SIG DITE PhD Research Academy | Tuure Tuunanen : Design Science Research & Design Echelons

In this session of the AIS SIG DITE PhD Research Academy (October 22, 2026), Professor Tuure Tuunanen (University of Jyväskylä) introduces design science research (DSR) and shows how to apply echeloned design science research (eDSR), the methodology he published with Robert Winter and Jan vom Brocke in MIS Quarterly (2024). The talk starts from the foundations of DSR, from Herbert Simon to Hevner et al. (2004) and Gregor and Hevner (2013), and explains why evaluation became the sticking point for many DSR papers. It then puts eDSR into action with a recently published EJIS study on designing a coopetitive digital news platform with the Finnish newspaper industry: how the project moved non-linearly across echelons, why every echelon needs explicit validation criteria and techniques, how a boardroom "anomaly" led to a new package subscription model, and how eDSR supports abductive design theorizing.