A Design Research Approach to Developing User Innovation Workshops in Second Life

Authors

  • Remko Helms Utrecht University
  • Elia Giovacchini Utrecht University
  • Robin Teigland Stockholm School of Economics
  • Thomas Kohler Innsbruck University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4101/jvwr.v3i1.819

Keywords:

virtual world, design science research, user innovation, entrepreneurship

Abstract

The Design Science Research approach is increasingly being applied in the field of Information Systems (IS) research. The philosophy behind design science research is that new scientific knowledge can be generated by means of constructing an artifact, and the core of this approach is a problem solving process used to develop the artifact. As virtual worlds are a relatively new IS medium, limited attention has been paid to investigating the use of design research in virtual worlds. Nevertheless, it is considered a relevant approach as much research in the field of virtual worlds involves the design of virtual spaces to support some kind of business activity. As such, the research purpose of this paper is to investigate the use of the design research approach in virtual worlds. In this paper, we describe and take a practical perspective of a specific case study in which design research was developed and used for a specific project. The specific project in focus is the development of a user innovation workshop inside Second Life for a start-up company interested in gaining insights and ideas for the development of its product.

Author Biographies

Remko Helms, Utrecht University

Assitant professor at the Department of Information and Computing Science

Elia Giovacchini, Utrecht University

GRaduate student at the Department of Information and Computing Science

Robin Teigland, Stockholm School of Economics

Associate Professor the Department of Marketing and Strategy

Thomas Kohler, Innsbruck University

Research assistant at the School of Management

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Published

2010-04-29

Issue

Section

Peer Reviewed Research Papers