Designing Mobile Information Services; An approach for Organisations in a Value Network

Abstract

The mobile telecommunications industry is searching for new services, not only to recoup its investments but also to stay competitive in the future. The industry is undergoing a radical transformation and organisations in the telecommunications, information technology and media sector are becoming increasingly interdependent. Organisations have to collaborate in value networks to create new mobile information services. The challenge is to design services in these complex networks that provide value for all actors including the customer. In this research we explore an approach to design mobile information services. Mobile information services are a product of fast developing technology, unpredictable demand from customers and a value network created by the involved actors. We present four case studies. The first three are the WAP based M-info service and the iMode based Radio 538 ringtune service and Finder service. The last case study concerns the action research project âMIES on the campusâ. In this project we designed and implemented a mobile information and entertainment service for campus visitors on a UMTS testbed at Delft University of Technology. The main deliverable of this research is a design approach that consists of guidelines, control mechanisms, predefined activities, models, and supporting tools.