Re-conceptualizing technology adoption in informal settlements based on a Namibian application

Kambunga, Asnath Paula; Winschiers‐Theophilus, Heike; Goagoses, Naska

doi:10.1145/3283458.3283468

Cited by 5 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…We were particularly interested in building on one of the projects, which was concerned with supporting entrepreneurs in Havana through crowdfunding (Kambunga, Winschiers-Theophilus, and Goagoses (2018) and Winschiers-Theophilus et al (2015)). Thus, the aim of this research is to implement a workable yet generalisable solution for local entrepreneurs to connect to global digital services, such as crowdfunding.…”

Section: Rationale For Design Interventionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The youth design participants were the first to upload their own projects onto the platform. Usability issues with the system were simultaneously resolved, and skill gaps in business planning, budgeting, marketing and media production were addressed through training sessions provided by RLabs Namibia (Kambunga, Winschiers-Theophilus, and Goagoses 2018).…”

Section: Background Of Namstartermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To ensure adoption of the platform among the wider Havana community, a local technology adoption strategy was co-designed with the youth participants (Goagoses, Kambunga, and Winschiers-Theophilus 2018;Kambunga, Winschiers-Theophilus, and Goagoses 2018). Their role was to explain the concept of crowdfunding to fellow young people, as well as to introduce the technology and co-facilitate training sessions and workshops in areas such as project management and marketing to capacitate community members (Kambunga, Winschiers-Theophilus, and Goagoses 2018). A final version of Namstarter was launched and deployed in 2017 under the management of RLabs Namibia, containing 41 Havana projects.…”

Section: Background Of Namstartermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The participants were aged between 21 and 52 and all spoke English. They were invited on the basis that they were part of the previous co-design of Namstarter and its adoption strategy (Kambunga, Winschiers-Theophilus, and Goagoses 2018). As they had previously attended the local crowdfunding efforts, they were all familiar with the idea of crowdfunding and with Namstarter in particular.…”

Section: Participants and Facilitatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We followed an action research approach deploying participatory design methods, considering that this research builds on previous research and development collaborations with Havana community members who are familiar with these methods. Similar methods have been previously used by Kambunga, Winschiers-Theophilus, and Goagoses (2018) and Winschiers-Theophilus et al (2015). Thus, upon identification of the problem of Namstarter not providing entrepreneurs with the expected funds, we designed an action, namely a joint conceptualisation of a tech mediator concurrent with a skill training and the development of a global Namstarter campaign.…”

Section: Intervention Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Local tech mediators - a human access point to global crowdfunding platforms

Keskinen

Arvila

Winschiers‐Theophilus

et al. 2021

CoDesign

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Despite much criticism, global digital platforms hold some promise for small-scale entrepreneurs (SSEs) in the global south. However, they are often excluded from direct participation in global initiatives, such as crowdfunding. Besides socio-cultural disparities, accessibility and adoption issues, technology usage and integration present a major challenge. To bridge those gaps we propose a workable model consisting of a local tech mediator operating on a digital platform connecting local SSE to global digital services. We have engaged a group of informal settlement SSE in Windhoek, Namibia to jointly conceptualise the roles, tasks and responsibilities of a local tech mediator, concurrently with technical skills training as well as the development of an international crowdfunding campaign. We assert that the jointly developed concepts of a local instantiation of the model as well as the co-design process have enabled us to create model, which would allow the utilisation of global digital platforms for SSEs in the global south.

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Section: Rationale For Design Interventionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Background Of Namstartermentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Background Of Namstartermentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Participants and Facilitatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Intervention Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Local tech mediators - a human access point to global crowdfunding platforms

Keskinen

Arvila

Winschiers‐Theophilus

et al. 2021

CoDesign

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Digital microwork as a livelihood strategy in a Namibian informal settlement

Keskinen

Winschiers‐Theophilus

Chivuno-Kuria

et al. 2021

E J Info Sys Dev Countries

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Unemployment is a serious issue in many areas of Global South. Over the last years, microwork platforms have started to emerge offering opportunities for earnings and promising improved livelihoods. Although the gig economy facilitated by these platforms has been criticized in the literature, we argue that in the context of informal economy, participation on these platforms does not always worsen the livelihood and thus should be examined. This paper investigates the requirements for using such platforms and assesses their applicability in an informal settlement in Namibia.The Sustainable Livelihoods Approach provides the conceptual framework for the research. We devised a simulation by using design science research methods, where the community members were able to complete digital micro-tasks for monetary compensation. The experiment evoked excitement among participants. This paper argues that the digital micro-tasks have promise for the individuals, and elaborates on human, financial, physical, and social capitals required to use these platforms.Finally, we propose a new way, trained peers called "tech mediators," that can act as facilitators to make these platforms more available for the communities in Global South in the future.

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Collective Support and Independent Learning with a Voice-Based Literacy Technology in Rural Communities

Madaio

Yarzebinski

Kamath

et al. 2020

Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

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Access to literacy is critical to children's futures, but formal education may be insufficient for fostering early literacy, especially in low-resource contexts. Educational technologies used at home may be able to help, but it is unclear whether or how children (and families) will use such technologies at home in rural communities, particularly in low-literate families. In this paper, we investigate these questions with a voice-based literacy technology deployed with families in 8 rural communities in Côte d'Ivoire for 4 months. We use interviews and observations with 37 families to investigate motivations, methods, and barriers for rural families' engagement with a literacy technology accessible via feature phones. We contribute insights into how families view digital literacy as a learning goal, leverage networks of supporters, and over time, transition from explicit to implicit support for children's learning.

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Re-conceptualizing technology adoption in informal settlements based on a Namibian application

Cited by 5 publications

References 33 publications

Local tech mediators - a human access point to global crowdfunding platforms

Local tech mediators - a human access point to global crowdfunding platforms

Digital microwork as a livelihood strategy in a Namibian informal settlement

Collective Support and Independent Learning with a Voice-Based Literacy Technology in Rural Communities

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