University of Gothenburg
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  4. Yixin Zhang

Yixin Zhang

Senior Lecturer

Department of Applied IT, div Informatics
Telephone
+46 31-786 34 99
+46 766-18 34 99
Mail
yixin.zhang@ait.gu.se
Visiting address
Forskningsgången 6
417 56 Göteborg
Postal address
Box 100
412 96 Göteborg

About Yixin Zhang

I am an Associate Professor (Docent) in the Department of Applied Information Technology at the University of Gothenburg, and a member of the Swedish Center for Digital Innovation (SCDI). My academic journey began with a cross-disciplinary foundation: I earned a PhD in Information Systems from HKUST, complemented by undergraduate degrees (First Class Honours) in both Information Systems and Software Engineering from the University of Hong Kong. This background shapes my research approach to studying complex digital phenomena.

My research is driven by a central question: How can we design, implement, and govern digital technologies – particularly AI and social media – to create sustainable value for organisations, individuals, and society? 

I investigate this through the lenses of AI-Human Interaction, digital transformation, and human-computer interaction. My recent work includes designing an open, transparent generative AI platform for the Swedish public sector (in collaboration with Sundsvall municipality), studying how social media engagement cultivates sustainable food networks in China, and understanding how interface design influences user contribution behaviours in social commerce.

As an educator, I am committed to active, experiential learning. My course, Digital Infrastructure, features an Arduino-based workshop that allows students from diverse technical backgrounds to build prototypes and grapple with real-world infrastructure challenges. This approach was recognised as a finalist for the SISA Pedagogical Prize in 2024. I believe in bridging theory and practice, and my Project Work I course partners with real organisations, enabling students to tackle authentic digitalisation challenges.

Research Interests

  • AI-Human Interaction & Responsible AI: Transparency, openness, and governance of generative AI platforms in the public sector.

  • Digital Transformation & Organisational Change: The process of digital transformation, legacy system renewal

  • Digital Innovation for Sustainability: The role of data and analytics in green finance (e.g., green bonds), sustainable food networks (e.g., Community Supported Agriculture), and sustainability (e.g. how can AI and data help to identify invasive species, how can sensors open data help to combat urban flooding)

  • Social Media & Digital Engagement: User behaviour, engagement cultivation, information diffusion, and the role of emotion (e.g., emojis) in online communication.

  • Human-Computer Interaction (HCI): Interface design, attention allocation, and user contributions in social commerce and online communities.

Selected Publications (Grouped by theme for impact)

AI, Digital Transformation & The Public Sector

  • Persson, P., & Zhang, Y. (2025). Openness and Transparency by Design: Crafting an Open Generative AI Platform for the Public Sector. Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS).

  • Persson, P., Zhang, Y., Asatiani, A., Lindman, J., & Rudmark, D. (2024). Toward Citizen-Centered Digital Government: Design Principles Guided Legacy System Renewal in A Swedish Municipality. HICSS.

Social Media, Engagement, Human-Computer Interaction & User Contributions

  • Zhang, Y., Ridings, C., & Semenov, A. (2022). What to post? Understanding engagement cultivation in microblogging with big data-driven theory building. International Journal of Information Management. Impact Factor: 27.0

  • Kuem, J., & Zhang, Y. (2024). How Does Performance-Based Monetary Incentive Influence Cyberloafing's Effects on Task Performance? Information Systems Frontiers. Impact Factor: 8.3

  • Zhang, Y., Liu, L., & Ho, S. Y. (2020). How do interruptions affect user contributions on social commerce? Information Systems Journal. Impact Factor: 6.3

Other Selected Publications

  • Tuunanen, T., Lumivalo, J., Vartiainen, T., Zhang, Y., & Myers, M. D. (2023). Micro-Level Mechanisms to Support Value Co-Creation for Design of Digital Services. Journal of Service Research. Impact Factor: 8.6

  • Dong, J. Q., Wu, W., & Zhang, Y. (2019). The faster the better? The effect of innovation speed on project success of open source software. Information & Management. Impact Factor: 8.2

A full publication list is available via My Google Scholar

Teaching & Pedagogy

I am passionate about creating engaging, hands-on learning environments that prepare students for the complexities of digital innovation.

  • Pedagogical Recognition: My approach, "Learning by Doing: Using Arduino in Teaching Digital Infrastructure among Students with Diverse Technical Backgrounds," was a finalist for the SISA Pedagogical Prize in 2024.

  • Courses Taught (Selected):

    • Digital Infrastructure (TIA303, later TIA325) – Master's course on the fundamentals of digital infrastructure, connecting the technical aspects with strategical aspects. In the course I designed and implemented an Arduino prototyping workshop.

    • Project Work I (TIA304, later TIA330) – Master's project course where students analyze digitalisation challenges with real-world organisations.

    • Enterprise Systems (TIG162) – Undergraduate course on business information systems.

    • Systemutvecklingsprojekt System development project (TIG059) – Undergraduate course, system development project. In this course I taught students how to collect and refine user requirements, design relational databases, and build systems that can meet business needs.

