Designing ePeer : Using Participatory Design to bridge cultural differences when developing computer software

Abstract: This thesis presents a study that was conducted within a project, the purpose of which was development of a software application (ePeer) for students at Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST). ePeer is a tool for gaining information about Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health and will be used in a peer education project which is currently being set up in Mbarara. The study presented in this report aims at designing the interface of ePeer. Our intention was to develop a design that would suit the future users of ePeer. Achieving that involved learning about user expectations and bridging the cultural differences between us, the software developers, and the future users. In order to meet the user expectations we decided to get students at MUST involved in the design process of ePeer’s interface. Two methods were used to accomplish that, namely mock-ups and evaluations. The mock-up sessions provided us with a number of prototypes of ePeer’s interface, created by the students. The evaluation of three applications, with functionality similar to ePeer, resulted in a list of application features that were most appreciated by the students. By analyzing the outcome of the mock-up and evaluation sessions we managed to learn about the students’ expectations concerning ePeer’s content, functionality and layout. Basing on that analysis we suggested a design of ePeer’s interface. The design was positively evaluated by representatives of the future users.