A Design-Oriented Framework on Theory Development Around Emerging Phenomena

Abstract

Design is increasingly encountering new questions and topics that offer exciting research opportunities, yet developing theories around emerging phenomena is challenging. These phenomena are nonlinear, ambiguous, multi-layered, and exhibit recursive adaptation. I begin by describing why and how theory development for emerging phenomena might differ from traditional approaches. I then propose an initial framework for emergence in design research focusing on four issues: positioning, structure, communication, and evaluation, and alternating between discovery and creation views. First, the framework lays the groundwork for theorising about emerging phenomena, primarily highlighting the use and integration of new technologies that alter existing paradigms. Second, it emphasises the different characteristics of building theories for emerging phenomena, presenting it as a novel pathway compared to the 'safe' territory of traditional design research approaches. A design research use case that integrates Explainable AI (XAI) into healthcare decision-making exemplifies these characteristics. Third, to evaluate such theorising, I introduce the notion of 'adaptive rigour,' which ensures that the evaluation process remains robust and credible while being flexible enough to accommodate the evolving nature of emerging phenomena. Overall, I argue that considering the concepts in the framework can open up new possibilities and help expand our discipline's knowledge development efforts.