Submitted by Martin Bolton, Department of Industrial Design, University of Johannesburg, South Africa

 

 

Context:

 

The proposal for this project lies within the context of Industrial Design and the Design and Development of suitable products utilising appropriate technologies for developing areas within South Africa. Applicable design methodologies incorporate User Centred Design approaches, and Participatory Design which included intended users in the product design process. Meeting with the intended users, and undertaking research in their locations brings many challenges with attempting to effectively capture, manage, sort and process gathered data. Often field research trips involve several days living in remote locations, with little or no access to piped water, electricity, or cellular reception. Once returned from these trips, the collection of data includes completed questionnaires, focus group meeting activities, created design development sketches, observation notes, and photographic documentation. These have to be painstakingly sorted, arranged and compiled into a manageable data organising structure allowing for the observation of patterns, and utilisation in further design development and research publishing.

 

The Need:

 

There is a need for effective data gathering and field research applications for either near-site1 or real-time capturing of various data pertaining to Capturing field interviews (Open and closed ended questions), focus group activity outcomes, observational notes, and photographic documentation of sketches, images, objects, products and people during field interviews into electronic format.

 

Technical Considerations:

 

The locations where this type of application would be suitable would have limited or no electricity (battery power and reliable battery life required if real-time capturing is to be relied on.

Reliance and linking to the cloud, would remove functionality as many areas within South Africa do not have cellular reception.

And in remote areas, data connectivity is relatively expensive and unreliable.

Data would be a collection of different data from a diverse array of locations. GPS Location would be necessary, however matching waypoints to handheld GPS systems may prove suitable. Cellular coordinate tri-angulation would be unsuccessful.

 

Organisation/the body who would implement the solution:

 

Pilot testing and utilisation for the conducting of field research will be undertaken by the Department of Industrial Design in the field testing of small-scale agricultural systems, efficient wood burning stoves, and the development of suitable water treatment technologies in the rural areas of South Africa. An example project, is the amount of field research required in the development of the Vhembe Filter2, which included visiting 81 household spread throughout 19 villages within the Limpopo province.

 

Further dissemination may see the utilisation of this application by other interested bodies within the Health and Social Sciences, community leaders and local government.

 

1 Near-site referring to a location near to where the date was gathered, however not real-time.

2 Information, overview, and MTech dissertation available from http://opensourceecology.org/wiki/Vhembe_Water_Filter