While we claim to be “for” development, the previous
section pointed out the strikingly short duration
of many evaluations in HCI4D. Coming back to
the tensions between research and practice, it is unlikely
for a researcher to be able to observe clear development
outcomes over the course of a six-week
usability evaluation, or even a six-month pilot study.
While it may be a necessary fact that the metrics of
success in HCI are fundamentally different from
those in development, it nonetheless seems doubtless
that a sound, long-term study demonstrating
concrete development outcomes due to the application
of the knowledge that our community has accumulated
would do much to substantiate our
discipline. We can gain inspiration from case studies
of successful ICT interventions such as the use of
electronic equipment to test milk quality in Gujarat
(Bhatnagar, 2000), and from analysis of relevant success
factors for projects (Cecchini & Scott, 2003).
Our challenge as researchers will be to ªnd mechanisms
to evaluate our designs whereby we can accumulate
knowledge that can inform effective and
sustainable development interventions.