Emma J. Rose

Communication as information-seeking: the case for mobile social software for developing regions

In this paper, we describe several findings from a multi-year, multi-method study of how information and communication technologies have been adopted and adapted in Central Asia. We have found that mobile phone usage is outpacing the rate of Internet adoption, that access to the Internet is primarily through public access sites carrying with it issues regarding privacy and surveillance, that people rely on their social networks as information sources, that public institutions tend to be fairly weak as citizen resources, and that information seeking and communication are conflated in peoples usage patterns with different technologies. In addition, in the developed world social networking software has grown rapidly and shown itself to have significant potential for mobilizing a population. Based on the collection of findings from Central Asia and observing patterns of technology usage in other parts of the world, our research leads to the conclusion that exploring mobile social software holds significant potential as an ICT that meshes well with preexisting patterns of communication and information seeking and also leverages the most predominant pattern of technology adoption. Many of the findings from this research echo results from studies in other geographic areas, and so we anticipate that much of this research will be relevant to developing regions generally.

Adapting usability testing for oral, rural users

Traditional usability methods are of limited use when evaluating systems designed for distant, diverse populations. In this paper, we describe a study conducted in two Ghanaian villages that evaluated an audio computer designed for people living in oral cultures. Informed by ICTD and orality-grounded HCID, we modified existing usability testing practices and we reflect on the utility of these adaptations. We found that conducting a culturally appropriate study often meant forgoing more traditional approaches in favor of flexible, opportunistic methods. We acknowledge the challenges of adapting traditional usability methods for oral, rural users. However, we found that by implementing strategic modifications led by local staff, our study produced valuable, actionable results.

Mobile social software for the developing world

This paper discusses how the importance of social networks for performing everyday tasks in the developing world leads to new considerations of the utility of social networking software (SNS). The paper presents some results from a multi-year, multi-method study in Central Asia that tracks patterns of technology adoption and adaptation, as well as shifts in media consumption and information seeking. Our results suggest SNS is a particularly compelling approach in resource-constrained environments (broadly defined) as a way to leverage and systematize the ad hoc processes people develop to navigate their everyday lives and information ecology.

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

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 discuss 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.

Best Practices for Teaching Accessibility in University Classrooms: Cultivating Awareness, Understanding, and Appreciation for Diverse Users

As Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) become more diffuse, developers and designers need to consider a growing diversity of users including people with disabilities and aging populations. As a result, computing education needs to respond by providing students opportunities to learn about accessibility and designing for inclusion. This article presents results of a qualitative research study of practices in teaching accessibility in university-level programs in the US. The study included interviews with 18 professors from some of the top universities in the US and a content analysis of syllabi and other teaching materials. Using the pedagogical theory of authentic learning and elements from the 21st Century Skills framework, we found that instructors emphasized the need for students to develop awareness and understanding for a diversity of ICT users through multiple different experiences; experiences that included research projects that directly involve users with disabilities, guest speakers, field trips, simulating disabilities, and the use of videos/movies. Additionally, instructors used multiple resources (e.g., research papers, online resources), in part, to offset the challenge that there is a perceived lack of a comprehensive textbook. Instructors also emphasized the importance of their individual initiative; that is, the inclusion of accessible topics or courses was often linked to a faculty members research and/or personal commitment. This article contributes to a gap in the literature by disseminating and sharing different approaches to teaching accessibility across multiple instructors, courses, and campuses.

Design as Advocacy: Using a Human- Centered Approach to Investigate the Needs of Vulnerable Populations

Human-centered design expands the context and reach of the work of technical communicators and provides an opportunity to investigate and advocate for the needs of vulnerable populations. This article summarizes and contributes to the conversation about social justice occurring in both technical communication and design. Using a variety of qualitative methods as a type of design ethnography, this article shares findings from a study that investigated the experiences of homeless bus riders. The study findings provide an opportunity to examine the design of information and communication technologies and changes to policies that impact vulnerable populations. The article discusses the implications of an advocacy perspective for technical communicators practicing human-centered design and their role and opportunity to bring about socially responsible design.

Designing and evaluating the mobile experience through iterative field studies

This experience report describes using iterative field studies to design and evaluate the mobile experience of soundtransit.org. One study aimed to evaluate the design of paper prototypes early in the design process and another study was conducted to test the implementation of an interactive prototype. In this report, we share our experience to provide readers with lessons that can be applied to conducting their own mobile field studies. Finally, we describe some of the broader impacts that have resulted from this work.

Arguing about design: A taxonomy of rhetorical strategies deployed by user experience practitioners

The design of technology occurs in a rich, nuanced and complex rhetorical space. Technical teams engage in negotiations, and at times argue, about design. We claim that user experience (UX) practice, at its heart, is a rhetorical endeavor, and this aspect of UX practice has been underexplored. To bridge the gap between UX theory and practice, we pose the research question: What strategies and tactics do UX practitioners use to convince or persuade others about design? To answer this question, we interviewed experienced UX practitioners and present the results of these interviews as a taxonomy of rhetorical strategies situated by an awareness of rhetorical complexity and the impact of context. The results of the study demonstrate that normative UX methods and practices discussed in the literature are chosen, adapted or dismissed as savvy rhetors flex their metis.

Research at the margin: participatory design and community based participatory research

Participatory Design (PD) is increasingly applied in marginalized and low-resource communities. This paper looks at how Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) can inform future PD work in these politically contested spaces. We distinguish between these approaches through two participatory photo visual methods: photo elicitation and photovoice. We conclude with suggestions for integrating principles from CBPR into PD to lead to more impactful work with marginalized and low-resource communities.

Poor Poor Dumb Mouths, and Bid Them Speak for Me: Theorizing the Use of Personas in Practice

ABSTRACT Although personas are commonly used to represent users in design, their rhetorical function has been little explored. In this article, the authors theorize personas’ rhetorical function as ventriloquization, where one person speaks with the voice of another. In ventriloquizing users through personas, practitioners speak for users, while scripting personas to speak for their creators: each magnifies the others’ voice. Personas represent a strategic rhetorical gambit for gaining legitimacy within organizations and technological decision-making processes.