Abstract

Cross-disciplinary work characterizes information systems (IS) research and practice, including design practice both in industry and design science research (DSR) projects. However, IS research lacks a nuanced understanding of cross-disciplinary design: of its intricacies and challenges. Moreover, IS research, particularly DSR, suffers from a limited conceptualization of design, including cross-disciplinary design. This study utilizes a discourse lens to make sense of cross-disciplinary design in a research project developing a mobile learning application. The study reveals the emergence of a variety of ’designers’ who construct future users in various ways and end up in discursive struggle around their conflicting designs. Powerful disciplinary systems and associated discourses are speaking though these designers. Emergence and evolution also feature cross-disciplinary design with oscillation between multi- and interdisciplinary design. The emergent, disciplinarily bounded, evolving, and contested nature of cross-disciplinary design is emphasized in this study with implications for IS and more specifically for DSR research.