Lecture for students MIC (Master International Communication) on ICT4D (ICT for development) and Development Communication

1. ICT4D
Rob Willems, June 12th, 2015

2. Introduction
Rob Willems,
o Hanze University of Applied Sciences Groningen, the
Netherlands.
o School of Communication, Media & IT
o Coordinator & Lecturer: Interaction Design & Usability,
GameOn!
o Co-developer major Game Design & Development
o Member expert group of the major Interactive Media &
Technologies
o Researcher at Lectorate New Business & ICT

3. ICT4D How it started

4. ICT4D (ICT for development)
• ICT4D: how it started?
– Millennium Development Goals, combined with internet
“MDG: improving the lives of “BOP” – 3 billion on less than 2
$s/ pay
– Initiatives
• World Development Report from the World Bank, 1998
• Digital Opportunities Task Force by G8 in 2000
• World Summits on the Information Society , Geneva in
2003, Tunis in 2005
– Actors
• International Development Org. such as World Bank
• NGO

5. Already earlier in India
• ICT4D 0.0
– the Indian Institute of Statistics, Kolkata , 1956
– 2 key applications
• Government : internal administrative function
of public sectors
• Multinationals & firms: seen as a tool for
economic growth in the private sector

6. What Happened?
Copycat projects of off-the-shelf solutions: e.g.
Telecenters project: landline + PC’s

7. • Success or failure?
• What do you think?

8. “We have been too obsessed with technology-as-
invention, and too little focused on technology-in-use”
– ICT4D1.0’s approach
Failure of traditional North model (a PC via a landline)
– New innovation required!
ICT4D 0.0 & ICT4D 1.0

9. ICT(4, for) Development
Understanding of ICT4D 2.0
Richard Heeks, “The ICT4D 2.0
Manifesto: Where Next for ICTs and
International Development?” Development
Informatics Group, 2009.
http://www.seed.manchester.ac.uk/subje
cts/idpm/research/publications/wp/di/di-
wp42/

10. ICT4D 2.0's New Technological Priorities
• ICT4D 2.0’s direction:
– Less emphasis on what might be used (the Internet
and PCs), and more emphasis on what is actually
used (mobiles, radio, television).
– Less emphasis on fundamental technical innovation;
and more emphasis on application and business
model innovation.
– Less emphasis on piloting and sustaining new
applications, and more emphasis on assessing and
scaling existing applications.

11. ICT4D 2.0's New Technological Priorities
• ICT4D 2.0’s direction:
– Less emphasis on what might be used (the Internet
and PCs), and more emphasis on what is actually
used (mobiles, radio, television).
– Less emphasis on fundamental technical innovation;
and more emphasis on application and business
model innovation.
– Less emphasis on piloting and sustaining new
applications, and more emphasis on assessing and
scaling existing applications.

12. Waka waka
Terminals
(OLPC, tablets)
Power
Challenges: terminals, power

13. • Community radio
13
Radio (& TV)

16. 16

17. 17

18. How to innovate?

19. Pro-poor (‘for them’)
Design – reality gap
Only few telecenters
Distance a problem
Community vs. individual

20. Para-poor (‘with them’)
Techie – non techie
Western – non –Western
Urban - rural

21. Para-poor (‘with them’)

22. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HE5GX3U3BYQ

23. 23
Per-poor (‘by them’)
http://www.ted.com/talks/jan_chipchase_on_our_mobile_phones.html

24. 24
M-PESA documentary (2009)

25. 25

26. Mobile Money in Developing
Economies (2013)
26

27. As such, it has a number of potential economic effects.
1. It simply facilitates trade, making it easier for people to pay for, and to receive
payment for, goods and services.
2. By providing a safe storage mechanism, M‐PESA could increase net household
savings.
3. Because it facilitates inter‐personal transactions, it could improve the allocation of
savings across households and businesses by deepening the person‐to‐person credit
market.
4. By making transfers across large distances trivially cheap, M‐PESA improves the
investment in, and allocation of, human capital as well as physical
investment. Households may be more likely to send members to high‐paying jobs in
distant locations (e.g., the capital).
M‐PESA facilitates the safe storage and transfer of money (1/2).
27

28. As such, it has a number of potential economic effects.
5. M‐PESA could affect the ability of individuals to share risk. Informal risk‐sharing
networks have been found to be an important, although not fully effective, means by
which individuals spread risk, making state‐contingent transfers among group
members.
6. A further risk‐related effect arises if M‐PESA facilitates timely transfer of small
amounts of money. Instead of waiting for conditions to worsen to levels that cause
long term damage, M‐PESA might enable support networks to keep negative shocks
manageable.
7. If M‐PESA allows households to spread risk, they may be led to make more efficient
investment decisions, avoiding the trade‐off between risk and return that they would
otherwise face. M‐PESA could conceivably alter bargaining power and weaken
incentives within households or other networks. Economically weaker family
members might expect larger and more regular remittances from better‐off
city‐dwelling relatives, who themselves might find it hard to justify not sending money
home.
M‐PESA facilitates the safe storage and transfer of money (2/2).
28

