PhD Programs

Say it to my face. Co-designing a Wikipedia for an indigenous community.

admin_indiknowtech — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 08:55:39 +0000

Say it to my face. Co-designing a Wikipedia for an indigenous community. admin_indiknowtech Thu, 02/01/2024 - 09:55

Wikipedia’s presentation of human knowledge is the result of the work of a surprisingly small and homogeneous group mainly from the Global North. Indigenous communities are not contributing, possibly because their knowledge is not maintained by reading and writing. This poses two challenges: First, the world does not obtain knowledge from these communities via its ubiquitous encyclopedia, and second, indigenous languages often do not have any native language encyclopedia. Current research activities have stopped short of investigating interface changes and cultural adaptations to gain and retain Wikipedia editors from the Global South. Through participatory action research I attempt to co–construct a Wikipedia language edition that better mirrors the knowledge representation of an indigenous community. Measuring editing activity on this prototype shall show if a culturally ‘closer’ Wikipedia can be the way to tackle the mutual apathy.

Ongoing Student Projects

PhD Programs

Programme information

Peter Gallert

Principal supervisor : -- Prof. Heike Winschiers-Theophilus, Namibia University of Science and Technology

Co-designing digital service with marginalised or unemployed Namibian youth: A participatory design approach to self actualisation.

admin_indiknowtech — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 08:26:46 +0000

Co-designing digital service with marginalised or unemployed Namibian youth: A participatory design approach to self actualisation. admin_indiknowtech Thu, 02/01/2024 - 09:26

Namibia has an alarming youth unemployment rate of about 46.1% in 2018, with a general lack of employment opportunities for less qualified individuals. Preliminary research has shown that participatory design is a promising approach to unleash Namibian youth’s potential and positive attitudes towards new approaches to participate in socio-economic activities and thereby contribute to social change.

It is postulated that a participatory design process of digital services and technologies on the one side leads to more relevant and appropriate ICT artefacts while on the other hand empowers marginalised unemployed youth by unleashing their creativity, motivation and innovation that can lead to a self-actualised individual. Thus the theoretical basis for this thesis is Self-actualization and Social identity theory while action and design research are the methodological foundations in which the digital service development is validated.

Ongoing Student Projects

PhD Programs

Programme information

Shilumbe Chivuno-Kuria

Principal supervisor : -- Prof. Heike Winschiers-Theophilus, Namibia University of Science and Technology

Participatory GIS with the Ovahimba to support joint ecosystem management.

admin_indiknowtech — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 08:23:47 +0000

Participatory GIS with the Ovahimba to support joint ecosystem management. admin_indiknowtech Thu, 02/01/2024 - 09:23

The sustainable ecosystem management of large trans-frontier conservation areas (TFCA) like the newly proclaimed Iona-Skeleton Coast TFCA would benefit from the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to collect geospatial data. Participatory GIS (PGIS) offers a platform where data from heterogenous sources can be integrated and analysed to form information products which can then also be shared with many users of diverse backgrounds and expertise. For the output of PGIS to be accurate and hence useful, the data fed into the system must be accurate. The desired level of accuracy varies across disciplines and depends on the use. However, when data is collected and used by a heterogeneous team, the variances in accuracy requirements poses a challenge. This study intends to investigate the spatial, attribute and temporal accuracy requirements across a heterogenous team comprising of scientists, students, game rangers, park managers and the indigenous Ovahimba community of the Kunene Region in Namibia and in the Iona Park. The advances in ICT have seen an increase in the contribution of spatial data by members of communities. However, when it comes to the Ovahimba community, the paucity of formal education and limited access to ICT infrastructure as well as their own indigenous knowledge following a distinct epistemology, invites a different way of designing and deploying applications and maps. Through participatory mapping sessions, the perception of data accuracy amongst the various sources of data as well as the representation of indigenous knowledge will be investigated. By conducting ethnobotanical walks and focus group sessions, requirements for data collection tools will be derived as well as the requirements for developing portals for distributing the outputs of the PGIS to all the stakeholders. The anticipated outcome of the research is a PGIS for the Iona-Skeleton Coast TFCA and hence maps representing local knowledge, practices and species in a meaningful way for indigenous communities as well as adhering to external scientific requirements such as accuracy in terms of location, identification, measurements and time.

