The thesis of Moritz Stefaner contributes to a new discipline of science: web science, as introduced by Tim Berners-Lee in 2006. The big challenge is, that such a research area has only been recently postulated, however, does not yet exist in a coherent form. Designers, computer scientists, sociologists, cognitive scientists, psychologists etc. have individual perspectives on the complex and rapidly evolving interplay of technological and social infrastructure and human society. However, a well-defined discipline — unifying the scientific analysis of social and human factors to understand, but also to shape and steer web developments by informed design and engineering — is not established yet. This thesis is a contribution to an interdisciplinary dialogue between science, engineering and design.

More information about the thesis and a number of interactive examples can be found on Moritz’s Blog »Well-formed Data«.