Co-designing Digital Information-seeking Activities with and for the Small-scale Farmers of the Siyakhana Initiative

Abstract

Information is paramount to empowering people and communities, laying the foundations for “equality, sustainability and prosperity” as a critical driver of progress (Garrido & Wyber 2017:7). While only half of the world’s population has access to devices, let alone online services, the need to foster the growth of an information-empowered society is more significant than it has ever been (Garrido & Wyber 2017:7). Information Communication Technology (ICT) provides this mechanism, with mobile technologies playing a significant role; however, having access to information and having the ability to connect is meaningless if people cannot apply information to ‘real-world problems’ (Garrido & Wyber 2017:7,46). The following dissertation describes an interaction design (IxD) project that follows a Research Through Design (RTD) methodology. The study aimed to improve information-seeking activities with and for small-scale farmers, namely the farmers of the Siyakhana Initiative, using an experience-centred approach. The research leveraged a unique combination of activity-based models providing the theoretical underpinning of the study. The co-design process used a novel integration of contextmapping and IxD to identify small-scale farmer’s motivations and aspirations related to their information needs and information-seeking behaviours. The outcome of the study was the co-design of a prototyped concept using the affordances offered by digital technology to improve the way that small- scale farmers find, use and share information.

Date of Award	2020
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Johannesburg
Supervisor	Terence Fenn (Chief supervisor) & Angus Donald Campbell (Co-supervisor)