Developing for usability and user involvement in a low resource context

In a move to fight undernutrition, Rwanda's Ministry of Health has requested software for child growth follow-up over time. Improving the health status of the population is a priority, as undernutrition can cause permanent disability and negatively affects the economic development of a country. The child growth follow-up software aims to help Rwanda achieve its health goals. This thesis explores nutrition and growth follow-up for children in Rwanda and the factors behind developing for usability and user involvement in a low resource context. Two growth follow-up applications for the District Health Information System 2 platform were developed and tested for this project. The applications connect to the HMIS in Rwanda that is used by data managers at health facilities throughout the country to collect, aggregate, and report health data. The goal is to provide visualization software for the countries' Fortified Blended Food (FBF) Program, which aims to fight undernutrition and stunted growth by providing FBF to the most vulnerable groups of the population. The research method used in the project is Action Research (AR). The AR method was combined with the prototyping software development method. A total of five AR cycles were completed throughout the project, resulting in the development of five prototypes. The cycles were conducted both at the University of Oslo and in Rwanda. The data collected and analyzed throughout the development process, and during our two-week stay in Rwanda, resulted in the definition of three factors under the usability construct that promote usability and user involvement in a low resource context. A development project should focus on usability both in design and in the facilitation of use by developing for the context. Local resources dictate the direction of the software development, as the available hardware, infrastructure, and personnel effect must all be considered. An early focus on user involvement through the facilitation of communication leads to access to early and accurate project requirements and feedback mechanisms that refine the development process