Tracks

Note: Detailed track descriptions will be added over time.

(1) Theme Track – Design for Better Futures: Beyond the Science of the Artificial

Jan vom Brocke, University of Münster, Germany
Leona Chandra Kruse, University of Agder, Norway
Alan Hevner, University of South Florida, USA

This track challenges us to rethink the foundations and frontiers of design science. Going beyond Herbert Simon’s “Sciences of the Artificial,” we invite explorations that critically examine, expand, and reimagine the role of design in shaping preferable futures. Contributions may offer novel theoretical perspectives, radical innovation, and bold visions that push the boundaries of what design science can become.

(2) The Future of Financial Services

Gilbert Fridgen, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg
Nadine Ostern, Queensland University of Technology, Australia
Roman Beck, Bentley University, USA

This track explores how design science can contribute to transforming financial services in an era of technological advancements in the areas of Artificial Intelligence and Decentralised Finance. We welcome submissions that design and evaluate novel socio-technical artifacts in banking, insurance, and fintech, as well as those addressing regulation, trust, and inclusion in digital finance.

Topics of interest include (but are not limited to):

Technology-driven financial innovation
Impact of innovations such as Artificial Intelligence or Decentralized Finance (DeFi)
Privacy protection in financial transactions
Fraud detection
Anti-money laundering (AML) and countering the financing of terrorism (CFT) technologies
Know-your-customer (KYC) and digital identities
Trust in digital financial services
Cybersecurity risks in digital financial services
Central bank digital currencies (CBDC)
Chatbots and robo-advice for financial services
Data protection, Security and ethical challenges, especially in the use of AI-based financial services
Compliance-by-design

(3) Future of Data-Driven and AI-Enabled Design

Hanna Buyssens, Vlerick Business School and KU Leuven, Belgium
Michael Cahalane, University of New South Wales, Australia
Kieran Conboy, University of Galway, Ireland
Amir Haj-Bolouri, University West, Sweden

There are many claims that AI and big data are reshaping design processes across industries. This track invites work that leverages machine learning, analytics, and algorithmic systems to support human-centred design. We also welcome papers that take a critical view, challenging assumptions about the impact of AI on various aspects design.

Topics of interest include (but are not limited to):

AI and creative design
Human-AI collaboration generative design
Explainability and design
Ethical implications in data-rich design contexts
Designing AI systems for inclusion: integrating diversity, accessibility, and fairness into AI-enabled design processes
How AI is challenging and/or changing the role of designers in contemporary work
Organizational and cultural shifts in adopting AI-enabled design practices
The impact of AI on participatory and co-design methodologies
Agentic AI and Disruptive Design
Machine Learning Practices for Systems Design and Analysis
Generative Design Theorizing

(4) Future of Healthcare and Wellbeing

Lauri Wessel, European New School of Digital Studies, Germany
Ahmed Abbasi, University of Notre Dame, USA
Kadi Lubi, Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia

Design science research (DSR) plays an important role in helping societies around the globe respond to challenges arising from ever-evolving frontiers of developments in digital technologies, chronic health care conditions, and challenges to health care policy. Further, health care and wellbeing are becoming increasingly intertwined as factors affecting our wellbeing, say overuse of social media, are likely to affect our health in the long run as well. This track is focused on innovative solutions that can address these problems by creating impactful innovations in digital health and wellbeing. We welcome interdisciplinary work producing tangible artifacts aimed at improving health outcomes and equity.

Topics of interest include (but are not limited to):

Designing (of AI agents) for diagnostics, curation, and (self-)management of chronic conditions
Designing for overcoming the ‘paradox of prevention‘
Designing for integration of electronic medical records with advanced technologies
Use of DSR in clinical studies, for example, clinical trials
Use of DSR in developing medical products and associated accreditations
Use of DSR to develop, implement, and evaluate value-based approaches to measuring patient outcomes
Designing for improved wellbeing of individuals, for example, through mindful social media use among children and adolescents

(5) Future of Design and Entrepreneurship

Christoph Seckler, ESCP Business School, Germany
Dimo Dimov, University of Bath, United Kingdom
Timothy Hor, RMIT University, Australia
Sophie Petzolt, Fraunhofer IAO, Germany

Entrepreneurship is not just about launching new ventures; it’s about creating value, challenging the status quo, and shaping the future. These themes align closely with this year’s conference focus on ‘Designing for Better Futures.’ The DESRIST 2026 track on Future of Design and Entrepreneurship invites high-quality design science submissions that explore the intersections of design, entrepreneurship, and innovation. We welcome both empirical and conceptual work that makes a strong contribution to design knowledge and offers significant practical relevance. We also encourage methodological contributions that provide guidance on conducting design science research in the fields of entrepreneurship and innovation. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us with any questions regarding your submission.

