"Exploring Mobile Phones and Alternative Approaches to Design in Rural Kenya" - Susan Wyche
Channel: UCIBrenICS
Date: 2018-01-17

January 12, 2018
"Exploring Mobile Phones and Alternative Approaches to Design in Rural Kenya" with Susan Wyche, Assistant Professor, Department of Media and Information, Michigan State University. 

Abstract: 
Substantial public and academic interest remains focused on using Information and Communication Technology (ICT)—in particular mobile phones and the Internet—to address longstanding socioeconomic problems among marginalized populations in the “developing world.” However, an incomplete—and sometimes inaccurate—understanding of the realities underlying these populations’ interactions with technology may undermine the hopes that are invested in mobile phone applications and online services. In this talk, I will present findings from my fieldwork, where I collect information which provides some understanding of the complexities surrounding people’s interactions with ICTs in rural Kenya. I will then discuss the implications of these findings, in particular how they offer new design and research directions for HCI researchers and practitioners. 

Bio: 
Dr. Susan Wyche is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Media and Information at Michigan State University and is affiliated with MSU's African Studies Center. Her research focuses on human-computer interaction (HCI) and information and communication technologies and development (ICTD). Her work has been supported by Google, Facebook, USAID, and the National Science Foundation. Wyche is a 2015 recipient of an NSF CAREER Award. She received her Ph.D. in Human-Centered Computing from Georgia Tech, an MS from Cornell University and an undergraduate degree in Industrial Design from Carnegie Mellon University.