Selected publications

My strongest and most cited papers and books, chosen from more than 200 publications with over 5,000 citations. The full list is on ORCID and Google Scholar.

Research collaborations

2024 – 27MIT Media Lab. As principal investigator with Pattie Maes and her Fluid Interfaces group, I study how AI can help people decide with their future in mind: from conversations with an AI-generated future self to early detection of problematic phone use. HPI–MIT Designing for Sustainability Program (MIT profile).

2022 – 24MIT Center for Information Systems Research. Digital strategies in incumbent firms.

2019 – 22Stanford University. With Larry Leifer, three projects in the Hasso Plattner Design Thinking Research Program on how organisations measure, steer and embed human-centred digital innovation.

2010 – 19Stanford University. With Larry Leifer, ME310 and the SUGAR network: global student teams working on real company challenges.

Selected papers and books

A selection only, not a complete list. Of more than 200 publications, including five books, I show here the ones I consider most important. All publications are listed on ORCID and Google Scholar.

Journal articles selection

leading journals

2024Building the processes behind the product: How digital ventures create business processes that support their growth. Business & Information Systems Engineering. Wuttke, Haskamp, Perscheid & Uebernickel.

2019How affordances of chatbots cross the chasm between social and traditional enterprise systems. Electronic Markets. Stöckli, Dremel, Uebernickel & Brenner.

2018Exploring characteristics and transformational capabilities of InsurTech innovations to understand insurance value creation in a digital world. Electronic Markets. Stöckli, Dremel & Uebernickel.

2016How Deutsche Bank’s IT division used design thinking to achieve customer proximity. MIS Quarterly Executive. Vetterli, Uebernickel, Brenner, Petrie & Stermann.

2016The role of users and customers in digital innovation: Insights from B2B manufacturing firms. Information & Management. Abrell, Pihlajamaa, Kanto, vom Brocke & Uebernickel.

2014Developing a maturity model for service systems in heavy equipment manufacturing enterprises. Information & Management. Neff, Hamel, Herz, Uebernickel, Brenner & vom Brocke.

2014User, use & utility research: The digital user as new design perspective in business and information systems engineering. Business & Information Systems Engineering. Brenner, Karagiannis, Kolbe, … Uebernickel, Winter & Zarnekow.

further journals

2025Designing digital health innovation for stigma-affected health conditions: A systems-based view to managing chronic pelvic pain. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction. de Paula, Jühling & Uebernickel.

2022A managerial mental model to drive innovation in the context of digital transformation. Industry and Innovation. de Paula, Wolf, Dremel, Cormican & Uebernickel.

2021Design principles for mHealth application development in rural parts of developing countries: The case of non-communicable diseases in Kenya. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management. Klinker, Przybilla, Viljoen, Uebernickel & Krcmar.

2020On integrating design thinking for a human-centered requirements engineering. IEEE Software. Hehn, Mendez, Uebernickel, Brenner & Broy.

2015The impact of cyber-physical systems on industrial services in manufacturing. Procedia CIRP. Herterich, Uebernickel & Brenner.

2013From palaces to yurts: Why requirements engineering needs design thinking. IEEE Internet Computing. Vetterli, Brenner, Uebernickel & Petrie.

Conference papers selection

2025Interacting with an AI-generated future self to promote healthy food choices: A study proposal. European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS). Enkmann, Beermann, Fang, Pataranutaporn, Maes & Uebernickel.

2023A cognitive perspective on digital transformation: Literature review and research framework. Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS). Marx, de Paula, Haskamp & Uebernickel.

2022Loss aversion nudges to improve heating behavior and reduce carbon emissions. Academy of Management Annual Meeting. Best Paper. Beermann, Rieder, Ebbers, Bicker, Pörschke & Uebernickel.

2022How to turn around: Escalation of commitment in the context of ISD project distress. International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS). Best Paper in Track. Marx & Uebernickel.

2022Punctuated multi-layered liminality in digital transformation: The case of an automotive platform. International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS). Haskamp, Dremel, Berente, Yoo & Uebernickel.

2022Evolution of digital innovation units for digital transformation: The convergence of motors of change. International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS). Lorson, Dremel & Uebernickel.

2021Understanding inertia in digital transformation: A literature review and multilevel research framework. International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS). Haskamp, Marx, Dremel & Uebernickel.

Books selection

2020Design Thinking: The Handbook. English edition; Chinese edition 2022; German original 2015. Uebernickel, Jiang, Brenner, Pukall, Naef & Schindlholzer.

2016Design Thinking for Innovation: Research and Practice. Book, Springer. Brenner & Uebernickel (eds.).

2016Design thinking as mindset, process, and toolbox. Chapter in Design Thinking for Innovation, Springer. Brenner, Uebernickel & Abrell.

This is a selection. The complete list is on ORCID and Google Scholar.