In this abstract, we propose a practice-based approach to the study of design and introduce the concept of designing as an epistemic practice. We outline the theoretical premises of this study as well as the intended theoretical contributions

Bouman, Wim

Huizing, Ard

Maris, Ileana

Maris, I.

Huizing, A.

Bouman, W.

International Migration, Integration and Social Cohesion online publications

UvA-DARE is a service provided by the library of the University of Amsterdam (https://dare.uva.nl)UvA-DARE (Digital Academic Repository)Studying the wicked and the creative: On the practice of designing social mediaMaris, I.; Huizing, A.; Bouman, W.Publication date2010Document VersionFinal published versionPublished inSproutsLink to publicationCitation for published version (APA):Maris, I., Huizing, A., & Bouman, W. (2010). Studying the wicked and the creative: On thepractice of designing social media. Sprouts, 10. http://sprouts.aisnet.org/10-111/General rightsIt is not permitted to download or to forward/distribute the text or part of it without the consent of the author(s)and/or copyright holder(s), other than for strictly personal, individual use, unless the work is under an opencontent license (like Creative Commons).Disclaimer/Complaints regulationsIf you believe that digital publication of certain material infringes any of your rights or (privacy) interests, pleaselet the Library know, stating your reasons. In case of a legitimate complaint, the Library will make the materialinaccessible and/or remove it from the website. Please Ask the Library: https://uba.uva.nl/en/contact, or a letterto: Library of the University of Amsterdam, Secretariat, Singel 425, 1012 WP Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Youwill be contacted as soon as possible.Download date:10 Nov 2022Working Papers on Information Systems ISSN 1535-6078Studying the Wicked and the Creative: On the Practice ofDesigning Social MediaIleana MarisUniversity of Amsterdam, NetherlandsArd HuizingUniversity of Amsterdam, NetherlandsWim BoumanUniversity of Amsterdam, NetherlandsAbstractIn this abstract, we propose a practice-based approach to the study of design and introducethe concept of designing as an epistemic practice. We outline the theoretical premises of thisstudy as well as the intended theoretical contributions.Keywords: design, practice-based approach, epistemic objects, actor networks, social mediaPermanent URL: http://sprouts.aisnet.org/10-111Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works LicenseReference: Maris, I., Huizing, A., Bouman, W. (2010). "Studying the Wicked and theCreative: On the Practice of Designing Social Media ," Proceedings > Proceedings of IFIP8.2/Organizations and Society in Information Systems (OASIS) . Sprouts: Working Paperson Information Systems, 10(111). http://sprouts.aisnet.org/10-111                             Sprouts - http://sprouts.aisnet.org/10-111 2 Studying the Wicked and the Creative: On the Practice of Designing Social Media  Ileana Maris, University of Amsterdam Business School, Roetersstraat 11, 1018 WB Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Phone number: +31205254101, e-mail: i.maris@uva.nl. Ard Huizing, University of Amsterdam Business School, a.huizing@uva.nl. Wim Bouman, University of Amsterdam Business School, w.bouman@gmail.com.   Keywords: design, practice-based approach, epistemic objects, actor networks, social media.    