Information systems (IS) design and development, heretofore a core topic in the IS field, is arguably at a critical juncture as it faces challenges unlike ever before in its short history. On one hand, there have been significant technological advances in areas such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, quantum computing that potentially provide and require different ways of designing and developing. Complementing this, the ‘digital native’ consumers of new information systems seek rapid continuous delivery of large-scale information systems, tailored to individual needs while delivering responsibly on all aspects such as privacy, fairness and transparency.
At this critical juncture, the goal of this special issue is to consider the next generation of IS design and development. Looking at the present, we invite researchers to challenge the fundamental prevailing assumptions of the field embracing the ‘contrarian’ and ‘pragmatic’ perspectives that underpin the ethos of the European Journal of Information Systems. We welcome papers that question the logic, methods, and tools in contemporary IS design and address topics or take perspectives that some may find uncomfortable. We invite papers that explore alternative approaches and perspectives to the design of digital futures. In addition to examining the immediate future, we encourage researchers that take a ‘Promethean’ perspective examining radically different ways of designing technology, and taking perspectives that are very different or even unrecognisable in comparison to those envisaged by current research and practice.
We invite papers on any and all aspects of IS design and development, but below are some guiding themes related to the call.