# Digital Platform: Design and Strategy
**Source**: https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/digital-platform-design-and-strategy
**Parent**: https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/
Digital platforms are transforming how people interact, transact, and share information. Our researchers explore the evolving strategies and design mechanism that shape platform ecosystems, user experiences, and broader economic and social outcomes.
[KOH, Tat Koon](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/faculty/koh-tat-koon)
[“Optimal” Feedback Use in Crowdsourcing Contests: Source Effect and Priming Intervention](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/2026/01/optimal-feedback-use-crowdsourcing-contests-source-effect-and-priming)
Crowdsourcing contests allow firms to seek ideas from external solvers to address their problems. This research examines solvers’ use of developmental feedback from different sources and of different constructiveness when generating ideas in contests. I theorize a source effect in solvers’ feedback use where they use seeker feedback more than peer feedback
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[Read More](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/2026/01/optimal-feedback-use-crowdsourcing-contests-source-effect-and-priming)
[ [Digital Platform: Design and Strategy](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/digital-platform-design-and-strategy "Digital Platform: Design and Strategy") ]
[ [Innovation and Entrepreneurship](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/innovation-and-entrepreneurship "Innovation and Entrepreneurship") ]
[Read Full Paper](https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/pdf/10.1287/orsc.2021.15885)
[HUA, Xinyu](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/faculty/hua-xinyu)
SPIER, Kathryn E.
[Holding Platforms Liable](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/2026/01/holding-platforms-liable)
Should platforms be liable for harms suffered by users? A platform enables interactions between firms and users. Harmful firms impose larger costs on users than safe firms. If firms have deep pockets and are fully liable for harms, platform liability is unnecessary. If firms have limited liability, holding platforms liable for residual harm increases
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[Read More](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/2026/01/holding-platforms-liable)
[ [Digital Platform: Design and Strategy](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/digital-platform-design-and-strategy "Digital Platform: Design and Strategy") ]
[Read Full Paper](https://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1257/mic.20230282)
CHEN, Yongmin
[HUA, Xinyu](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/faculty/hua-xinyu)
MASKUS, Keith E.
[International Protection of Consumer Data](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/2026/01/international-protection-consumer-data)
We study the international protection of consumer data in a model where data from product sales generate additional revenue to firms but disutility to consumers. When data usage lacks transparency, a firm suffers a commitment problem and overuses consumer data. Greater transparency enables the firm to commit to less data usage, which boosts consumer demand
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[Read More](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/2026/01/international-protection-consumer-data)
[ [Digital Platform: Design and Strategy](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/digital-platform-design-and-strategy "Digital Platform: Design and Strategy") ]
[Read Full Paper](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022199621000970?via%3Dihub=)
[LYU, Guodong](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/faculty/lyu-guodong)
CHEUNG, Wang Chi
TEO, Chung-Piaw
WANG, Hai
[Optimizing Passenger–Driver Matching in Ride-Sharing Markets](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/2026/01/optimizing-passenger-driver-matching-ride-sharing-markets)
Uber and other ride-sourcing companies rely on multiple types of data to optimize service delivery, and they often use Internet-based platforms to match passengers and drivers through smartphone data. However, this type of supply–demand matching remains challenging due to the need to balance speed, revenue, and quality. HKUST’s Guodong Lyu and colleagues aim
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[Read More](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/2026/01/optimizing-passenger-driver-matching-ride-sharing-markets)
[ [Digital Platform: Design and Strategy](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/digital-platform-design-and-strategy "Digital Platform: Design and Strategy") ]
[Read Full Paper](https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/10.1287/msom.2020.0247)
GAO, Baojun
[WANG, Jing](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/faculty/wang-jing-0)
DING, Xiaojie
GUO, Yue
[The Pitfalls of Soliciting Online Reviews](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/2025/12/pitfalls-soliciting-online-reviews)
[Consumer Behavior](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/tag/consumer-behavior)
[Online Marketing](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/tag/online-marketing)
[Information Disclosure](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/tag/information-disclosure)
Today’s consumers heavily rely on online peer reviews to guide their purchase decisions. Yet, review platforms and businesses alike are struggling with a shortage of online reviews and declining review length. In response, many businesses have turned to offering incentives, such as discounts or even direct payments, in exchange for (often positive) reviews
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[Read More](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/2025/12/pitfalls-soliciting-online-reviews)
[ [BizStudies](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/bizstudies "BizStudies") ]
[ [Digital Platform: Design and Strategy](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/digital-platform-design-and-strategy "Digital Platform: Design and Strategy") ]
[Read Full Paper](https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/epdf/10.1287/mnsc.2023.01006)
MAGLARAS, Costis
SCARSINI, Marco
[SHIN, Dongwook](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/faculty/shin-dongwook)
VACCARI, Stefano
[Online Rankings and Raising Revenue](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/2024/06/online-rankings-and-raising-revenue)
[Social Learning](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/tag/social-learning)
[Online Information](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/tag/online-information)