The predominant design science paradigm in the field of Information Systems has conceptualized design as a rational process. Hence, our current theorizing represents the design process as a set of systematic activities, in which scientific knowledge is applied to create and evaluate an IT artifact aimed at solving a well defined organizational problem (Hevner et al. 2004). Despite the many useful contributions that design science research has generated so far, we would argue that the paradigm helps us tell only one side of the story. Design (or designing) is not merely a systematic endeavor but also a creative, wicked undertaking characterized by uncertainty (Buchanan 1992), learning by doing and negotiations of knowledge, ethics and aesthetics about how to design a good and beautiful artifact. So far, Information Systems researchers have given little attention to the creative side of designing. However, in order to fully understand and be able to improve the design process, we need to reveal and explore designers’ own worldviews and work practices as they go about creating an artifact.       Drawing inspiration from practice-based approaches as developed by Schatzki (1996), Gherardi (2009, 2010) and Corradi et al. (2010) and the works of Knorr Cetina (1997, 2001) and Latour (2005), we propose the concept of designing as an epistemic practice. With this concept, we shift away from the more rational approaches to design and towards a focus on the “designerly ways of knowing, thinking and acting” (Cross 2001). Such an approach is particularly insightful in the context of designing social media, where the aim is creating an artifact that evokes participation and engagement. Three theoretical premises underlie our exploration:  • First, designing is an object-mediated practice, performed in dynamic actor networks, where objects refer to all non-human entities designers associate with and work with.  • Second, designing is epistemic as processes of learning and knowing are fundamental to the stability and continuation of the practice. Knowing and learning are relational activities, undertaken in practice, and nurtured by the unfolding nature of the epistemic objects designers work with.  • Last, designing is an ordering practice for both the actors (human and non-human) performing it and for those engaging with its outcome, in this case the participants in social media. The research questions that will guide our inquiry are:  What are the designerly ways of knowing, thinking and acting of designing an engaging social media?                               Sprouts - http://sprouts.aisnet.org/10-111 3 To answer this research question, we will study the practice of designing a social media for the Jewish Museum in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The social media is intended to engage the interested public in sharing with each other and the museum their life histories. Exploring the dynamics of this project is an excellent opportunity to gain insights into the designers’ actual work practices as they go about designing an engaging social media.   The aim of this study is to broaden our current understandings and theories of designing by means of a practice based inquiry, by providing a conceptual and methodological toolkit for the exploration of the creative, epistemic and wicked nature of designing. We are looking forward to engaging with the IFIP8.2 audience in a constructive discussion about this proposal.    References:  Buchanan, R. (1992). Wicked problems in design thinking. Design Issues, 8(2), 5-21.  Corradi, G., Gherardi, S. and Verzelloni, L. (2010). Through the practice lens: Where the bandwagon of practice-based studies heading? Management Learning, 41(3), 265-283.    Cross, N. (2001). Designerly ways of knowing: Design discipline versus design science. Design Issues, 17(3), 49-55.   Gherardi, S. (2009). Practice? It’s a matter of taste. Management Learning, 40(5), 535-550.  Gherardi, S. (2010). Telemedicine: A practice-based approach to technology. Human Relations, 63(4), 501-524.   