Evidence-based Information Systems Design: How Research Can Inform Sociotechnical AI Design

IS designers lack necessary research skills to develop evidence for IS designs. They are trained in development methods, researching user requirements, functional requirements, and non-functional requirements. But many, if not most, lack training in how to research the published scientific evidence that could inform their designs. Such published evidence will often span across broader issues for consideration in IS designs. For example, if a designer wishes to consider the social implications of their application of artificial intelligence (AI) in an IS design, they might take an evidence-based approach to such a design. This paper describes how current evidence-based practices apply to evidence-based information systems design, and how such an approach informs information systems designers about scientific evidence concerning problem- and solution-oriented knowledge, human and social values, ethics, impacts, and implications. By better informing professional information systems designers, evidence-based information systems design provides strong grounding for the inclusion of values and ethics in future information systems.