Developing Software for Low Socio-Economic End Users: Lessons Learned from A Case Study of Fisherfolk Communities in Bangladesh

As part of a large Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) programme, we conducted a number of research projects to empower fisherfolk in Bangladesh. Due to their low socio-economic status, low level of digital as well as general literacy and many other similar factors, fisherfolk are very diverse as end users of software. It was important to understand their characteristics before designing any software for them. We started with exploratory research in reviewing literature and hearing from experts who closely work with fisherfolk. Based on the identification of some of the challenges, we designed a prototype software for tacit knowledge transfer among captains of boats. We conducted number of focus groups with the captains of the boats and adopted a co-creation process where the functionality and usability of the prototype software were decided by the end users themselves. From our experience of working with this diverse group of end users we propose specific recommendations for future software development for end users with a low socio-economic background.