From data to meaningful services - doctorate for Thomas Neifer

The defence of the doctoral thesis entitled Data-driven value creation from businesses to consumers: aligning strategies to inform development and design of data-driven services took place at the University of Siegen. The defence committee consisted of the two doctoral supervisors Prof. Dr Gunnar Stevens and Prof. Dr Alexander Boden (H-BRS) as well as Prof. Dr Giuseppe Strina (third reviewer and chair of the examination board). Family, colleagues and friends from the Consumer Informatics research group at H-BRS and the University of Siegen were also present.

If you were to explain it to a non-specialist in 3-5 sentences: What was your doctorate about? What were the main findings?
"Data-driven business models and services are increasingly changing the way companies generate value, shape customer relationships and secure competitive advantages. At the same time, they are increasingly penetrating the everyday worlds of consumers, shaping their consumption practices and collecting data about their behaviour.

In my dissertation, I developed a framework that shows how data-driven services can be designed in such a way that corporate strategies, technological possibilities and user needs are meaningfully combined. Based on several case studies, I analysed the company and user perspectives on data-driven business models, derived recommendations for action and design principles and showed how both sides can be brought together in co-design processes. With the Data Science Canvas and the Data Storytelling Process, I have also developed practical tools that support companies in strategically planning data-driven business models and communicating user-centred services in an understandable way.
 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my supervisors Prof Dr Gunnar Stevens and Prof Dr Alexander Boden for their support and trust. My special thanks also go to Prof. Dr Andreas Gadatsch, Prof. Dr Dr Franz W. Peren, Prof. Dr Dirk Schreiber and Prof. Dr Johannes Natrop from the H-BRS, whose guidance, impulses and professional exchange have significantly influenced my doctorate."

What are your career plans for the near future?

"At the moment, I'm consciously keeping all my career options open. Firstly, I would like to put my experience into practice and familiarise myself with new work contexts. At the same time, I can also well imagine staying in academia and setting up my own research group in the future, be it through a postdoc position or a professorship. I find the question of how research and application can be combined even more closely in the future particularly exciting."