A Theory of Tailorable Technology Design

Abstract

Tailorable technologies are a class of information systems designed with the intention that users modify and redesign the technology in the context of use. Tailorable technologies support user goals, intentions, metaphor, and use patterns in the selection and integration of technology functions in the creation of new and unique information systems. We propose a theory of tailorable technology design and identify principles necessary for the initial design. Following a Kantian style of inquiry, we identified four definitional characteristics of tailorable technology: a dual design perspective, user engagement, recognizable environments, and component architectures. From these characteristics, we propose nine design principles that will support the phenomenon of tailoring. Through a year-long case study, we refined and evidenced the principles, finding found that designers of tailorable technologies build environments in which users can both interact and engage with the technology, supporting the proposed design principles. The findings highlight a distinction between a reflective environment, where users recognize and imagine uses for the technology, and an active environment in which users tailor the technology in accordance with the imagined uses. This research contributes to the clarification of the role of theory in design science, expands the concept of "possibilities for action" to IS design, and proposes a design theory of a class of information systems for testing and refinement.

A mashup based framework for multi level healthcare interoperability

“…In order to make the environment more adaptable to users and improve its value, users can be provided with a set of similar and dissimilar components in order to be able to substitute them on an as-needed basis (Germonprez et al 2007), and by this, users integrate specific and reusable components in order to create a unique healthcare environment. As…”

eHealth-as-a-Service: A Service Based Design Approach for Large Scale eHealth Architecture

“…They refer to secondary design phases where systems undergo continuous re-design as users discover the potential for unknown or unanticipated services that a system might provide (Germonprez, Hovorka, & Collopy, 2007 …”

“…They refer to secondary design phases where systems undergo continuous re-design as users discover the potential for unknown or unanticipated services that a system might provide (Germonprez, Hovorka, & Collopy, 2007). Thus, an information services view (ISV) represents a unique class of information systems with a focus on flexible information services which engage users as secondary designer-developers.…”

The Information Services View

“…It also aims to create a phenomenological potential for action in which the user tailors the information system and develops uses in new contexts or for new tasks (Germonprez et al 2007). The ISV moves away from a dominant approach in systems design to over-engineer the information technology artifact through a restricted set of data structures, interfaces, and reporting systems, so that a limited range of work practices are allowed.…”

“…Although new configurations for information systems can result from versioning or specific design changes, the evolutionary trajectory and evolving nature of systems is commonly the result of user-initiated mutability (Gregor and Jones 2007) or tailoring (Germonprez et al 2007). The ISV embraces processes by which developers/providers expose information and allow user-initiated selection and configuration of services that fit "the idea of the arising of something from out of itself, or emergent properties, and behavior" (Gregor and Jones 2007, p. 326).…”