Amplifying the Griot: Design Fiction for Development as an Inclusivity Lens

EasyChair Preprint 2843

Abstract

Design fictions are useful tools by which to consider the impact that technology can have in the lives of people in the future. In this work, we consider how design fiction can be used to guide research in the context of a developing country -- adding to the existing approaches in Human Computer Interaction for Development (HCI4D) and Information Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D). We term this approach Design Fiction for Development (DF4D). Using a fictional case set in the near future, we showcase the breadth that DF4D forces upon our view of design fiction, so that we consider other consequences of current design approaches: monetary loss, reputation loss, legal liability, embarrassment etc. We then propose a DF4D approach that follows a Respectful Technology Space framework and the use of the Griot in determining both how the research should be approached/conducted, and with whose voice, towards accounting for often overlooked consequences.

Keyphrases: Design Fiction for Development (DF4D), Human Computer Interaction for Development (HCI4D), Information Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D), Postcolonial computing, design fiction

@booklet{EasyChair:2843,
  author    = {Lindah Kotut and D. Scott McCrickard},
  title     = {Amplifying the Griot: Design Fiction for Development as an Inclusivity Lens},
  howpublished = {EasyChair Preprint 2843},
  year      = {EasyChair, 2020}}