A review on the use of action research in information systems studies
Proceedings of the IFIP TC8 WG 8.2 international conference on Information systems and qualitative research
Information Systems and Global Diversity
Information Systems and Global Diversity
Making a World of Difference: It in a Global Context
Making a World of Difference: It in a Global Context
Interpreting Information Systems in Organizations
Interpreting Information Systems in Organizations
Computer Supported Cooperative Work
Information Systems Development as an Activity
Computer Supported Cooperative Work
Contextuality of participation in IS design: a developing country perspective
PDC 04 Proceedings of the eighth conference on Participatory design: Artful integration: interweaving media, materials and practices - Volume 1
The role of identity in health information systems development: a case analysis from Mozambique
Information Technology for Development - Special issue: Information technology for health care in Mozambique
International Journal of Electronic Commerce
Building participatory HIS networks: A case study from Kerala, India
Information and Organization
Journal of Biomedical Informatics
Understanding benefits realisation of iREACH from a capability approach perspective
Ethics and Information Technology
A synthesis of research on ICT adoption and use by medical professionals in Sub-Saharan Africa
Proceedings of the 2nd ACM SIGHIT International Health Informatics Symposium
Assessment of community wellness outcomes to measure ICT impact
Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Information and Communications Technologies and Development: Notes - Volume 2
| Hi-index | 0.00 |
In this paper, the role of participation within the domains of information system (IS) research and social development is analyzed. Specifically, we examine how the process of IS development, and the IS itself, can reflect and shape the status of social development. Traditionally, participatory design (PD) research in IS has focused on business contexts in the Western world, with minimal application to developing country settings, especially in the context of social development. This paper seeks to contribute to developing these understandings and bases its analysis on a case study of a community-based health IS in South Africa. The case study involved the design and development of a community-based child health IS in a rural area of South Africa. Nationally, the formal district health 1S in South Africa includes data only on those people who access health services through the health facilities. The premise behind developing a community-based child health IS was to include all the people living in that district in the district health 1S. Analysis of the case study reveals three ways in which traditional PD needs reconceptualization. First, it is not only the users of the IS who should participate, but also those individuals who are affected by the IS, even when those individuals have no direct interaction with the system itself. Second, whereas there is some recognition in PD literature of the need for the participation of people at different levels vertically distributed within an organization, there has been little recognition of the value of involving actors outside the organization or sector. Third, the capacity of the users and those impacted by the system needs to be developed to ensure effective participation in the IS design and development processes. These three approaches to PD in IS, whose purpose is to contribute to social development, are essential components of a participatory strategy.