Completed Student Projects

PhD Programs

Programme information

Dr. Sebastian Mukumbira

Principal Supervisor : -- Prof. Heike Winschiers-Theophilus, Namibia University of Science and Technology

Associate Supervisor : -- Dr. Vera De Cauwer, Namibia University of Science and Technology

Exploring and Co-designing emerging technologies to enhance the reading experience of Namibian children.

admin_indiknowtech — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 08:12:43 +0000

Exploring and Co-designing emerging technologies to enhance the reading experience of Namibian children. admin_indiknowtech Thu, 02/01/2024 - 09:12

Technology is rapidly changing bringing some excitement and creativity to today’s reading experiences. Investing in a Tech Library can embrace innovations in technology providing users with enhancements in electronic books along with new forms of communication such as noticeboard. Particularly in developed countries libraries are not eliminated instead they’re being redesigned to accommodate the students of the 21st century. While in Namibia most Namibian public school libraries are utilized as storages which worsen the reading culture. The aims of the study is to characterise the current reading experiences for children in Namibia, learn what other countries are doing to improve the children’s’ reading experiences worldwide, how can we translate children’s aspirations into implementable designs? And thirdly what are the most appropriate technological tools to improve reading experiences of children in Namibia? Our research have begun a collaboration with People’s Primary school a public school in Windhoek to re design and implement an interactive Tech Library to enhance reading experiences of Namibian children. Between June and November 2017, 19 learners participated in weekly participatory design workshops to redesign their own school library. During the weekly workshops, we explored emerging technologies, redesigned the reading space, co-designed reading technology tools to enhance reading experiences for children, utilized persona creation and engaged different stakeholders. The research utilised a mixed methodology involving qualitative and quantitative data gathering and a participatory design approach.

Completed Student Projects

PhD Programs

Programme information

Helvi Itenge Wheeler

Principal Supervisor : -- Prof. Margot Brereton, Queensland University of Technology, Australia

Associate Supervisor : -- Dr. Allesandro Soro, Queensland University of Technology, Australia

External Supervisor : -- Prof. Heike Winschiers-Theophilus, Namibia University of Science and Technology

Project Gallery

Community Collaboration Framework for Co-Design of Technology and Services

admin_indiknowtech — Mon, 13 Mar 2023 06:40:47 +0000

Community Collaboration Framework for Co-Design of Technology and Services admin_indiknowtech Mon, 03/13/2023 - 07:40

Description

We have been co-designing technology with indigenous people for over 7 years, where, sessions were initiated by local and external researchers. Many researchers lack the skills and knowledge to be able to build, develop and maintain the relationship with indigenous communities. Equally the community has not developed strong mechanisms of expressing their own set of rules of appropriate interactions. Thus, my objective is to develop a framework for co-design of technology and services to support alien researchers and indigenous communities’ engagement. A Community-Based Co-Design (CBCD) approach is used which takes place within a communal value system and opens up a new debate around the principles of participation and its benefits within HCI4D and ICTD projects. Therefore, our relationship as researchers with any community has to strive for reciprocity, as the notion of reciprocity can lead to sustainable designs, valid research, and profound innovation.

Completed Student Projects

PhD Programs

Programme information

Dr. Gereon Koch Kapuire

Principal Supervisor -- Prof. Margot Brereton, Queensland University of Technology

Associate Supervisor -- Dr. Alessandro Soro, Queensland University of Technology

External supervisor -- Prof. Heike Winschiers-Theophilus, Namibia University of Science and Technology

Community-Based Co-Design of a Crowdsourcing Task Management Application for Safeguarding Indigenous Knowledge

admin_indiknowtech — Mon, 13 Mar 2023 06:40:45 +0000

Community-Based Co-Design of a Crowdsourcing Task Management Application for Safeguarding Indigenous Knowledge admin_indiknowtech Mon, 03/13/2023 - 07:40

Description

This research is investigating how rural communities in Namibia could crowdsource graphic designs as part of safeguarding their Indigenous Knowledge (IK). IK is knowledge mastered by local communities through their cultural practices and survival tactics. African IK is orally transferred by the elders to the youth as compared to scientific knowledge published in research papers. Since IK has not been recorded in any persistent format those that are well equipped with IK when they pass on, they leave with the wealth of IK. Thus, the IK is disappearing. It is based on this background that prompted the importance of safeguarding IK. As an initial effort to keep IK, a 3D tablet application HomeSteadCreator (HSC) was co-designed with the ovaHerero rural communities from Erindi-Roukambe, Omaheke region, Namibia (Rodil et al, 2012).

