Job Mashapa1, Darelle van Greunen2, Alida Veldsman3 and ...

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96 Strengthening the Role of ICT in Development failure has been poor management of change in user experience and lack of user involvement right from the onset of project initiation. The purpose of this study is to propose a theoretical model for managing user experience of the ICT users in the context of developing countries rural communities. The uniqueness of the proposed model lies in its user centred approach and its applicability in an environment that is not bound by organisational based visions and policies. A study of literature on the impact of ICTs in rural communities, user experience and change management was used to establish an initial conceptual framework through which the theoretical model is developed. The proposed model will be empirically validated using a case study to gain more insights on the model applicability. The focus of this paper is to investigate what is needed to establish a user centred model for managing change in the user experience of ICT users. An initial model is discussed followed by the preliminary fi ndings of a single case pilot investigation. Keywords: Information Communication Technologies (ICTs); Change Management; User Experience; Rural Context; Information Communication Technology for Development. Introduction In this paper ICT is defi ned as a system of devices, services and applications used to capture, store, process and transmit electronic information. ICT adoption has lead to the much noticeable discrepancies in average economic growth between the developed and developing countries [Pohjola 2003]. In the developed world ICT has contributed to economic growth by improving the quality, effectiveness and effi ciency and information access [Easterly and Levine 2001; Easterly 2001]. In developing countries ICT is being used as a tool for poverty alleviation and as a development enhancer [Yates eta al, 2010; Donner et al, 2008; Kenny 2002]. There have been some rapid changes and improvements in ICT technologies, diffusion and usage [Yusuf 2005]. Traditional computers were used by large organisations such as governments and universities for data, storage, processing and automation. By then the use of computers was far from changing the lifestyles of the people but rather oriented on a business perspective [Dahlbom and Ljungberg, 1998]. With the progression of time and computer penetration, personal computers were introduced in homes and offi ces as sources of information and communication. People began to understand and embrace the new technologies leading to a revolutionary wave changing their life styles, interaction and experiences [Sorensen and Gibson 2006]. In the current era, mobile ICTs have gained predominate use mainly because of the fl exibility and unconstrained usage with respect to time and location [Kushchu and Kuscu, 2007; Valk et al. 2010; Svanaes et al. 2010]. The rapid inception of new ICTs has not only changed business processes but also transformed the lifestyles of the people [Trim and Sheng 2008]. The transformation is
Part 3: A Model for Managing Information Communication Technology User Experience in Rural Contexts 97 evident in developing countries where mobile ICTs are used to leapfrog trends in ICT development and bring an end to the digital divide [Valk et al. 2010]. The rural context in the developing communities is characterised by poverty, illiteracy, lack of information and overall lack of knowledge [Britz 2004]. A wide difference exists between the affl uent living in urban areas and the poor living in the impoverished developing context rural communities with respect to access to information and utilisation skills of ICTs. The people in rural communities are often marginalised, powerless and voiceless. They lag in computer skills, use, access and use of internet compared to those in the urban and developed societies counterparts [Donner et al. 2008]. The use of ICTs to fi ght poverty, improve on communication, bring knowledge and information access to the poor and as an enabler for socio-economic development is increasingly being recognised [Haines and Cassels 2004; Easterly 2001; Sachs 2005; Donner et al. 2008]. Information Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) refers to the use of information and communication technologies to enhance development. ICT4D aims at the application of information and communication technologies to develop and empower the poor and marginalised communities [Unwin, 2009]. The goal of ICT4D is to transform the lives of people in the “un-entered” ICT areas and poverty stricken rural areas. Multi-purpose community ICT access points have been established to provide information and communication access to the rural communities [Hajela, 2009]. These access points are referred to as telecenters. Colle [2009] defi ne a telecenter as a shared facility that provides public access to information and communication resources. The telecenters have been used for distributing information, promoting local entrepreneurships, cultural enrichment, improving education and health services and strengthening social mobilization [Davison et al, 2002; Curtain, 2004]. An improvement on the telecenter approach was its modifi cation into information hubs. Information hubs exceed beyond offering basic facilities like faxing, proving internet and phone services. They go an extra mile in generating information and proving information with the goal of enhancing and empowering a behavioral change [Haris and Rajora 2006; ESCAP 2006]. Mobile applications are also being developed targeting users in the poor and marginalized rural contexts. Examples of such are mobile banking applications and mobile learning applications [Hughes & Lonie, 2007; Butgereit, 2007]. However, most of these initiatives failed to yield the expected results. The target users did not fully utilize the availed resources resulting in some of the projects being aborted [Attwood & Braathen, 2010; Beeharry & Schneider, 1996; Benjamin, 2001; Robey and Boudreau 1999]. Lack of user needs assessment, poor user requirements elicitation and failure to manage change in the user experience of the people using the technologies has resulted in unexpected abortion and the failure of the projects [Heeks 2002; Benjamin 2001]. To minimize such failures, it is therefore important that the needs of the users be considered in order to implement contextually relevant solutions that fi t the needs of the users. Meeting the needs of the users is paramount to the acceptance
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Job Mashapa1, Darelle van Greunen2, Alida Veldsman3 and ...

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