Hevner, A., March, S., Park, J. and Ram, S. (2004) Design science in information systems research. MIS Quarterly, 28(1), 75–105.   Knorr Cetina, K (2001). Objectual practice. In Schatzki, T., Knorr Cetina, K. and Savigny, von E. (Eds.). The practice turn in contemporary theory. London: Routledge.   Knorr Cetina, K. (1997). Sociality with objects: Social relations in postsocial knowledge societies. Theory, Culture and Society, 14(4), 1-30.   Latour, B. (2005). Reassembling the social. An introduction to actor-network theory. Oxford: Oxford University Press.  Schatzki, T. (1996). Social practices: a Wittgensteinian to human activity and the social. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.                                 Sprouts - http://sprouts.aisnet.org/10-111 Working Papers on Information Systems | ISSN 1535-6078   Editors: Michel Avital, University of Amsterdam Kevin Crowston, Syracuse University  Advisory Board: Kalle Lyytinen, Case Western Reserve University Roger Clarke, Australian National University Sue Conger, University of Dallas Marco De Marco, Universita’ Cattolica di Milano Guy Fitzgerald, Brunel University Rudy Hirschheim, Louisiana State University Blake Ives, University of Houston Sirkka Jarvenpaa, University of Texas at Austin John King, University of Michigan Rik Maes, University of Amsterdam Dan Robey, Georgia State University   Frantz Rowe, University of Nantes Detmar Straub, Georgia State University Richard T. Watson, University of Georgia Ron Weber, Monash University   Kwok Kee Wei, City University of Hong Kong    Sponsors: Association for Information Systems (AIS) AIM itAIS Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia American University, USA Case Western Reserve University, USA City University of Hong Kong, China Copenhagen Business School, Denmark Hanken School of Economics, Finland Helsinki School of Economics, Finland Indiana University, USA Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium Lancaster University, UK Leeds Metropolitan University, UK National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland New York University, USA Pennsylvania State University, USA Pepperdine University, USA Syracuse University, USA University of Amsterdam, Netherlands University of Dallas, USA University of Georgia, USA University of Groningen, Netherlands University of Limerick, Ireland University of Oslo, Norway University of San Francisco, USA University of Washington, USA Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand Viktoria Institute, Sweden  Editorial Board: Margunn Aanestad, University of Oslo Steven Alter, University of San Francisco Egon Berghout, University of Groningen Bo-Christer Bjork, Hanken School of Economics Tony Bryant, Leeds Metropolitan University Erran Carmel, American University Kieran Conboy, National U. of Ireland Galway Jan Damsgaard, Copenhagen Business School  Robert Davison, City University of Hong Kong Guido Dedene, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Alan Dennis, Indiana University   Brian Fitzgerald, University of Limerick Ole Hanseth, University of Oslo Ola Henfridsson, Viktoria Institute Sid Huff, Victoria University of Wellington Ard Huizing, University of Amsterdam Lucas Introna, Lancaster University Panos Ipeirotis, New York University Robert Mason, University of Washington John Mooney, Pepperdine University Steve Sawyer, Pennsylvania State University Virpi Tuunainen, Helsinki School of Economics Francesco Virili, Universita' degli Studi di Cassino  Managing Editor: Bas Smit, University of Amsterdam   Office: Sprouts University of Amsterdam  Roetersstraat 11, Room E 2.74 1018 WB Amsterdam, Netherlands  Email: admin@sprouts.aisnet.org  

