Abstract: User-centered design methods such as personas and scenarios are useful tools for communicating extensive user research to designers. However, intensive data collection and onsite fieldwork required for personas and scenarios development can present a barrier for user researchers and designers working on technology innovations for diverse populations, including those in developing regions. This paper presents a model that demonstrates how user researchers and designers can use data collected for other purposes to source personas and scenarios and substantively adopt user-centered design approaches. We demonstrate our methods through a case study based on research in Kyrgyzstan.

Reference: Putnam, C., Johnson, E. Rose, E.& Kolko, B. (2009).Adapting User-Centered Design Methods to Design for Diverse Populations. In Special HCI4D Issue of Information Technologies and International Development(ITID),in press.

Getting online but still living offline: the complex relationship of technology adoption and in-person social networks

Abstract: Previous research in Kyrgyzstan has demonstrated the importance of close social networks as avenues for gathering and sharing information, assistance and goods in the country. However, the relationship between technology use and social network use has not been investigated; understanding this relationship is important when considering the design of technology applications that support existing social networks. Contrary to Robert Putnam’s hypothesis that technologies have an ”individualizing” force on populations, we have found that social network patterns do not appear to be negatively associated with higher technology use. In fact, the higher the level of technology use, the more face-to-face social networks were used for multiple types of information seeking.

Reference: Putnam, C. & Kolko, B.(2009). Getting online but still living offline: the complex relationship of technology adoption and in-person social networks. In Proceedings of ASONAM 2009, Athens, Greece, July 20-23, 2009, 33-40.

Mobile phone users in Kyrgyzstan: A case study of identifying user requirements for diverse users

Abstract: Mobile phones are widely recognized as a potentially transformative technology platform for developing nations. However, for designers and programmers in the developed world to create viable applications for mobile phones involves first identifying and communicating user requirements for diverse users. We define diverse users as those from a substantively different cultural context than that in which the technology design occurs, including developing regions. This paper presents a case study outlining our process of using data from prior research to (1) identify a tenable mobile phone product concept for mobile phone users in Kyrgyzstan; (2) detect and communicate user requirements for that product concept to a design team; and (3) develop a working prototype of the concept for usability testing. Our resulting concept meets important user needs and goals for mobile phone users in Kyrgyzstan. We believe the process by which we developed and discussed these user requirements and the subsequent prototype can serve as an example to others concerned with creating user-centered products and services for diverse users including those in developing countries.

Reference: Putnam, C., Rose, E.,Walton, R. & Kolko, B. (2009). Mobile phone users in Kyrgyzstan: A case study of identifying user requirements for diverse users. In Proceedings of IPCC 2009, Honolulu, Hawaii, July 20-23, 2009.

Abstract: In regions with developing or transitioning economies, information and communication technology (ICT) skills are expected to provide potential employees a signifcant edge in securing comparatively high-paying jobs. However, ICT skills are not binary (i.e., there are ranges and levels of ICT skills), nor are the effects of ICT skills common across all contexts. To plan international development efforts that have the most impact on improving people’s employability, we need more information about the relationship between ICT skills and employment, such as which ICT skills and what level of skill are sufficient for improving employability. In this article, we examine ICT skills and employment in the context of a transitioning economy, using the Central Asian nation of Kazakhstan as a case study. Findings indicate that, while ICT skills can be a predictor of employment and are associated with higher income, the level of ICT skill required to attain these jobs is not as high as one might expect. Skills that are considered basic computer literacy in the Western world are, in many developing and transitioning countries, considered sophisticated skill sets held by small segments of the population. In a developing world context, these skill sets are associated with high prestige jobs, especially when they are combined with other factors, such as higher education. This fnding has interesting implications for designing development programs to improve employability, suggesting that training efforts should focus on what are considered advanced ICT skills in the local context.

Reference: Walton, R., Putnam, C., Johnson, E.& Kolko, B. (2009). Skills Are Not Binary: Nuances in the Relationship Between ICT Skills and Employability. Special ICT Skills and Employability Issue of Information Technologies and International Development (ITID), 5,(2), 1-18.

Computer Games in the Developing World: The Value of Non-Instrumental Engagement with ICTs, or Taking Play Seriously. In Proceedings of International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development

Abstract: This paper argues that it is important to study non-instrumental uses of ICT, including computer games. Specifically, the article presents the results of qualitative and quantitative work spanning eight years of investigation in Central Asia focused on computer gaming in public Internet cafes as well as private spaces. The results presented demonstrate that people do indeed play games in resource constrained environments. The paper demonstrates that games constitute a significant portion of the ICT ecology in developing regions and provide a pathway to people’s “first touch” of a computer, that gamers have more frequent interaction with technology than basic Internet users, that games bring more diverse users to computers by providing a pathway to ICT use for people with lower levels of education, and that games can motivate innovation in the technology space. Additionally, our findings indicate that both genders engage in game playing. The article makes the case that games can be a source of informal learning about ICT, and as such, games and gaming culture in the developing world merit further study.

Reference: Kolko, B. & Putnam, C.(2009). Computer Games in the Developing World: The Value of Non-Instrumental Engagement with ICTs, or Taking Play Seriously. In Proceedings of International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and DevelopmentICTD ‘09, Doha.Qatar, April 17-19, 2009, 46-55.