Aspectos positivos y negativos de la programación

5 Designing the SnapAndGrab technology probe

This chapter describes the design of the SnapAndGrab public technology probe. We begin by reporting on how accessibility and affordability were prioritised to constrain the design space, while trading off on other qualities such as efficiency in use, and how this influenced the probe’s design. We then describe how the probe was incorporated into a user-centric design process, paying special attention to the evaluative tools used as well as to emergent design visions, usages and applications.

In HCI terms, ensuring accessibility means removing any barriers that may prevent people from participating in life activities or from enjoying the benefits of services, products, and information [9]. But to remove accessibility barriers, we need first to discover what the barriers are. The MuTI and MuTI Mobile projects in the Eastern Cape had revealed both low levels of computer literacy and the growing ubiquity of cellular telephones in South Africa’s poorest communities. This suggested that focusing on cellular phones instead of PCs would be a simple way to increase the accessibility of an ICT system.

The SLF [40] recommends that researchers build on existing strengths — one of which is precisely the prevalence of the cellular phone within all sectors of South African society. In 2007 there were ~39,207,440 million GSM cellular subscribers in South Africa [54], a country with a population of ~48.7 million people [152]. The latest statistics (2007) available show that 61.2% of families in the Eastern Cape now possess at least one cellular phone [155]. This means there is an opportunity to build accessible ICT systems by building on the strengths of cellular technologies: Ubiquity, robustness and existing skills and knowledge.

The growing popularity of applications such as the MXit [113] mobile instant messaging service further supports the view that cellular telephones are already an accessible and affordable computing and communication platform for many South Africans. The MXit application is compatible with more than 1,600 handsets, and the application’s communication protocol has been trimmed down to the point where a user can send

~1,000,000 characters via GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) data channel for the same price as sending 160 characters via GSM SMS (Short Message Service). Donner’s [38] work on missed calls highlighted how such simple, affordable and accessible services have been appropriated globally despite their limitations.

An initial design direction was thus decided: To create a simple, multi-media sharing platform, compatible with all multi-media enabled cellular phones, that entailed no cost to the end user. The design constraints – prioritising accessibility and affordability -- encouraged the exploration of interaction paradigms that at first appeared unusual, unconventional or even less usable. If Cockton [29,30] is to be believed, then quality in use and contextual fit are not the sole determinants of an appropriate technology. He believes that, so long as users assign sufficient value to their interactions with the technology, quality in use has only to be ‘good enough’ that it doesn’t prevent them from completing interactions. In this case, the

technology’s value would stem from its ability to give people access to rich multi-media content available on the Internet, at no cost and without relying on PC-based skills such as using a keyboard and mouse, an Internet browser or a search engine.

5.1.1 Design requirements

The constraints described above and the RA/RI criteria led to the definition of a basic set of requirements (the relevant RA/RI criterion or other origin of the requirement is shown in bold):

1. The solution must allow multimedia content to be accessed by an entire community (Physical access).

2. The solution must allow multimedia content to be posted and shared (Locally relevant content, applications and services).

3. The solution must focus on personal devices such as cellular phones (Statistical data showing the growing ubiquity of cellular phones [155]).

4. The solution must support the widest range of cellular phones possible (Physical access).

5. Interactions must be simple and quick (Human capacity and training, Integration into daily routine).

6. The cost of interactions must be zero (Affordability of technology and technology use).

7. The user must initiate all interactions (Trust in the technology – users must be empowered and in control).

These basic requirements then enabled the description of the following generalised usage scenario, in which multiple users are able to interact with a public technology. A generalised scenario, in our case, is one that is not user or context specific and displays a simple goal. The general scenario underpinning our technology probe design is presented below:

The user enters a public space with a particular information need. They notice a display screen showing various pieces of content and move towards it. Upon closer inspection, they realise that the display system includes content that may meet their needs. The display system provides two interactive services: multimedia upload and download. In an attempt to initiate an interaction with the system, the user pulls out their cellular phone and proceeds to select the content of interest. The system then returns the content via a networking service. The user is then able to consume the

newly acquired content either immediately or later, depending on the situation.

There may be concerns at this point regarding the use of a single design scenario for the purpose of designing an interactive system. It is useful, then, to recall the purpose of “public technology probing”: To build simple, flexible and adaptable pieces of technology to probe complex environments of use. The designer accepts that he/she does not know exactly who the users will be or any specifics of the context – the usage scenarios underpinning the probe’s design are therefore not complete. The details of users and their goals are emergent and will be filled out through the deployment of the probe and the extraction of information regarding how users apply it in their daily lives. These ‘complete’ scenarios will serve as design inspiration for future UCD iterations.