1. Towards Applications of
Capability Sensitive Design of
Technologies
Mira Slavova, Elmarie Venter, Gugulethu Baduza
SAP Mobile Empowerment, Pretoria, South Africa
IFIP 9.4, Ocho Rios, Jamaica
19- 22 May 2013

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Background
• Human development as a
pluralist phenomenon
• Capability: freedom to
achieve valued
functionings
• ICT4D: technology as
capability extension
(Prinsloo et al., 2012)

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CA use in ICT4D narratives
• Sen (2004) identifies 3 narratives:
• Description
• CA captures existing information use and technology context in the form of a descriptive
exercise
• Prediction
• CA is used in order to design and plan ICT4D interventions suited to the captured
context
• Evaluation
• CA is used for evaluation of capability expansions achieved through introduction of new
ICTs

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Strengths and Weaknesses
Weaknesses
• (Heeks & Molla, 2009; Zheng & Stahl, 2011)
• Technology as value-neutral resource.
Simplistic view of technology.
• Assumed individual agency. Reluctance to
theorize how it may be restricted.
• Limited use in practice and no consistent
approach for impact assessment
• Applications require:
• Interpretation
• definition of valued aspects of freedom
• understanding of the potential freedoms
NOT chosen, as well as the actual
freedoms chosen.
Strengths
• Focus on individual differences
• Understanding of choice:
• realised functionings: actual use of ICTs
• unrealised functionings:
freedoms/constraints preventing
capability development
• “Degrees of empowerment”
• (Alsop & Heinsohn, 2005; Kleine et al., 2012)
• dimensions of choice
• Empowerment: intersection of agency
(i.e. “the capacity to make meaningful
choices”) and existing opportunity
structures

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Design Thinking Process
• Innovation consultancies: IDEO, Intuit, etc.
• d.school, Stanford University, CA
• D-School, HPI, Potsdam, Germany

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Design Thinking Process
(Thoring and Muller, 2011)

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Knowledge in Design Thinking
(Thoring and Muller, 2011)

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POV Syntax
[USER] needs to
[USER NEED] because
[SURPRISING INSIGHT]
A teenage girl needs more nutritious food because vitamins are vital to good
health.
A teenage girl with a bleak outlook needs to feel socially accepted when eating
healthy food, because to her a social risk is more dangerous than a health risk.

9. Aligning Capability Approach and Design Thinking

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THEORIZING THE DESIGN PROCESS
Design Thinking is about the creation of, as well as adaptive use of a body-of-
behaviours and values. This goal stands in sharp contrast to, while complimentary
to, the predominant disciplinary model based on the creation and validation of a
body-of-knowledge. (Plattner et al., 2010)
• as a body of research behaviours for innovation, DT can be aligned with the
body-of-knowledge derived through the CA
• CA can serve as a useful framework for scoping out the problem space for the
design of transformative ICTs.
• DT operationalizes the translation of the problem space into the solution space
• Insights captured via CA are transformed into well-defined ‘point of view’ problem
statements.
• iterative alignment of both spaces

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Capability Sensitive Design
CA can serve:
• as a framework for exploring
the socio-technical problem
space
• a framework for exploring the
solution space, with a
sensitivity towards individuals’
capabilities.
(Thoring and Muller, 2011)

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Example: Shanti, a housewife from Hyderabad, India
(Brown & Wyatt, 2010)
Capabilities:
• Walking access to near-by treatment plant
• Can afford to pay 10 rupees for 5 gallons
• Can carry 3 gallon containers on her head,
rather than 5 gallon jerrycans
Constraints:
• Does not require 5 gallons of water every day
• Considers it profligate to pay 10 rupees for 5
gallons of water every day
Functioning: continuously chooses to drink
untreated water
PoV: Shanti needs a drinking water procurement
solution which will allow her not to be profligate,
while staying within her budget and physi cal ability

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Example: Capability Sensitive Design of
Education Services in SA
Empathize:
Context and
Education
Research
Define:
User + Needs
+ Insight
Ideate:
Idea
Generation
and Selection
Prototype:
Proof of
Concept
Test:
Pilot
Phase 1: May- Sept,
2012
Phase 2: Sept- Dec,
2012
Phase 3:
Jan- Dec, 2013
Design Thinking
Capability Approach
(A.Sen)

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PHASE 1: Understand: Context Research
 May- Sept, 2012
 Survey, FGDs
 Capability Approach (A. Sen)
 Culture/ Traditions
 Democracy
 Education
 Environment
 Health/ Nutrition
 Media
 Money matters
 Technology
 Work/ Unemployment
ICT
EDU
Government
Context
Researchers
Educational
Experts
Technology
ExpertsTransform-
ation Experts
Educators
& learners
Community

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PHASE 2: Empathize: Education Research
 Oct- Dec, 2012
 15 schools
 Thabazimbi, Limpopo
 Wellington, Western Cape
 uMthwalume, KZN
 Randfontein, Gauteng
 Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga
 Observe
 Interview (FDGs, expert
interviews))
 Storytelling (learners,
parents, teachers, school
management)
 Synthesis

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PHASE 3: Design Thinking: Technology Development
 Jan- Dec, 2013
 Steps:
Idea generation and selection
Proof of concept
Pilot

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Design Thinking is just thinking?

18. Thank you!