Value expression in design science research

Design science research has grown into a major research approach in Information System (IS). Most current DSR approaches take a positivist approach that downplays human agency. An alternative framework is transformational design research (TDR), inspired by pragmatism and Rosenstock-Huessy’s view on language. This paper’s aim is to contribute to TDR by focusing on the expression of values, with a particular interest in values that are embodied in the technology. After a critical review of the traditional Requirement Engineering methods and of the so-called value-sensitive design approaches, we propose a new value expression approach that builds on and extends traditional value modelling. The method is illustrated with a literature example of process mining.