Software design for informal setups: Centring the benefits
Chepken K.C, Edwin Blake, G Marden · 2011
Appropriating technology for the benefit of the very poor is a key theme of Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D). Our aim is to design systems that reduce the challenges faced by the poor in the informal sector of the labour market. However, designing for a nonstructured problem area involving socio-economic webs is challenging and requires more than just the ‘normal’ user requirements gathering techniques. In such social problem areas solutions must prioritize the direct benefits for the target groups. In this paper, a novel design technique for designing in an informal sector problem areas, the case of day labour market, is presented. It involves iteratively reviewing field work results of a long term study, reinforcing those findings with existing literature and eventually critically validating the requirements using existing Management Information Systems (MISs). In this method, benefits to target users are placed at the centre throughout the design process. Our design outcome and its relation to the design process are also presented. Index Terms — Day labour, Action Research, ICT4D