The SERS framework: a stakeholder-oriented approach to designing and evaluating distributed ledger systems

Distributed ledger technology (DLT) initiatives are frequently designed from a predominantly technical and functional perspective. Such a narrow focus often overlooks stakeholder-oriented non-functional requirements, thereby limiting adoption in complex socio-technical environments. To address this gap, this paper develops the SERS framework, a stakeholder-oriented framework that structures four key dimensions for the design and evaluation of decentralized systems: Security, Efficiency, Resiliency, and Sustainability. Following a Design Science Research approach, the framework is derived from a systematic literature review and refined through expert validation using the fuzzy Delphi technique. The resulting framework provides a domain-independent typology of stakeholder-oriented performance dimensions and associated assessment criteria. To demonstrate its applicability, the framework is used to guide the design of a multi-layer architecture integrating distributed ledger technologies, IoT, and Cloud/Edge/Fog computing within a healthcare context. The architecture is subsequently evaluated using the Fuzzy Analytic Network Process (Fuzzy-ANP) based on the SERS dimensions. The results indicate that the proposed architecture performs particularly strongly in terms of security and resiliency, while highlighting efficiency and sustainability as areas requiring further improvement. Beyond healthcare, the SERS framework provides a reusable mechanism for designing and evaluating decentralized socio-technical systems across a broad range of technology adoption contexts.