Abstract
In Design Science Research (DSR) it is important to build on descriptive (Ω) and prescriptive (Λ) state-of-the-art knowledge in order to provide a solid grounding. However, existing knowledge is typically made available via scientific publications. This leads to two challenges: first, scholars have to manually extract relevant knowledge pieces from the data-wise unstructured textual nature of scientific publications. Second, different research results can interact and exclude each other, which makes an aggregation, combination, and application of extracted knowledge pieces quite complex. In this paper, we present how we addressed both issues in a DSR project that focuses on the design of socially-adaptive chatbots. Therefore, we outline a two-step approach to transform phenomena and relationships described in the Ω-knowledge base in a machine-executable form using ontologies and a knowledge base. Following this new approach, we can design a system that is able to aggregate and combine existing Ω-knowledge in the field of chatbots. Hence, our work contributes to DSR methodology by suggesting a new approach for theory-guided DSR projects that facilitates the application and sharing of state-of-the-art Ω-knowledge.
Keywords
- Design science research
- Descriptive knowledge
- Prescriptive knowledge
- Ontology
- Chatbot
- Conversational agent
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.
Buying options





References
Hevner, A., Vom Brocke, J., Maedche, A.: Roles of digital innovation in design science research. Bus. Inf. Syst. Eng. 6, 39 (2018)
Gregor, S., Hevner, A.R.: Positioning and presenting design science research for maximum impact. MIS Q. 37, 337–355 (2013)
Hevner, A.R., March, S.T., Park, J., Ram, S.: Design science in information systems research. MIS Q. 28, 75–105 (2004)
Drechsler, A., Hevner, A.R.: Utilizing, producing, and contributing design knowledge in DSR projects. In: Chatterjee, S., Dutta, K., Sundarraj, R.P. (eds.) DESRIST 2018. LNCS, vol. 10844, pp. 82–97. Springer, Cham (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91800-6_6
Auer, S.: Towards an open research knowledge graph (2018). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1157185
Marcondes, C.H.: From scientific communication to public knowledge: the scientific article web published as a knowledge base (2005)
Davenport, T.H., de Long, D.W., Beers, M.C.: Successful knowledge management projects. Sloan Manag. Rev. 39, 43–57 (1998)
Staab, S., Studer, R.: Handbook on Ontologies. Springer, Heidelberg (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-92673-3
Hovorka, D.S., Larsen, K.R., Birt, J., Finnie, G.: A meta-theoretic approach to theory integration in information systems. In: 46th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS), pp. 4656–4665 (2013)
Larsen, K.R., Bong, C.H.: A tool for addressing construct identity in literature reviews and meta-analyses. MIS Q. 40, 529–551 (2016)
Morana, S., et al.: Tool support for design science research-towards a software ecosystem: a report from a DESRIST 2017 workshop. In: Communications of the Association for Information Systems, vol. 43 (2018)
vom Brocke, J., et al.: Tool-support for design science research: design principles and instantiation. SSRN Electron. J. 1–13 (2017). https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2972803
Maedche, A., Motik, B., Stojanovic, L., Studer, R., Volz, R.: Ontologies for enterprise knowledge management. IEEE Intell. Syst. 18, 26–33 (2003)
Larsen, K.R., et al.: Behavior change interventions: the potential of ontologies for advancing science and practice. J. Behav. Med. 40, 6–22 (2017)
Berners-Lee, T., Hendler, J., Lassila, O.: The semantic web. Sci. Am. 284, 34–43 (2001)
Reinecke, K., Bernstein, A.: Knowing what a user likes: a design science approach to interfaces that automatically adapt to culture. MIS Q. 37, 427–453 (2013)
Horridge, M.: A Practical Guide To Building OWL Ontologies Using Protégé 4 and CO-ODE Tools Edition 1.3. University of Manchester (2011)
Musen, M.A.: The protégé project: a look back and a look forward. AI Matters 1, 4–12 (2015)
Dale, R.: The return of the chatbots. Nat. Lang. Eng. 22, 811–817 (2016)
Gnewuch, U., Morana, S., Maedche, A.: Towards designing cooperative and social conversational agents for customer service. In: Proceedings of the 38th International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS). AISel, Seoul (2017)
Gnewuch, U., Morana, S., Heckmann, C., Maedche, A.: Designing conversational agents for energy feedback. In: Chatterjee, S., Dutta, K., Sundarraj, R.P. (eds.) DESRIST 2018. LNCS, vol. 10844, pp. 18–33. Springer, Cham (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91800-6_2
Rietz, T., Benke, I., Maedche, A.: The impact of anthropomorphic and functional chatbot design features in enterprise collaboration systems on user acceptance. In: 14. Internationale Tagung Wirtschaftsinformatik (WI 2019) (2019)
Mimoun, M.S.B., Poncin, I., Garnier, M.: Case study—embodied virtual agents. An analysis on reasons for failure. J. Retail. Consum. Serv. 19, 605–612 (2012)
Nass, C., Moon, Y.: Machines and mindlessness. social responses to computers. J. Soc. Issues 56, 81–103 (2000)
Feine, J., Morana, S., Gnewuch, U.: Measuring service encounter satisfaction with customer service chatbots using sentiment analysis. In: 14. Internationale Tagung Wirtschaftsinformatik (WI 2019) (2019)
Nass, C., Steuer, J., Tauber, E.R.: Computers are social actors. In: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 72–78. ACM, New York (1994)
