Technology Area Digital Service Innovation
At Halmstad University, we profile Informatics towards Digital Service Innovation (DSI). This implies a focus on how value is created for users, organisations and societies through combining, re-combining and integrating resources into digital services.
Research focus
Informatics at Halmstad University develops the Scandinavian Informatics tradition, which integrates Information Systems (IS) and Human Computer Interaction (HCI) research. We profile Informatics towards Digital Service Innovation (DSI). This implies a focus on how value is created for users, organizations and societies through combining, re-combining and integrating resources into digital services. We also investigate how and why DSI may promote or create improvements in the wellbeing of different societal actors, by studying for example stakeholder involvement in innovation processes, digital service logics and architectures, innovation ecosystems and value network governance.
Research projects within Digital Service Innovation
DSI research in Informatics combines theorizing (identifying models, patterns, structures, relations, processes) with applied and action-oriented research in co-creation with industrial and public-sector partners, and covers process innovation research focused on stakeholder involvement and value co-creation as well as the intersection between digital services and business.
The core competence areas include innovation process knowledge, digital service and business innovation, interaction design and design science. We often use qualitative research methods such as qualitative interviews, focus group and workshop methods (e.g. co-design, participatory design, personas) participant observation, and design ethnography. Research output includes insights, theory and method development, prototypes and demonstrators.
Application areas
Empirically Informatics research at Halmstad University focus on DSI in different application areas in companies, public sector and for individuals. Healthcare studies aims develop an understanding of digitalization of hospitals and healthcare to empower health professionals in their work. This is done by studying the use and meaning of health technologies, and developing innovative solutions to health-related challenges for individuals, groups, organisations, companies and society at large.
In the transport sector, we study how for exampel embedded sensors in buses and intelligent systems create new opportunities for digital service innovation. A growing strand of research focuses on users’ appropriation of autonomous driving (AD) cars and digital service design for future mobility solutions.
The media application area has been the main focus for Informatics at Halmstad University for long. In collaboration with the Swedish and international media industry research has centered on exploring new IT concepts and services enabling new forms of value creation and value capture.
Research on public sector DSI focus on how digitisation in the form of civic services transforms the relationship between citizens and government, and what innovation means for the services purchased by public authorities.
We often use qualitative research methods such as qualitative interviews, focus group and workshop methods, participant observation, and design ethnography.
Digital service innovation is an area based on research in informatics, service sciences and innovation sciences.
Education
Within the Technology Area, courses within the subject are conducted. Education of doctoral students is done within the doctoral education in information technology:
Organisation
Technology Area Digital Service Innovation is, together with Technology Area Aware Intelligent Systems, organised under department ISDD at the School of Information Technology.
