WG 9.4: Social Implications of Computers in Developing Countries

13^th International Conference on Social Implications of Computers in Developing Countries

Chairs: Julian M. Bass (Robert Gordon University, UK)

Andy Dearden (Sheffield Hallam University, UK)

Anirudha Joshi (IDC, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, India)

Anupam Jain (Dimagi)

The rapid global uptake of technologies such as mobile phones highlights a tension between: on the one hand, efforts to design

technologies that are culturally sensitive, that address specific needs in particular contexts and hence support people in guiding

their own development choices; and on the other hand the potential economies of scale afforded by open standards and open

connections. More recent developments have seen the growth of 'open' exchanges in social media (e.g. the explosive growth of

Facebook, twitter), and cloud computing platforms, although the services provided here are proprietary. The last decade has seen

numerous technologies designed and deployed for the next billions, ranging from low-cost tablets, power generation devices,

mobile phones to services innovation like voice applications, micro-financing schemes, novel information-dissemination methods

etc. Including the global North, there has been an increasing interest in keeping the technology more transparent, interconnected

and accessible, while keeping it sustainable for the long term and facilitate a scalable impact. These interconnected, open and

sustainable models have led the technology architects to face newer set of challenges for development and explore new directions

to design technologies which are more social, interoperable and generalizable enough to be replicated in different contexts.

These tensions raise important questions for developers and designers of technology in ICTD, for organisations making technology

choices or planning projects, and for commercial organisations bringing new products and services to market. This track will examine

different approaches to designing, technical challenges, and how these interact with an open development agenda.

Major ICT corporations are increasingly concerned to develop products and services to reach 'the next billions', governments are

exploring how ICT can best be used to improve key public services to improve citizens' lives, and NGOs are experimenting with ways

to use ICT to further their mission. Researchers and designers are working in and alongside all three sectors developing novel

responses. Examples include designing device interfaces that are usable by people with low or limited literacy (e.g. Mehdi et al., 2013),

designing social media and knowledge sharing services using voice activation (e.g. Patel et al., 2010; Raza et al., 2013), designing

ultra-low cost and low power computing devices (Bhattacharya, 2012), and designing locally appropriate software systems for particular

applications that are sustainable in context (Agarwal et al., 2013; Doerflinger & Dearden, 2013).

Many of these technologies and their designs can be considered as 'open' for adaptation by people who adopt them. However, the

degree of openness may depend on the capacities of people adopting the technology to undertake such adaptation. Hence, issues

of capacity building must also be considered.

This track invites innovative ideas/deployments/studies on open and sustainable technologies for the developing world reflecting upon

(but not limited to) the following aspects: Design of technologies & services to overcome literacy barriers; Designs for Low cost / Low

power technologies; Methods & methodologies for designing systems that are relevant to underserved groups; Designing for usability

in different cultures; Designing technologies that are open for local adaptation; Capacity building to support local infrastructure and

local technology innovation; Techniques and the need to build sustainable technologies with least dependence on external(transient)

sources; Interaction design as a key driver for adoption and hence sustainability; and approaches for designing for sustainability

including; designing systems that are open for adaptation to challenging environments (meta design); novel designs for low cost, low

energy and low maintenance applications and systems; and pros and cons of open and connected technology/data.

For more information, please contact jb[at]julianbass.co.uk