Resolving User Contradictions
through Fieldwork
Kentaro Toyama
Microsoft Research India
IJCAI Tutorial on ICT for Development
January 6, 2007, Hyderabad
Interdisciplinary Research
Aishwarya Lakshmi Ratan
–
Society
Public Administration and
International Development
Jonathan Donner
–
Communications
Nimmi Rangaswamy
–
Group
Social Anthropology
Rajesh Veeraraghavan
–
Individual
Computer Science and
Economics
Indrani Medhi
–
Design
Kentaro Toyama
–
Technology
Computer Science
Randy Wang
Innovation
–
Computer Science
Udai Singh Pawar
–
Physics
Rural Microfinance and IT
Sample
Projects
Rural Kiosk Entrepreneurs
Can computers
help existing
structures for rural
microfinance?
Study on the
challenges and
uniqueness of rural
kiosk entrepreneurs
MSR India:
Technology for
Emerging Markets
Aishwarya Lakshmi Ratan
Associate Researcher
Nimmi Rangaswamy
Associate Researcher
Computers in Agriculture
Multimouse for Education
Digital Study Hall
Experiments with
computing and
communication
systems in
agriculture
DVD exchange
over postal service
and TVs as display
for rural education
Multiple mice to
multiply the value
of PCs in schools.
Rajesh Veeraraghavan
Associate Researcher
Udai Singh Pawar
Assistant Researcher
Randy Wang
Researcher
Government and Kiosks
Text-Free UI
IT and Microentrepreneurs
The state’s role in
rural kiosk projects,
with a focus on
Kerala and Andhra
Renee Kuriyan
Research Intern
UIs without text for
users who are
illliterate and may
never have seen a
computer before
Indrani Medhi
Assistant Researcher
Information ecology
of small businesses in
developing markets
Jonathan Donner
Researcher
Importance of Fieldwork
… to resolve contradictory issues:
• Resistance to new technology
– But computers have glamour
• Poverty systemic and multi-dimensional
– But households functional
• Stark lack of money
– But willing to spend
• Information critical…
– But rarely the bottleneck
• Computing needs are minimal
– But there are opportunities!
Resistance to Technology…
Many factors inhibit use of
technology:
• High cost
• Reluctance to depart from
habits and traditions
• Fear of breaking technology
• Lack of awareness of
technology’s functional value
• Barriers of education or literacy
A child trying to explain to her
mother what is on a laptop screen.
But, Computers have Glamour
Examples of interest in computing
technology:
A kiosk operator running a near
Tiruvallur, Tamil Nadu
•
Retention rates at schools rise when
the school has PCs.
•
Rural PC kiosk owners see a rise in
their confidence and status in
community.
•
Office service staff eager to learn about
PCs and how to use them.
These examples have little to do
with computer function.
Poverty is Systemic…
Stable system makes escape
difficult:
•
•
•
•
Lack of money means lack of time
to do anything other than survive.
Lack of time means less time for
education.
Lack of education means fewer job
opportunities.
Lack of job opportunities means
lack of money.
“Shocks” to household create
downward spiral, and there are
always shocks:
•
•
•
Health problem requires loan
Loan incurs interest
Interest payments prevent capital
accumulation
A government-sponsored mid-day
meal in a Tamil Nadu school.
But, Households still Functional
“Good enough” solutions exist:
• Credit: All kinds of loans
available
• Healthcare: Traditional
medicines, primary healthcare
services
A kiosk operator running a near
Tiruvallur, Tamil Nadu
• Agriculture information:
agriculture extension, word of
mouth, salesmen
Persistent Lack of Money…
Bangalore guideline for 45
minutes of housework a day:
Rs. 150 (US$3)… per month!
Typical daily wage for agricultural
labor: Rs. 60 per day
(US$1.33; Rs. 30 for women)
Public-school teacher’s salary
varies from Rs. 3000 to Rs.
8000 (US$67-178) per month.
Teachers on a school trip
in Karnataka
But, Willingness to Spend
Luxury and aspirational
consumption not unusual:
• Weddings costing Rs. 1 lakh
(US$2200) in rural villages not
infrequent (cf., avg. per capita
GDP of ~US$700)
• Mobile phone ring tones
popular even at Rs. 10
(US$0.20) per song
A Photoshop’ed photo of a
village bride (Maharashtra)
• Photography services to
“enhance” photos popular. Cost
range from Rs. 100 to Rs. 600
(US$2-12)
Information is Critical…
General lack of information
hampers quality of life:
• Hygiene and healthcare
knowledge shallow or
superstitious
• Poor fundamental and
vocational education impedes
career growth
• Very practical knowledge not
readily available:
– Government schemes for the
poor
– Job information
– Value of savings and
investment
A 12-year-old enrolled in typing
lessons at a rural PC kiosk
But, Information not the Bottleneck
Access to information not the
problem:
• Physical transfer of goods/cash
often required. Transport
infrastructure is poor.
• Levels of formal education very
low, even with literacy.
Education required to
distinguish good information
from bad.
• Other factors…
A petty shop owner
in Tamil Nadu
– No faith in information source
– Lack of time or money
– Rigid mindsets
Computing Needs Minimal…
Information processing rarely
required…
• Little use of documents, charts,
spreadsheets.
• Paper , pen, and manual
calculation difficult to out-do:
– Low cost
– Lightweight, durable
– Additional training not required
But, Technology can Help!
To draw interest of community.
To process and analyze
aggregate data.
To streamline or improve
existing processes.
Focus group on a potential
technology-for-agriculture project
Conclusions
Removal of preconceptions is the
primary value of fieldwork.
General lessons are difficult to
draw; contradictions abound.
Fieldwork helps to identify the
specific constraints that apply
to a given domain or
application.
School boys near Bhopal,
Madhya Pradesh