Community e-kiosk portal technology on Wall Street

Abstract

The community of downtown Wall Street in New York City continues to cope with economic disruption, due to the World Trade Center disaster of September 11. This case study explores design factors of engagement in the implementation of a Web-based e-kiosk portal, which is furnishing residents of the community with critical cultural, financial and social information on the re-building of the downtown economy. The e-kiosk portal was an emergency project implemented by computer science and information systems students at a major metropolitan university. The preliminary findings and implications of the study indicate the importance of social and technical cachet in the design of a Web portal community. The study introduces a framework for research into civic Web communities that empower its member residents.