This paper describes initial efforts in the form of a user research phase as part of a larger project to provide ICT based interventions to farmers in Pakistan to facilitate information dissemination. We conducted face to face interviews with 9 Pakistani farmers and 3 agricultural experts. Our main results show that mobile technology is present but under utilised, a strong peer reliance network exists and most information and media modalities are inaccessible. We relate the results obtained to design implications and future work.
This paper explores the opportunities and challenges in designing peer-support mechanisms for low-income,low-literate women in Pakistan, a patriarchal and religious context where women's movements, social relationsand access to digital technologies are restricted. Through a qualitative, empirical study with 21 participantswe examine the cultural and patriarchal framework where shame and fear of defamation restrict the seekingof support for personal narratives around taboo subjects like abortion, sexual harassment, rape and domesticabuse. Based on our qualitative data we also conduct a second qualitative study using a technology probe with15 low-income, low-literate women to explore the specific design of peer-support technologies for supportseeking and the sharing of sensitive and taboo narratives in a deeply patriarchal society. The design concernsraised by our participants regarding privacy, anonymity and safety provide CSCW researchers with valuableguidelines about designing for social connections and support for vulnerable populations within a particularcontext.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.