2026-10-06 バッファロー大学（UB）
＜関連情報＞
- https://www.buffalo.edu/news/news-releases.host.html/content/shared/mgt/news/before-building-mental-health-apps-designers-need-understand-problem.detail.html
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167923626000862
複雑な心理社会的問題に対する問題領域探索：2つの事例からの洞察 Problem space exploration for wicked psychosocial problems: Insights from two cases
Pavankumar Mulgund, Shannon Colville, Sandeep Purao, Nadine Ostern, Wasana Bandara, Lavlin Agrawal, Raj Sharman, Sophie Coulon, Joana Gaia, Catherine Haslam
Decision Support Systems Available online: 22 May 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dss.2026.114697
Highlights
- Examines problem space exploration (PSE) as a core DSR activity, distinct yet interwoven with artifacts.
- Uses two revelatory cases to investigate wicked psychosocial problems.
- Applies several techniques—topic modeling, coding, workshops, and observations—to surface problem complexity.
- Derives seven grounded PSE principles emphasizing technique agnosticism, pacing, abstraction, and co-sensemaking.
- Validates principles and shows how preserving solution ambiguity improves intervention design rigor.
Abstract
A critical pre-requisite to delivering social good through the design of digital solutions is a deep and nuanced understanding of the problem space – beyond awareness, framing or problematization. This “problem of the problem” is particularly acute for wicked psychosocial problems (a subclass of wicked problems) that are characterized by stigma, emotional vulnerability, identity threats, and sensitive disclosure dynamics. In this paper, we develop a set of principles for effective problem space exploration (PSE) for this class of problems. Our work relies on cross-case analysis of PSE journeys for two design science research (DSR) efforts aimed at specific problems in this class: young adults experiencing social anxiety disorder, and older adults facing loneliness. We validate the principles with a retrospective analysis of prior DSR efforts and a structured evaluation from experts to assess their potential applicability. Our work contributes a set of PSE principles for wicked psychosocial problems that are empirically grounded and validated with expert feedback – adding to contemporary discussion of PSE in DSR.