The HSC allows users to construct their homesteads and create scenarios by using 3D objects representing real elements in the rural surroundings to be placed on a ground soil look-alike surface. One of the challenges of safeguarding IK on a broader context is to adapt the HSC application from a rural community to the next different one. For this to succeed the 3D models representing the objects one rural community needs to be replaced and new ones explicitly designed for the different rural community has to be created.

Considering then individual customisations would be rather time-consuming and costly, and thus far there is a scarcity of local 3D graphic designers. We pursue supporting crowdsourcing of 3D models as locally defined by Namibian rural communities first and then globally delivered by graphic designers. The present study thus aims at investigating how indigenous communities could make requests for 3D models to be communicated to the graphics designers on the World Wide Web. Moreover how the indigenous communities could evaluate the delivered graphics.

Completed Student Projects

PhD Programs

Programme information

Prof. Colin Stanley

Principal Supervisor -- Prof. Edwin Blake, University of Cape Town

External supervisor -- Prof. Heike Winschiers-Theophilus, Namibia University of Science and Technology

Preserving Coastal Legacies: Empowering Namibian Communities through Augmented Reality

admin_indiknowtech — Mon, 13 Mar 2023 06:20:55 +0000

Preserving Coastal Legacies: Empowering Namibian Communities through Augmented Reality admin_indiknowtech Mon, 03/13/2023 - 07:20

With a particular focus on the ocean, this research examines the significance of the numerous ways Namibian coastal communities benefit and relate to the ocean and investigates ways in which digital technologies, with a focus on augmented reality (AR), can support, record, and preserve ocean Indigenous and experiential knowledge, culture, and relationships for posterity. Employing a participatory design approach, and incorporating community-based co-design and rapid ethnography principles, this research collaborated with formal and informal coastal communities and engaged with them in in-depth focus group workshops, discussing and exploring facets of ocean knowledge, histories, relationships, and cultures. Consequently, this research collaborated with research participants to co-produced an AR application titled Efuta Letu Sida Hurib (Translated as ’Our ocean, Our ocean’ in Oshiwambo and Khoekhoegowab) that supports, records and preserves ocean Indigenous and experiential knowledge, culture and relationships for posterity.

Completed Student Projects

PhD Programs

Programme information

Marly Muudeni Samuel

Principal Supervisor : -- Prof. Stuart Jeffrey, University of Glasgow

Associate Supervisor: -- Dr Lisa Mcdonald

Associate Supervisor: -- Matthieu Poyade, The Glasgow School of Art

Project Gallery

Cross-cultural co-creation of Indigenous Knowledge Management System

admin_indiknowtech — Mon, 13 Mar 2023 06:20:44 +0000

Cross-cultural co-creation of Indigenous Knowledge Management System admin_indiknowtech Mon, 03/13/2023 - 07:20

Description

Indigenous elders in Sub-Saharan Africa have for decades transferred valuable cultural and local knowledge to youths through interpersonal interactions in collectivistic rural villages. The youths are now sent to the capital to study a modern Curriculum as directed by governmental rules and regulations. Previous attempts to preserve and facilitate this knowledge transfer have proven unsuccessful in terms of Western design thinking and lack of understanding of limitations and unique opportunities embodied in a cross-cultural collaboration. The project investigates the potential of digital 3D visualization as opposed to trad. Database systems/search-by-term libraries to facilitate knowledge transfer between indigenous groups, and how it can play an intercultural role as a shared language in co-designing knowledge.

(Continued…) Since 2010 I have experienced a successful impact on two parallel tracks in prototype development to combat these limitations. Firstly, by focusing on bridging a digital, linguistic and textual gap between developers and elders with 3D visualizations. This research was originally intended as an end-solution, but has now shown as a potential source of communication between various stakeholders. Secondly, by acknowledging localized knowledge and the important interplay of culture, people and the context in early steps of the development. The methodological approach is through Participatory Design, which emphasizes development with the users – not limited to prototype evaluations and usability, but in every step important to strive for creating an egalitarian design process. Through prototypes in Android and Unity3D (game engine) on various devices, and based on the impact with the village elders the project is intended to continue contributing to this corpus of new knowledge of designing interactive systems. visit www.rodil.dk

Completed Student Projects

PhD Programs

Programme information

Kasper Rodil

Principal Supervisor : -- Matthias Rehm, Aalborg University

External supervisor : -- Prof. Heike Winschiers-Theophilus, Namibia University of Science and Technology