Design science is a research methodology that creates new knowledge and understanding of a phenomenon by building, analyzing, and validating artifacts. This book has harvested from the literature a design science approach of constructing, analyzing, and validating artifacts that applies to all domains.
The first chapter contrasts design science with design. The second chapter provides an overview of the different types of knowledge and suggests that design science projects can create these different knowledge types. Chapter 3 outlines the different research paradigms in order to explain and position design science research. Chapter 4 introduces an activities framework to be used for performing design science research. Chapters 5 to 10 explain the six activities of the design science framework: explicate problem, define requirements, design and develop artifact, demonstrate artifact, evaluate artifact, and communicate artifact knowledge. Chapters 11 and 12 expand on the topics covered in chapters 1 and 3; chapter 11 points out the similarity and differences of the design life cycle with design science activities, and chapter 12 indicates that other research approaches can be embedded within different design science activities. The last chapter formulates ethical principles for design science research based on the ethical dilemmas of the Information Age.
The book is easy to read. While it presents the basic concepts of design science succinctly, it fails to bring out the complexity of performing design science research. Specifically, the book does not answer the following questions: What kind of information technology (IT) problems are suited for design science research? Does artifact construction automatically tilt a design science project for team research? Can a one-person team handle a design science project? Can design science be used effectively in doctoral work?
Although a doctoral student can learn the basics of design science research from this book, she or he will not be prepared to undertake and execute a design science project for her or his dissertation after reading it. Another weakness of the book is that there is too much repetition.