(6) Future of Responsible and Sustainable Design

Thorsten Schoormann, Roskilde University, Denmark
Yenni Tim, University of New South Wales, Australia
Olivia Liu Sheng, Arizona State University, USA
Sarah Hönigsberg, ICN Business School, France

The drive for sustainability calls for the adoption of digital solutions that not only advance sustainable goals but are also responsibly designed to balance the potential tensions between positive and negative consequences of technology. Designing responsibly means accounting for long-term social and ecological impacts. This track welcomes submissions that embed sustainability thinking, principles of circularity and resilience, as well as societal and ethics considerations into design science research. Contributions may involve responsible (Gen)AI, green IS, or socio-technical systems that support global sustainability goals.

Topics of interest include (but are not limited to):

Designing scalable solutions for sustainable services in underserved communities
Responsible design and implementation frameworks for sustainable societal outcomes
Organisational design practices for sustainability transitions
Designing interventions like nudging and behavior change support for sustainability
Designing and evaluating digital sustainability initiatives
Designing technologies with no/minimum negative impact
Embedding sustainability principles into organisational strategy and design
Responsible use of computational techniques for design science research

(7) Future of Design Science Education

Matthias Söllner, University of Kassel, Germany
Heikki Topi, Bentley University, USA
Shahper Richter, Universiy of Auckland, New Zealand

This track is the premier forum for two education-related streams of design science research. Research, applications and experience reports on a) challenges and best practices in educating scholars and practitioners about DSR methods, and b) using DSR methods to support teaching and learning in education and practice.

Topics of interest include (but are not limited to):

Reporting lessons learned from DSR courses at all advanced educational levels
Analyzing specific DSR challenges and solutions in the context of education
Reporting foundational research on DSR competencies and skills
Developing methods of teaching DSR competencies and skills
Evaluating teaching and assessment methods in DSR education
Reporting empirical studies describing DSR education in different contexts
Reporting pedagogical approaches for DSR education
Analyzing educational technologies for DSR education
Educating industry partners about DSR approaches
Describing applications of DSR for innovative education and pedagogy

(8) Future of Design Science Methodology

Roman Lukyanenko, University of Virginia, USA
Christine Legner, HEC Lausanne, Switzerland
Dirk Hovorka, University of Sydney, Australia
Kai R. Larsen, University of Colorado, USA

Design science (DS) or design science research (DSR) methods are still emerging, driven in part by novel approaches to systems development and use. We see DS applied across an increasing range of research streams and disciplines, from Information Systems (IS) and Entrepreneurship to Healthcare and Educational Design. DS is specifically promising in the context of new technologies – such as AI/GenAI and digital twins – as it supports the effective design of innovative artifacts. Moreover, the DS community demonstrates an increasing interest in stakeholders’ involvement, such as marginalized groups (children or people with cognitive disability) or citizens at large that are affected by technology-driven change, which challenges the existing interaction approaches. Lastly, DS is recognizing anthropological, ethnographic and speculative approaches to designing with futures that challenge the orthodoxy of narrow problem-solution dichotomies. All these factors expand both the scope and the complexity of DS, calling for methodological innovations and new ways to accumulate design knowledge for systematic application in practice. This track welcomes conceptual and empirical works on novel methods, applications, outcomes and on ways future(s) can be built with DS.

(9) Future of Ecosystems for Design Science Research

Matthew Mullarkey, University of South Florida, USA
Asif Gill, Sydney University of Technology, Australia
Edona Elshan, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands

Design Science Research (DSR) increasingly unfolds within dynamic socio-technical ecosystems that span universities, firms, start-ups, public agencies, and digital platforms. This track invites submissions that explore how such ecosystems are created, governed, and leveraged to produce rigorously designed artefacts and actionable knowledge. We seek work that examines collaborative, transdisciplinary teams and the infrastructures, policies, and institutional arrangements that enable impactful DSR for economic and societal good. Topics of interest include innovation hubs, living labs, design platforms, communities of practice, and cross-sector consortia. Especially welcome are studies that reveal mechanisms for orchestrating multi-stakeholder collaboration, sharing data and infrastructure, balancing openness with intellectual property, and scaling prototypes into sustainable solutions. We encourage empirical investigations, methodological innovations, conceptual frameworks, and illustrative case studies that clarify how ecosystem conditions shape, enable, or constrain impactful DSR.

(10) General Track – “From Insight to Impact”

Jan Marco Leimeister, University of St.Gallen, Switzerland
Aleksi Aaltonen, Stevens Institute of Technology, USA
Eva Bittner, Hamburg University, Germany
Khushbu Tilvawala, University of Auckland, New Zealand

The general track provides space for high-quality DSR that does not fit neatly into specialized themes but advances the field through design rigor, theoretical contribution, and practical relevance. We particularly welcome interdisciplinary, innovative, and visionary studies that translate insight into impact.