Mobilising design for development: An analysis of a human-centered design process used for a South African mHealth student project

Abstract

This paper explores the use of a human-centered design process by university students to develop effective communication solutions using mobile technology as part of their communication design training. To this end, the paper presents Diamobi, a mHealth student project that proposes an educational mobile system to help spread basic healthcare information related to diabetes within a South African context. The analysis is theoretically informed by the design research map developed by Elizabeth Sanders and considers contemporary design approaches and mindsets relevant to the field of social innovation. Through the analysis, the paper sets out to illustrate how the students employed contemporary design approaches such as participatory and user-centered design and related methods such as personas, mapping and user-journeys throughout the project. Furthermore, the paper discusses how an understanding and implementation of these different design approaches can help communication design students to be more mindful of their role as socially responsible designers when developing mobile communication solutions specifically within a developing context.