Gnewuch, U., Morana, S., Adam, M., Maedche, A.: Faster is not always better: understanding the effect of dynamic response delays in human-chatbot interaction. In: Proceedings of the 26th European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS), Portsmouth, 23–28 June 2018
Fogg, B.J.: Computers as persuasive social actors. In: Persuasive Technology: Using Computers to Change What We Think and Do, pp. 89–120. Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, San Francisco (2002)
Hurst, A., Hudson, S.E., Mankoff, J., Trewin, S.: Automatically detecting pointing performance. In: Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Intelligent User Interfaces, Gran Canaria, pp. 11–19. ACM (2008)
Webster, J., Watson, R.T.: Analyzing the past to prepare for the future. Writing a literature review. MIS Q. 26, xiii–xxiii (2002)
Sah, Y.J., Peng, W.: Effects of visual and linguistic anthropomorphic cues on social perception, self-awareness, and information disclosure in a health website. Comput. Hum. Behav. 45, 392–401 (2015)
Puzakova, M., Rocereto, J.F., Kwak, H.: Ads are watching me. Int. J. Advertising 32, 513–538 (2013)
Catrambone, R., Stasko, J., Xiao, J.: ECA as user interface paradigm. In: Ruttkay, Z., Pelachaud, C. (eds.) From Brows to Trust. HIS, vol. 7, pp. 239–267. Springer, Dordrecht (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-2730-3_9
Chandra, L., Seidel, S., Gregor, S.: Prescriptive knowledge in IS research: conceptualizing design principles in terms of materiality, action, and boundary conditions. In: 48th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, pp. 4039–4048 (2015)
McBreen, H.: Embodied conversational agents in E-commerce applications. In: Dautenhahn, K., Bond, A., Cañamero, L., Edmonds, B. (eds.) Socially Intelligent Agents. Multiagent Systems, Artificial Societies, and Simulated Organizations, vol. 3. Springer, Boston (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-47373-9_33
Nass, C., Moon, Y., Fogg, B.J., Reeves, B., Dryer, D.C.: Can computer personalities be human personalities? Int. J. Hum Comput Stud. 43, 223–239 (1995)
Kraemer, N.C., Karacora, B., Lucas, G., Dehghani, M., Ruether, G., Gratch, J.: Closing the gender gap in STEM with friendly male instructors? On the effects of rapport behavior and gender of a virtual agent in an instructional interaction. Comput. Educ. 99, 1–13 (2016)
Brahnam, S., de Angeli, A.: Gender affordances of conversational agents. Interact. Comput. 24, 139–153 (2012)
Niculescu, A., Hofs, D., van Dijk, B., Nijholt, A.: How the agent’s gender influence users’ evaluation of a QA system. In: International Conference on User Science and Engineering (i-USEr) (2010)
Nunamaker, J.E., Derrick, D.C., Elkins, A.C., Burgoon, J.K., Patton, M.W.: Embodied conversational agent-based kiosk for automated interviewing. J. Manag. Inf. Syst. 28, 17–48 (2011)
Li, J., Zhou, M.X., Yang, H., Mark, G.: Confiding in and listening to virtual agents. In: Proceedings of the 22nd International Conference on Intelligent User Interfaces - IUI, pp. 275–286. ACM Press (2017)
Hone, K.: Empathic agents to reduce user frustration. The effects of varying agent characteristics. Interacting Comput. 18, 227–245 (2006)
Forlizzi, J., Zimmerman, J., Mancuso, V., Kwak, S.: How interface agents affect interaction between humans and computers. In: Proceedings of the 2007 Conference on Designing Pleasurable Products and Interfaces, pp. 209–221. ACM, New York (2007)
Hayashi, Y.: Lexical network analysis on an online explanation task. Effects of affect and embodiment of a pedagogical agent. IEICE Trans. Inf. Syst. 99, 1455–1461 (2016)
Beldad, A., Hegner, S., Hoppen, J.: The effect of virtual sales agent (VSA) gender – product gender congruence on product advice credibility, trust in VSA and online vendor, and purchase intention. Comput. Hum. Behav. 60, 62–72 (2016)
Ostrowski, L., Helfert, M., Gama, N.: Ontology engineering step in design science research methodology: a technique to gather and reuse knowledge. Behav. Inf. Technol. 33, 443–451 (2014)
Rani, P., Sarkar, N., Liu, C.: Maintaining optimal challenge in computer games through real-time physiological feedback. In: Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Human Computer Interaction, vol. 58 (2005)
Latham, A., Crockett, K., McLean, D., Edmonds, B.: A conversational intelligent tutoring system to automatically predict learning styles. Comput. Educ. 59, 95–109 (2012)
Durand, R., Vaara, E.: Causation, counterfactuals, and competitive advantage. Strateg. Manag. J. 30, 1245–1264 (2009)
Hovorka, D.S., Gregor, S.: Untangling causality in design science theorizing. In: 5th Biennial ANU Workshop on Information Systems Foundations, pp. 1–16 (2010)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this paper
Cite this paper
Feine, J., Morana, S., Maedche, A. (2019). Leveraging Machine-Executable Descriptive Knowledge in Design Science Research – The Case of Designing Socially-Adaptive Chatbots. In: Tulu, B., Djamasbi, S., Leroy, G. (eds) Extending the Boundaries of Design Science Theory and Practice. DESRIST 2019. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 11491. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19504-5_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19504-5_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-19503-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-19504-5
eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)