ways to extend software reach without all-out language localization?
Or, consider that there are cases when the cost of an SMS text message
becomes a barrier for services that save lives [128]. How should user
decisions based on pricing of products and services be incorporated into
HCI methodology? Many people in low-income communities are intimidated
by new technology, or have little experience answering hypothetical
questions. What new methodologies can be devised to overcome
such experimental challenges? These are just a few examples of questions
that emerge in ICT4D contexts which expand HCI’s borders.
Engaging with different populations can also temper overgeneralization
in HCI. It is frequently lamented that undergraduate students are
not a representative sample of the human population, and yet a good
portion of psychology and HCI studies are conducted almost entirely
with such biased samples. An implicit assumption of generalizations
drawn from these studies is that undergraduate students in developed
countries are reasonable representatives of modern PC users, at least
with respect to traits that matter for HCI. Not all such claims, however,
will extend to people from very different groups, such as those
who are preoccupied with the source of their next meal, or those who
keep track of critical business contacts entirely in their head. Thus,
HCI in developing-country contexts may help add greater precision to
existing claims.
At a personal level, involvement with HCI can bring great rewards
to the researcher. Many HCI researchers go into “the field” out of a
concern for people and a desire to support them in their interactions
with technology. Certainly, there is satisfaction in discovering the critical
set-top box feature that consumers seek out, or the UI nugget which
helps an office worker use spreadsheets 10% more efficiently. Imagine,
though, if that attention were directed not just at increasing convenience
in suburban homes or efficiency of office work, but at easing
suffering and alleviating poverty? If the design of a computer system
could help a rural healthcare system deliver vaccines 5% more effectively,
that would likely be at least as satisfying as making an online
social networking site 5% easier to navigate.
Finally, as discussed further in Section 3, ICT4D tends to emphasize
participatory approaches, and this is perhaps where HCI for global