Open Source Mobile Development, Enabling Contextual User Centered Development Model
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WOSOC 2008 - Workshop on Open Source and Open Content, 1-3 December 2008, Bali - Indonesia Open Source Mobile Development, Enabling Contextual User Centered Development Model Ernianti Hasibuan Aditya Hans Priowirjanto Mensch-Computer-Interaktion Rechnernetze und Verteilte System und Softwaretechnologie Arbeitsgruppe Paderborn University Bielefeld University [email protected] [email protected] Gunadarma University VEDC - Malang Abstract of the Internet. The digitization of information is wealth- creating activity that drives the economy and global trade. As the use of mobile data services has spread across the Work is structured around the networked computer. Al- globe, the effect of cultural differences on user requirements though the Internet has helped to break down barriers of has become an important issue. This paper proposes an space, distance, and place, but we are still constrained in approach for mobile data services that takes cross-cultural many ways by our physical limits of existence. The Internet differences into account. To determine these attributes, a has not diffused randomly but has spread in definite pat- qualitative method is devised (and in-depth interviews) in terns, heavily constrained by the economic, socio-cultural, Indonesia are conducted. Indonesia has about 222 mil- and political structures. lion population and more than 6 million of it’s population The quality of the connectivity in underdeveloped and use mobile devices. This is potential market for services developing countries is far poorer than in the developed provider, though they still have to analyze the behavior of North. The more developed regions of the world (measured people in Indonesia as well as culturalbility background by GDP or average income per citizen) command most of and user acceptance the Internet hosts; the greater the proportion of its citizens The shift from system oriented to human context oriented who own computers and have Internet access. Users in de- design causes system development process is not only dic- veloping countries are unable to put onto the Internet con- tated by developers. Culturability, the merging of culture tent that can compete on an equal footing with the over- and usability, has implications for system design. Usabil- whelming content placed on the Internet by the developed ity must be redefined in terms of a cultural context, as what countries of the West and North. is user friendly for one culture can be vastly different for Therefore, to provide the Internet services in the devel- another culture. oping country such as Indonesia, the cost efficient approach However, customization to satisfy the culturability con- should be the main consideration. The same technology or sideration sometimes may not be established due to the li- the same model of interactivity cannot be used. User cen- cense limitation. Openness and flexibility is are key factors tered approach by focusing on cultural consideration should for Open Source Software to provide solution for specific be more employed rather than only technological consider- local problems. By employing FOSS the special develop- ations. ment and customization based on the culturability and user According to LIRNEasia researcher, Divakar Geoswami, context is possible to be achieved. Information and Communication Technology sector (ICT) in Indonesia is one of the most dynamic sectors of the econ- omy contributing most to GDP growth rate (around 16%) 1 Introduction than any other sector [1]. The ICT sector in Indonesia is dynamic, growing and profitable. Compared to the past, Internet has been contributing big impact to the world the regulatory environment is more transparent, pro-market, and has fundamentally changed many aspects of our life. pro-growth and therefore pro-poor. The number of computer hosts and the number of people The mobile sector that has added 6.6 million subscribers connected to the Internet has been rising since the beginning during the first half of the year 2005 and where operators 20 WOSOC 2008 - Workshop on Open Source and Open Content, 1-3 December 2008, Bali - Indonesia have aggressively invested in infrastructure. For the year tural influences lead to variations in people behaviors and 2006, we may see an investment of more than $2.5 billion practices. The people behaviors lead into different secu- dollars made in the mobile infrastructure as the existing op- rity, privacy aspects based on their environments or loca- erators gear up to face the challenge from Hutch and Maxis tions. Once this is understood, the development of what we who are rapidly rolling out their infrastructure. The mobile term "culturability" guidelines may be implemented when operators have been expanding their network at a frenetic considering design for mobile services. Beside the cultur- pace: Since the end of 2005, Telkomsel has increased its ability consideration, the user acceptance included in order number of base stations from 7,741 to 12,156 a growth of to design the mobile services. Specifically, we focus first 57 percent; Excelcomindo’s base stations during that same on identifying cultural design cultural markers present in period have grown from 3,620 to 6,052, a growth of 67 per- mobile services that have different languages, originate in cent. Despite making substantial investments, mobile com- different countries, and represent different genres. Based panies continue to be profitable. Excelcom and Bakrie Tele- on already identified cultural design, we should identify the com that had losses in 2005 have made profits this year. user acceptance of the related mobile services. The number of mobile phones in Indonesia per 100 in- Mobile devices has a chance to play a bigger role in de- habitants has increased quite significantly from 21.6 in the veloping countries such as Indonesia. For many people in end of 2005 to 24.32 in the middle of this year. The number Indonesia, mobile device is their first computer. They use will probably go up by the end of the year, although growth their handphone to access Internet, send SMS, doing bussi- from 2005 to 2006 may not be as rapid as from 2004 to ness transaction etc. The mobile device users are more het- 2005. However, with the introduction of new services in erogen than desktop users. Many users who are still afraid mobile sector, there will be more rapid growth in the num- to use the desktop computer, but they already used their ber of mobile subscribers. More competition in the mo- cellphone application without. Many users who does not bile sector will lower mobile retail prices that are quite high have high eduction background already used SMS for do- compared to the region and make it more affordable to those ing the banking transaction, etc. As shown in Fig. 1, users on the “bottom of the pyramid.” of mobile devices are heterogeneous, it encourages the in- vention of used of the mobile services, the normal people 2 Why mobile services ? on the street who sells his food exploiting his cellphone to accept the order, or to contact his partners. It opens a new The growth of mobile phones users also depends on the ways of doing transaction cheaply, especially in situation use-case applications provided by mobile services provider. like Jakarta, where the traffic jams are everywhere. The latest user feature offered is the video call between mo- Moreover, most of users do not want to open the manual bile users, using the 3G technology. The 3G technology or to learn the system. They just want to use it right away. also being used for data transfer and mobile Internet ac- In this situation, creating the development for mobile de- cess. Other feature which are also used is the SMS Banking, vices, is more challenging and difficult. The development which provided by the mobile services provider in coop- of mobile application requires different development strat- eration with local banks. Compare to another country for egy. Understanding the context of use as well as the cul- example Germany, this feature is not provided by the mo- tural background is the key of success. Mobile applications bile services provider. This explains that the user’s response should compatible with the usage context as well as the cul- differs base on several aspect, which trust, privacy and relia- tural background of users. For example in the Fig 1a. Other bility. Another example are the usage of mobile technology cases is shown in Fig 1b, the ages of mobile users can be using Code Division Multiple Access, which implemented very young or very old. For the users who cannot read, in Indonesia with CDMA2000 technology. The implemen- there should be other approach in designing, how the de- tation leads to sufficient Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) vice should be operated. Thus, mobile application should where the service provider could charge for low communi- be very simple, but very reliable, as well as secure and effi- cation cost from the user. This technology also supported by cient in bandwidth consumption. Secure in the sense of the the behavior of the user in Indonesia which likely to have complexity should be hidden from the users. long conversation rather efficiently. This kind of behav- Therefore, in designing the mobile application, the role ior cannot be found in Germany, which also explains that of users plays more important roles. Usability evaluation CDMA2000 technology are not implemented there. There- should be more developed in order to suit with the user, fore, it is important to analyze the culturability to design i.e. their cultural background. For example a questionnaire mobile service implementation. or think aloud techniques for particular group of users in This works aims to identify and studies design standards certain cultural background cannot be employed, because and conventions that distinguish cultures as manifest in ex- it cannot produce a representative result of user responses.