Using design science to improve web search innovation in real estate

ABSTRACT

We analyze 14 leading real estate websites, seven residential and seven commercial. They exhibit limited demographic and geographic information systems (GIS) data display capability. They exhibit economic data display capability except one, and lack demographic, economic, and GIS data search capability. Real estate web searching is inefficient, time consuming, and inflexible. To overcome these limitations, we use design-science to create three search modes (Sc2, Sc3, and Sc4). Sc2 uses demographic data, Sc3 economic data, and Sc4 GIS data.

Keywords:

• Business model innovation
• commercial
• demographic
• design science
• GIS
• real estate
• residential
• search models

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Delvin Grant

Delvin Grant is an associate professor of Management Information Systems in the School of Accountancy and MIS at DePaul University in Chicago, where he also serves as the MIS program coordinator. He received a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering and Management Information Systems from the Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering at the State University of New York at Binghamton, where he also earned an MBA from the School of Management. His research interests are systems development methodologies, action research, total quality management, enterprise integration, and e-commerce. Dr. Grant has published in Communications of the ACM, Information Systems Journal, Information Technology and People, Computers in Human Behavior, Journal of Computer Information Systems, Electronic Commerce Research, International Journal of Enterprise Information Systems, Journal of Computers & Industrial Engineering, Computers in Industry, TQM & Business Excellence, and Information Technology & Management.

Emna Cherif

Emna Cherif earned her master’s degree in logistics and e-logistics was awarded at the National Institute of Industrial Management, Sfax, Tunisia. She has been a visiting research scholar at Depaul University in the School of Accountancy and MIS, and at the University of Illinois (Chicago). She has worked as a system analyst at Station Electronic Service Company. Her research interests include e-commerce, logistics, system design, and innovation strategies. She has published in Electronic Commerce Research, the International Journal of Strategic Information Technology and Applications, and the International Journal of Service Science, Management, Engineering, and Technology.