relevant, and in this manner the IS field would become more visible also outside of the field itself

Web Science: A Golden Opportunity for Applying Information Systems Theories

Even though the Web has changed the world to a remarkable extent, researchers have suggested relatively few truly descriptive theories and prescriptive models that treat it as the primary focus of attention thus far. The Web as a scientific discipline is still being shaped. Computing science suggests a basis for shaping it, but we need explanatory theories and a systems approach that combines both how to design desirable Web properties and understand the Web as a phenomenon. The information systems (IS) discipline, with its strong theory-driven approaches, has a special capability to help advance the Web as a sound discipline. IS scholars have a golden opportunity to actively participate in molding Web science through transferring lessons learned in IS into it, introducing theories adopted and developed in IS for it, and integrating the two disciplines. In this paper, I examine how researchers can and should use prominent theories to explain Web properties and phenomena. I differentiate between original IS theories and theories adopted from reference disciplines and propose individual user behaviors, social behaviors, and organizational behaviors as a practical taxonomy for categorizing IS theories

Examining the Persuasive Potential of Web-based Health Behavior Change Support Systems

Understanding the persuasive potential of systems to support behavior change is increasingly important. If systems are not designed properly, their persuasive potential is not fulfilled. Previous research has shown that persuasive system design has a significant impact on adherence. Moreover, persuasive system features are likely to be advantageous in boosting effective user engagement with the technology and keeping the users motivated in their endeavors. In this study, we identify persuasive system features used in a selection of Web-based health behavior change support systems targeting excessive alcohol use and weight loss. We conducted en expert-based evaluation using the persuasive systems design model as a lens to view the twelve selected Web-based systems. The evaluation included a hands-on approach in which we used the systems for at least one month each and evaluated in terms of four categories: primary task support, computer-human dialogue support, system credibility, and social support. The results suggest that the systems harness a decent number of persuasive features. However, they had room for improvement (e.g., in terms of tailoring). Further research is needed to increase our understanding of how and under what conditions specific persuasive system features, either in isolation or collectively, lead to positive health outcomes in behavior change support systems across diverse contexts and populations. This study adds to the body of knowledge on designing persuasive health behavior change support systems

Exploring Green Information Systems and Technologies as Persuasive Systems: A Systematic Review of Applications in Published Research

Adopting eco-friendly behaviors has gained attention in multiple scientific fields ranging from psychology to business, to information systems and computer science. Combining knowledge of creating software solutions with behavioral science studies can enhance research on sustainability and contribute to fostering green attitudes. Considering current state of Green Information Systems and Technologies (IS/IT), we suggest employing persuasive techniques to create “green” solutions. Bridging studies of Persuasive Technologies and Behavior Change Support Systems with the Green IS/IT, we suggest that Persuasive Systems Design principles are capable of enhancing performance of “green” applications as well as improving eco-oriented behaviors in both individual and organizational user contexts. Having reviewed and analyzed published articles on environmentally-oriented systems, we examined which persuasive design principles are currently used and which ones could be utilized better in contemporary and future applications

Persuasive Systems Design: Key Issues, Process Model, and System Features

A growing number of information technology systems and services are being developed to change users’ attitudes or behavior or both. Despite the fact that attitudinal theories from social psychology have been quite extensively applied to the study of user intentions and behavior, these theories have been developed for predicting user acceptance of the information technology rather than for providing systematic analysis and design methods for developing persuasive software solutions. This article is conceptual and theory-creating by its nature, suggesting a framework for Persuasive Systems Design (PSD). It discusses the process of designing and evaluating persuasive systems and describes what kind of content and software functionality may be found in the final product. It also highlights seven underlying postulates behind persuasive systems and ways to analyze the persuasion context (the intent, the event, and the strategy). The article further lists 28 design principles for persuasive system content and functionality, describing example software requirements and implementations. Some of the design principles are novel. Moreover, a new categorization of these principles is proposed, consisting of the primary task, dialogue, system credibility, and social support categories

DESIGNING PERSUASIVE SYSTEMS FOR USER ENGAGEMENT IN COLLABORATIVE INTERACTION

Social influnce concepts have great potential to positively affect the behaviors and attitudes of individuals. Drawing on socio-psychological theories, this study explores how social influnce design principles alter user engagement in collaborative interaction during public events. Based on a theory-driven research model, a persuasive information system comprising social influnce design principles of cooperation, social learning, and social facilitation was implemented and examined with a sample of 101 participants. The results reveal interactions between the design principles and their capacity to explain the persuasiveness of the system, which further substantially predicts the actual engagement of participants in collaborative interaction and their intention to use such systems in the future. Both cooperation and social learning are significantly correlated to perceived persuasiveness, and the cooperation also noticeably moderates the effect of social facilitation on social learning. These findings are potentially instrumental in achieving a richer understanding of how best to further harness social influnce for enhanced user engagement through novel socio-technical environments and for the future development of persuasive systems

Persuasive Technology: Introduction to the Special Section

Whether we want it or not, information systems and technologies always have an effect on our behavior. Moreover, there are situations in which the goal of an information system is to influence end-users’ behaviors. This special section of Communications of the AIS is devoted to persuasive technology, i.e., interactive computing systems designed to change people’s attitudes or behaviors. The guest editorial introduces the topic to CAIS readers and provides both conceptual tools for obtaining a deeper understanding about persuasive technology and practical applications to demonstrate its potential for research and development in the future

Siperia kutsui, Siperia karkotti!

Arvosteltu teos: Siperia kutsuu!: Kansainvälisen Kuzbas-siirtokunnan ja sen suomalaisten tarina 1921-1927 / Vesa-Matti Lahti. Helsinki : Into, [2017] Latvia : Jelgava Printing House, 2017