29. Good Practice for ICT4D 2.0 Implementation
Actors and Governance:
- Multi-stakeholder partnerships
- An open and competitive environment
Aligned and Contingent Design Techniques:
- Participation of local users
- Appropriate technology mix to match local realities
- Align to local development goals
- Consideration of project risks
Sustainable Projects:
- Financial and social sustainability
- Development of local capacities and use of local institutions
- Local ownership
Successful
ICT4D
Project

30. Summary of ICT4D Phases
Issue / Phase ICT4D 0.0
(1960s – mid-1990s)
ICT4D 1.0
(mid-1990s – mid-
/late-2000s)
ICT4D 2.0
(mid-/late-2000s
onwards)
Iconic Technology PC Database Telecentre Mobile Phone
Key Application Data Processing Content (& Interaction) Services & Production
The Poor Who? Consumers Innovators & Producers
Key Goal Organisational
Efficiency
MDGs ?Growth & Development?
Key Issue Technology's Potential Readiness &
Availability
Uptake & Impact
Key Actor Government Donors & NGOs All Sectors
Attitude Ignore --> Isolate Idolise --> Integrate Integrate --> Innovate
Innovation Model Northern Pro-Poor --> Para-
Poor
Para-Poor --> Per-Poor
Dominant Discipline Information Systems Informatics /
Development Studies
Tribrid of CS, IS and DS
Development
Paradigm
Modernisation Human Development ?Development 2.0?

31. • Education
31

32. http://www.bitsacademy.org/home.html

34. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCKrHWVMHK0

35. http://innovationsformnch.org/finding-what-
works/Care-Community-Hub

36. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjevL1kY-sI

37. Kytabu http://kytabu.org/

39. http://www.elearning-africa.com/eLA_Newsportal/Africa-mobile-gaming/

41. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T87gKN-aV-E

42. Serious games: Kisumu (Kenya)
Malaria is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in Kenya and
it kills an estimated 34,000 children under five in Kenya every year. 77% of
Kenya’s population lives in areas where the disease is transmitted.
The disease is responsible for 30% of out-patient visits (requiring more than
eight million out-patient treatments at health facilities each year) and 15% of
all hospital admissions.
About 3.5 million children are at risk of infection and developing severe
malaria.

43. Client: HelpHeal Organization, CBO (community based organization)
Assignment:
To develop a computer game in the battle against malaria, for children
in primary schools (10 -15) in Kenya (Nyanza province).
The game (s) would be a success if children are;
o Able to tell signs of malaria clearly
o Identify malaria transmission methods
o Tell what times of the day mosquitoes bites occur
o State cheap and effective ways of preventing malaria
o The importance of going to the hospital and finishing drug doses
Serious games: Kisumu (Kenya)

44. Health games: development process
Theory:
o Psychology & developing game concepts
o Cultural differences and sensitivities
o Artwork
o Programming/Scripting
o Kaleidoscope (meet and discuss with experts from a domain, e.g. malaria,
game design)
o Researching effectiveness: test the games
Design & Production:
o Orientation/Blueprint/Design phase: research target audience, game
concept -> Game Design Document
o Preparation/production/finalization: programming, artwork, playtest
prototypes -> final game.

45. Development model

46. The result: three games

50. Play - testing

53. Showcase – mobile games

54. Mobile hiv/aids

55. Village Dr Adoyo’s practice Hospital

56. Raise awareness for
disabled children
South Sudan
Introduction topics of
gender relations
Sri Lanka
• Malaria prevention &
treatment
• Hiv/aids prevention &
treatment
• Personal Hygiene
Kenya
• Reproductive health
• Personal Hygiene
Ghana
Reproductive health
Senegal
Personal Hygiene
Indonesia
Projects

57. Evaluation of health games?
Health games on subject of malaria:
• Single and multi-player games evaluated on learning and
behaviour outcomes related to the subject of malaria as
compared to textbook based learning
• Secondly, whether there was a difference in effect between the
two types of games on these outcomes.
• Set up: 90 pupils, aged 10 - 14 years, of three Kenyan primary
schools assigned to 3 experimental conditions: a textbook
condition, a single player and a multi player condition.

58. Conclusions
• Game based learning didn’t show any improvement
on the dimensions measured as compared to text
book learning;
• However, when using game based learning,
incorporate a social interaction component in games
to make them more effective!

59. Lessons learned
• The importance of an agile game development method that
allows for regular testing, feedback moments and changes.
• Cultural awareness in game design and development: consider
and adapt to the values and beliefs of the target audience.
• Collaboration and co-creation with local representatives in game
development adds to game acceptance/effectiveness.
• A very positive attitude towards the use of computers in
education in the targeted areas.
• Target behaviour determinants.
• Longitudinal research into effects
• One given problem, multiple solutions (not only games)

60. Good Practice for ICT4D 2.0 Implementation
Actors and Governance:
- Multi-stakeholder partnerships
- An open and competitive environment
Aligned and Contingent Design Techniques:
- Participation of local users
- Appropriate technology mix to match local realities
- Align to local development goals
- Consideration of project risks
Sustainable Projects:
- Financial and social sustainability
- Development of local capacities and use of local institutions
- Local ownership
Successful
ICT4D
Project

61. http://tegenlicht.vpro.nl/afleverin
gen/2014-2015/access-to-
africa.html

63. http://www.bitsacademy.org/home.html

64. Rob Willems,
Hanze University of Applied
Sciences, Groningen,
r.willems@pl.hanze.nl