The working group introduces itself
The Chair of Business Information Systems, in particular IT security and data protection, researches the digital transformation of society from a consumer perspective with the aim of increasing digital sovereignty.
The chair is located in the new research field of consumer informatics. Consumer informatics is understood as the systematic, methodically guided investigation and design of information and communication technologies to support the household economies and everyday practices of consumers as well as their appropriation and social embedding. In doing so, consumer informatics undertakes a change of perspective, focusing not only on the role of users of a system or customers of a company, but also on the individual and collective lifeworlds of consumers as comprehensively as possible.
Our research profile
Description of the research focus areas and list of focus areas
User-Centered Security
This participatory approach addresses the situated design of security and data protection mechanisms from the user's perspective. This usually reveals a design trade-off: security is one of people's basic needs. At the same time, compliance with security measures is only a secondary task. The aim of the chair's research is therefore to develop usable solutions that are both secure and easy to follow.
Usable Privacy & Data Literacy
The promotion of informational self-determination and the data protection of private individuals is a valuable asset in Germany. However, data protection is facing new challenges due to the technical development of simplified automatic data collection and processing. Studies show that users are increasingly losing awareness of the consequences and effects that the disclosure of their (automatically collected) data can have for them. At the same time, this lack of transparency is increasing latent unease towards providers of digital services, leading to a loss of trust and acceptance problems.
Consumer data analytics & visualization
Consumer researchers and consumer advocates alike are faced with the challenge of finding out what information is contained in the data that is explicitly or implicitly collected by end devices. This is why the research group deals with the use of common data science methods to analyse and visualize data on energy behaviour, mobility behaviour, purchasing behaviour, etc. for and with consumers.
Research focus
- User-Centered Security
- Usable Privacy & Data Literacy
- Consumer Data Analytics & Visualization