    • Information Privacy (TJTSM65) – Doctoral and master's course on privacy theory and management. Enrollment doubled within two years.

  • Doctoral Supervision: Principal supervisor for PhD graduate Per Persson. PhD Defense February 3rd, 2026. “Managing Socio-Technical Debt: Causes and Design-Science Solutions for Citizen-Centred Digital Public Services” Per’s research focuses on digital transformation and AI platforms in the public sector. Together, we have published three peer-reviewed conference papers at HICSS and one paper at SCIS. Per has also published a single author journal paper at Information Systems Practice Journal.

  • Master's Thesis Supervision: Supervised twelve master's theses, several of which received top grades (VG/5) and led to peer-reviewed publications with the students.

Grants & External Funding

Academic Service & Leadership

  • Conference Track Chair:

    • HCI and Robotic Interface Design, Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems (PACIS), 2026.

    • Health IT and IS for Healthcare, PACIS, 2023.

    • Human Behavior and IS Track, PACIS, 2022.

  • Associate Editor:

    • International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS): 2015, 2017, 2022, 2025.

    • European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS): 2021, 2022, 2023.

    • PACIS: 2019, 2022.

  • Ad Hoc Reviewer: MIS Quarterly, Information Systems Research, Journal of Management Information Systems, Journal of the Association for Information Systems, Information & Management, and numerous other leading journals and conferences.

  • Organising Committee: Jyväskylä Summer School (2016, 2017), IRIS2024 (Information Systems Research Seminar in Scandinavia).

  • Study Advisor: Master's Program in Service Innovation and Management, University of Jyväskylä (2016-2018).

Webinar Series Leadership (Ocean Data Factory Sweden, 2021–2023)

As Work Package Leader, I founded and managed the ODF Sweden Webinar Series, a knowledge-exchange platform connecting researchers, practitioners, and policymakers in marine data science and the blue economy.

  • Organized 21 international webinars over 2.5 years (February 2021 – October 2023)

  • Speakers from 4+ countries (Sweden, Portugal, Norway, USA, UK, NZ) representing universities, research institutes, NGOs, and private sector

  • Themes: AI for conservation, citizen science, open marine data, low-cost ocean sensors, autonomous underwater vehicles, data governance, and sustainable fisheries

  • Audience: Academics, industry professionals, government agencies (e.g., Swedish National Data Service, IVL), and the general public

  • Outcome: Built a vibrant, cross-disciplinary community; created a publicly accessible library of recorded seminars on the ODF Sweden YouTube channel

Industry Collaboration & Project-Based Learning

I believe in bridging the gap between academic theory and real-world practice. In my master's course, TIA304 Project Work I and TIA330 Project Work I, students analyze digitalization challenges in authentic organizational settings. I have established and maintained partnerships with a diverse range of public and private organizations, enabling students to tackle pressing issues in digital transformation, platform business models, AI implementation, and social inclusion.

Each project involves direct collaboration with organizational stakeholders, culminating in evidence-based, actionable recommendations. Below are selected collaborations from 2021–2025.

  • GöteborgsOperan

Digital strategy to broaden audience, improve streaming accessibility, and attract diverse groups (e.g., young adults, immigrants)

Cultural accessibility, social inclusion, digital experience design

  • EHRAB / ByggJobs

Digital platform to match construction workers with companies, focusing on trust, skills validation, and attracting women and foreign workers

Labor market innovation, gender equality, economic inclusion

  • Sundsvall Municipality

AI implementation in public sector (chatbots, generative AI), focusing on citizen trust, transparency, and data privacy

Public sector innovation, democratic transparency, citizen services

  • Örebro University

RPA (Robotic Process Automation) pilot project to enhance digital competence among non-technical staff

Workforce development, digital upskilling, participatory design

  • Volvo Buses / Volvo Connect

B2B digital marketplace for fleet management services, exploring business models, governance, security, and third-party innovation

Industrial digital transformation, platform ecosystems, B2B innovation

 

My Python Program for Data Analysis

Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) is a method used to reveal the structure of complex relationships among elements of a system. LSM can be adopted to interpretive structural modeling (ISM) approach to analyze the relationships among the identified constructs.

Example: Tuunanen, T., Lumivalo, J., Vartiainen, T., Zhang, Y., & Myers, M. D. (2024). Micro-level mechanisms to support value co-creation for design of digital services. Journal of Service Research, 27(3), 381-396. https://doi.org/10.1177/10946705231173116

I have prepared the python codes that implement ISM. The codes are on Google Colab. You need to login with a google account to run it. https://colab.research.google.com/drive/17SAZzl6lkffMItxgMDomuMghtUpBcQ-Q?usp=sharing

You can also find the codes on my GitHub https://github.com/sunshine820/ISM

We are preparing a paper to introduce Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) method. If you use the codes for data analysis for a paper, for now please cite Tuunanen, Tuure, et al. "Micro-level mechanisms to support value co-creation for design of digital services." Journal of Service Research 27.3 (2024): 381-396.