[Appropriate] technology. It’s not the fact that it runs on low-end devices, or the latest Android phone, or is platform independent, or seamlessly connects with the “cloud” or the rest of the solution ecosystem, or that it has the smartest user interface ever designed, or that it meets recognised data compatibility standards. It’s whether or not it’s usable by – and relevant to – people.
That’s what counts, and that’s the part we should be getting excited about. After all, technology alone is not the answer. People are the answer.
Aptly put. I always thought the 2.0 stage, whether it be applied to the web or technology, was where we put the human aspect back into tech
Hey Kaushal
I agree that the advance of Web2.0 has given more people the opportunity to ‘interact and engage’ more with technology, but the main challenge I see is that there is still a tendency for people to get excited around technology “itself”, and not what it can actually “do”.
By way of an example, when Google Android was announced there was great excitement among some quarters that this was going to unlock the potential of social mobile. I was far more sceptical – there’s not much that we can’t do with current platforms – and I blogged about it here:
http://www.kiwanja.net/2007/11/battleship-google-fires-its-new-gun/
It still saddens me to see such a disconnect between many “new” technologies and the realities on the ground. Android is probably the best example of this right now. Technically I’m sure it’s great, and it’s open and ticks all the right boxes. But what potential does it have, today, for the countless NGOs seeking usable and appropriate mobile solutions?
One to discuss further over that Tusker, my friend. 🙂
Ken – completely agree that for a technology to be appropriate it needs to be usable by people.
Platforms like Android, do open up some new exciting options that help make it well suited for the realities on the ground. If we are talking about $400+ data entry devices, I agree Android phones won’t be the appropriate answer for quite some time in Africa. However, if you take and Android phone and make it your SMS Server things get a lot more interesting. Then you are talking about a $400 device, that serves as both your computer and GPRS modem with built in battery backup. I think a lot of new technologies can be appropriate for Africa when adapt the way we use them.
RapidAndroid which just came out does this:
http://buildafrica.org/2009/02/12/rapid-android-rapidsms-launched-on-android/
Hey Matt
Thanks for taking the time to comment – it’s always helpful having these kinds of discussions out in the open.
I wasn’t specifically referring to RapidSMS in my comments – a platform which UNICEF seem to be getting great traction with at the moment (the Blog post I refer to in my comment above to Kaushal was written long before RapidSMS was conceived). One of my key criteria for “social mobile” applications is for them to run on “readily available hardware”, and I don’t know how long it will be before Android phones are out in target areas in sufficient numbers. This applies to any mobile technology – Android just happens to be one of the more prominent. The same could likely be said for Nokia’s Data Gathering Tool, which only runs on one or two phones. Adoption is bound to be an issue in these cases.
It’s also worth making the point that my personal focus is on the “long tail”, i.e. smaller local grassroots organisations who seek to use mobile technology in their work. Expecting them to get hold of an Android phone to try out a mobile project is an ask too much, even if they did have the money and access to the technology. In it’s current iteration Rapid Android is a great tool for larger NGOs such as UNICEF to implement, since they could likely purchase hundreds of G1’s and get them out to where they need to be.
As I always say, we need mobile tools all the way along the long tail, and this includes higher-end solutions. There are no good or bad mobile tools in that regard – all I caution against are people who get excited by the technology for technology’s sake and who neglect to consider where they may or may not be appropriate. This is generally where we see the biggest gulf between people working under the realities of life in the field, and those who choose to sit back and commentate at a distance.
Looking forward to seeing where all of this goes!
Ken
Ken,
I’ve seen too many failed projects designed around a technology so I couldn’t agree more. Also, I didn’t think you were necessarily referring to RapidSMS, I just mentioned RapidAndroid as it helped to illustrate my point.
Perhaps it is a residual affect from my time at Geekcorps, but I am one who tends to get excited by a lot by a technology when it has the potential to change things down the road. Even at $300-500, netbooks, for example, still aren’t the answer for most places Africa. It gives me hope to believe though that even cheaper computers are coming down the pipe and that we’ve already starting to shift priority from more CPU cycles to less watts. Some of the new technologies like ereaders, I believe will be completely disruptive but not in its current form. I certainly wouldn’t advocate buying kindles for anyone at this point 🙂 But I think we’re in agreement, it’s good to be geek if you take the long view always with an eye of the current realities on the ground.
Ken, thanks for the great discussion. I agree these are important (and fun) to have.
Thanks and keep up the great work!
Matt
Totally in agreement with you too, Matt!
From my perspective, I’m happy to help make the *present* work for as many NGOs as possible, and someone else can tackle the future. 🙂 There are clearly many opportunities on the horizon and I’m also excited to see what plays out. Of course, it’s hard to predict which innovations will grow and gain traction, and which fail and fall away. Despite today’s mix of mobiles, netbooks and Kindles I still think the future is going to end up very different than any of us ever predicted.
Take it easy!
Ken
P.S. I’m enjoying reading the “Innocent Anthropologist” after first starting it in 1997! Never knew it was about your home ‘town’. 😉
Well put. I get excited about tech too, and try hard to keep it in context. We have a few mantras after doing similar work the last few years, but this is my favorite: Tech is a tool; not a solution.
R,
Coby