English

Studying the wicked and the creative: On the practice of designing social media

AIS Electronic Library (AISeL)

Studying the Wicked and the Creative: On the Practice of Designing Social Media

UvA-DARE

UvA-DARE is a service provided by the library of the University of Amsterdam (https://dare.uva.nl)UvA-DARE (Digital Academic Repository)Studying the wicked and the creative: On the practice of designing social mediaMaris, I.; Huizing, A.; Bouman, W.Publication date2010Document VersionFinal published versionPublished inSproutsLink to publicationCitation for published version (APA):Maris, I., Huizing, A., & Bouman, W. (2010). Studying the wicked and the creative: On thepractice of designing social media. Sprouts, 10. http://sprouts.aisnet.org/10-111/General rightsIt is not permitted to download or to forward/distribute the text or part of it without the consent of the author(s)and/or copyright holder(s), other than for strictly personal, individual use, unless the work is under an opencontent license (like Creative Commons).Disclaimer/Complaints regulationsIf you believe that digital publication of certain material infringes any of your rights or (privacy) interests, pleaselet the Library know, stating your reasons. In case of a legitimate complaint, the Library will make the materialinaccessible and/or remove it from the website. Please Ask the Library: https://uba.uva.nl/en/contact, or a letterto: Library of the University of Amsterdam, Secretariat, Singel 425, 1012 WP Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Youwill be contacted as soon as possible.Download date:09 Mar 2023Working Papers on Information Systems ISSN 1535-6078Studying the Wicked and the Creative: On the Practice ofDesigning Social MediaIleana MarisUniversity of Amsterdam, NetherlandsArd HuizingUniversity of Amsterdam, NetherlandsWim BoumanUniversity of Amsterdam, NetherlandsAbstractIn this abstract, we propose a practice-based approach to the study of design and introducethe concept of designing as an epistemic practice. We outline the theoretical premises of thisstudy as well as the intended theoretical contributions.Keywords: design, practice-based approach, epistemic objects, actor networks, social mediaPermanent URL: http://sprouts.aisnet.org/10-111Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works LicenseReference: Maris, I., Huizing, A., Bouman, W. (2010). "Studying the Wicked and theCreative: On the Practice of Designing Social Media ," Proceedings > Proceedings of IFIP8.2/Organizations and Society in Information Systems (OASIS) . Sprouts: Working Paperson Information Systems, 10(111). http://sprouts.aisnet.org/10-111                             Sprouts - http://sprouts.aisnet.org/10-111 2 Studying the Wicked and the Creative: On the Practice of Designing Social Media  Ileana Maris, University of Amsterdam Business School, Roetersstraat 11, 1018 WB Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Phone number: +31205254101, e-mail: i.maris@uva.nl. Ard Huizing, University of Amsterdam Business School, a.huizing@uva.nl. Wim Bouman, University of Amsterdam Business School, w.bouman@gmail.com.   Keywords: design, practice-based approach, epistemic objects, actor networks, social media.    The predominant design science paradigm in the field of Information Systems has conceptualized design as a rational process. Hence, our current theorizing represents the design process as a set of systematic activities, in which scientific knowledge is applied to create and evaluate an IT artifact aimed at solving a well defined organizational problem (Hevner et al. 2004). Despite the many useful contributions that design science research has generated so far, we would argue that the paradigm helps us tell only one side of the story. Design (or designing) is not merely a systematic endeavor but also a creative, wicked undertaking characterized by uncertainty (Buchanan 1992), learning by doing and negotiations of knowledge, ethics and aesthetics about how to design a good and beautiful artifact. So far, Information Systems researchers have given little attention to the creative side of designing. However, in order to fully understand and be able to improve the design process, we need to reveal and explore designers’ own worldviews and work practices as they go about creating an artifact.       Drawing inspiration from practice-based approaches as developed by Schatzki (1996), Gherardi (2009, 2010) and Corradi et al. (2010) and the works of Knorr Cetina (1997, 2001) and Latour (2005), we propose the concept of designing as an epistemic practice. With this concept, we shift away from the more rational approaches to design and towards a focus on the “designerly ways of knowing, thinking and acting” (Cross 2001). Such an approach is particularly insightful in the context of designing social media, where the aim is creating an artifact that evokes participation and engagement. Three theoretical premises underlie our exploration:  • First, designing is an object-mediated practice, performed in dynamic actor networks, where objects refer to all non-human entities designers associate with and work with.  • Second, designing is epistemic as processes of learning and knowing are fundamental to the stability and continuation of the practice. Knowing and learning are relational activities, undertaken in practice, and nurtured by the unfolding nature of the epistemic objects designers work with.  • Last, designing is an ordering practice for both the actors (human and non-human) performing it and for those engaging with its outcome, in this case the participants in social media. The research questions that will guide our inquiry are:  What are the designerly ways of knowing, thinking and acting of designing an engaging social media?                               Sprouts - http://sprouts.aisnet.org/10-111 3 To answer this research question, we will study the practice of designing a social media for the Jewish Museum in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The social media is intended to engage the interested public in sharing with each other and the museum their life histories. Exploring the dynamics of this project is an excellent opportunity to gain insights into the designers’ actual work practices as they go about designing an engaging social media.   The aim of this study is to broaden our current understandings and theories of designing by means of a practice based inquiry, by providing a conceptual and methodological toolkit for the exploration of the creative, epistemic and wicked nature of designing. We are looking forward to engaging with the IFIP8.2 audience in a constructive discussion about this proposal.    References:  Buchanan, R. (1992). Wicked problems in design thinking. Design Issues, 8(2), 5-21.  Corradi, G., Gherardi, S. and Verzelloni, L. (2010). Through the practice lens: Where the bandwagon of practice-based studies heading? Management Learning, 41(3), 265-283.    Cross, N. (2001). Designerly ways of knowing: Design discipline versus design science. Design Issues, 17(3), 49-55.   Gherardi, S. (2009). Practice? It’s a matter of taste. Management Learning, 40(5), 535-550.  Gherardi, S. (2010). Telemedicine: A practice-based approach to technology. Human Relations, 63(4), 501-524.   Hevner, A., March, S., Park, J. and Ram, S. (2004) Design science in information systems research. MIS Quarterly, 28(1), 75–105.   Knorr Cetina, K (2001). Objectual practice. In Schatzki, T., Knorr Cetina, K. and Savigny, von E. (Eds.). The practice turn in contemporary theory. London: Routledge.   Knorr Cetina, K. (1997). Sociality with objects: Social relations in postsocial knowledge societies. Theory, Culture and Society, 14(4), 1-30.   Latour, B. (2005). Reassembling the social. An introduction to actor-network theory. Oxford: Oxford University Press.  Schatzki, T. (1996). Social practices: a Wittgensteinian to human activity and the social. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.                                 Sprouts - http://sprouts.aisnet.org/10-111 Working Papers on Information Systems | ISSN 1535-6078   Editors: Michel Avital, University of Amsterdam Kevin Crowston, Syracuse University  Advisory Board: Kalle Lyytinen, Case Western Reserve University Roger Clarke, Australian National University Sue Conger, University of Dallas Marco De Marco, Universita’ Cattolica di Milano Guy Fitzgerald, Brunel University Rudy Hirschheim, Louisiana State University Blake Ives, University of Houston Sirkka Jarvenpaa, University of Texas at Austin John King, University of Michigan Rik Maes, University of Amsterdam Dan Robey, Georgia State University   Frantz Rowe, University of Nantes Detmar Straub, Georgia State University Richard T. Watson, University of Georgia Ron Weber, Monash University   Kwok Kee Wei, City University of Hong Kong    Sponsors: Association for Information Systems (AIS) AIM itAIS Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia American University, USA Case Western Reserve University, USA City University of Hong Kong, China Copenhagen Business School, Denmark Hanken School of Economics, Finland Helsinki School of Economics, Finland Indiana University, USA Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium Lancaster University, UK Leeds Metropolitan University, UK National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland New York University, USA Pennsylvania State University, USA Pepperdine University, USA Syracuse University, USA University of Amsterdam, Netherlands University of Dallas, USA University of Georgia, USA University of Groningen, Netherlands University of Limerick, Ireland University of Oslo, Norway University of San Francisco, USA University of Washington, USA Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand Viktoria Institute, Sweden  Editorial Board: Margunn Aanestad, University of Oslo Steven Alter, University of San Francisco Egon Berghout, University of Groningen Bo-Christer Bjork, Hanken School of Economics Tony Bryant, Leeds Metropolitan University Erran Carmel, American University Kieran Conboy, National U. of Ireland Galway Jan Damsgaard, Copenhagen Business School  Robert Davison, City University of Hong Kong Guido Dedene, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Alan Dennis, Indiana University   Brian Fitzgerald, University of Limerick Ole Hanseth, University of Oslo Ola Henfridsson, Viktoria Institute Sid Huff, Victoria University of Wellington Ard Huizing, University of Amsterdam Lucas Introna, Lancaster University Panos Ipeirotis, New York University Robert Mason, University of Washington John Mooney, Pepperdine University Steve Sawyer, Pennsylvania State University Virpi Tuunainen, Helsinki School of Economics Francesco Virili, Universita' degli Studi di Cassino  Managing Editor: Bas Smit, University of Amsterdam   Office: Sprouts University of Amsterdam  Roetersstraat 11, Room E 2.74 1018 WB Amsterdam, Netherlands  Email: admin@sprouts.aisnet.org  

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Studying the Wicked and the Creative: On the Practice of Designing Social Media

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