[Platform Ecosystems](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/tag/platform-ecosystems)
When making online purchases, consumers often encounter a lengthy list of products whose quality they know little or nothing about, ranked by an unknown algorithm. Users often turn to others’ online reviews to estimate product quality—a process known as social learning. HKUST’s Dongwook Shin and colleagues shed light on the challenges that platforms face
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[Read More](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/2024/06/online-rankings-and-raising-revenue)
[ [BizStudies](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/bizstudies "BizStudies") ]
[ [Digital Platform: Design and Strategy](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/digital-platform-design-and-strategy "Digital Platform: Design and Strategy") ]
[Read Full Paper](https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/epdf/10.1287/opre.2022.2372)
[LIU, Jia](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/faculty/liu-jia)
CONG, Ziwei
[What Are You Looking At? How Others Influence our Choices Online](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/2024/04/what-are-you-looking-how-others-influence-our-choices-online)
[Algorithm](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/tag/algorithm)
[Online Information](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/tag/online-information)
[Marketing Strategy](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/tag/marketing-strategy)
[Customer Behavior](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/tag/customer-behavior)
Online platforms attract hundreds of millions of users, who post regularly on many topics. However, the algorithms used to direct them to content have faced criticism. HKUST’s Jia Liu and a colleague examine the phenomenon of “popularity bias” in recommender systems, taking advantage of a quasi-experiment conducted by China’s biggest online knowledge-sharing
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[Read More](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/2024/04/what-are-you-looking-how-others-influence-our-choices-online)
[ [BizStudies](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/bizstudies "BizStudies") ]
[ [Digital Platform: Design and Strategy](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/digital-platform-design-and-strategy "Digital Platform: Design and Strategy") ]
[Read Full Paper](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00222437221134237)
[SHIN, Dongwook](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/faculty/shin-dongwook)
VACCARI, Stefano
ZEEVI, Assaf
[How Online Reviews Affect Dynamic Pricing Strategies](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/2023/09/how-online-reviews-affect-dynamic-pricing-strategies)
[Pricing](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/tag/pricing)
[Online Information](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/tag/online-information)
[Social Learning](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/tag/social-learning)
[E-commerce](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/tag/e-commerce)
Online product review platforms have become popular places for consumers to share their opinions on and experiences of the products and services they buy. In online marketplaces, the quality of a new product or service is initially unknown, but reviews posted by buyers inform subsequent customers. By reducing uncertainty about product quality, this type of
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[Read More](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/2023/09/how-online-reviews-affect-dynamic-pricing-strategies)
[ [BizStudies](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/bizstudies "BizStudies") ]
[ [Digital Platform: Design and Strategy](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/digital-platform-design-and-strategy "Digital Platform: Design and Strategy") ]
[Read Full Paper](https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/epdf/10.1287/mnsc.2022.4387)
NG, Ka Chung
TANG, JIe
[LEE, Dongwon](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/faculty/lee-dongwon)
[Fighting Fake News](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/2022/08/fighting-fake-news)
[Online Information](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/tag/online-information)
[Policy Implication](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/tag/policy-implication)
[Social Media](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/tag/social-media)
Social media platforms are investing millions in fighting “fake news,” but little is known about how effective their strategies are, say HKUST’s LEE Dong Won and colleagues. Offering much-needed guidance in today’s era of disinformation, the authors shed new light on the propagation of false and misleading news, identifying how it spreads and, critically
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[Read More](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/2022/08/fighting-fake-news)
[ [BizStudies](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/bizstudies "BizStudies") ]
[ [Digital Platform: Design and Strategy](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/digital-platform-design-and-strategy "Digital Platform: Design and Strategy") ]
[Read Full Paper](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epub/10.1080/07421222.2021.1990612?needAccess=true)
KARAHANNA, Elena
XU, Sean Xin
[XU, Yan](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/faculty/xu-yan-0)
ZHANG, Nan Andy
[Meeting Needs through Social Media](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/2021/06/meeting-needs-through-social-media)
[Interpersonal Relationship](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/tag/interpersonal-relationship)
[Online Information](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/tag/online-information)
[Social Network](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/tag/social-network)
Twitter has almost 200 million users. Facebook’s customer base is even bigger, approaching 3 billion. Yet despite the staggering popularity of social media applications, it remains unclear exactly why and how people use this technology. Taking a holistic view of social media use, HKUST’s Professor Yan Xu and co-researchers developed a pioneering theory-based
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[Read More](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/2021/06/meeting-needs-through-social-media)
[ [BizStudies](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/bizstudies "BizStudies") ]
[ [Digital Platform: Design and Strategy](https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/bizinsight/digital-platform-design-and-strategy "Digital Platform: Design and Strategy") ]
[Read Full Paper](https://misq.org/misq/downloads/download/article/1340/)