Technical ICTD - a user centered lifecycle

Abstract

Technical Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICTD) lacks appropriate research methods along the entire development lifecycle spanning design, development, deployment, and evaluation. Many ICTD projects have failed meeting the challenges of technical ICTD because of inappropriate research methods which often left frustrated end users alone with unusable research results. Successful technical ICTD research needs a shared methodology that involves the end user in all research lifecycle phases. With User Centered Design and Action Research the Mobile Human Computer Interaction (HCI) research field offers concepts with a clear end user focus. However, applying Mobile HCI research methods unchanged in technical ICTD will fail due to the specific cultural, infrastructural and governmental context of ICTD research. In this paper we present a set of Mobile HCI research methods adapted for technical ICTD research based on results and lessons learned of a research project in rural South Africa.