Developing and Implementing an African-Informed Approach to Global Technology Development

Reimagining Human-Centered Design: Developing and Implementing an African-Informed Approach to Global Technology Development

Human-centered design (HCD) and global development courses often train engineering, computer, and information science students to design technologies for developing countries. However, these courses frequently reinforce narratives that portray Africans as technologically backward, lacking innovation, and merely using technology rather than creating it. They also often exclude the lived experiences and expertise of individuals from the continent, which leads to an incomplete understanding of the complexities of global technology use and design.

In this presentation, I share findings from over 15 years of research examining technology use and design, primarily in rural Kenya, and how this work informed the development of a redesigned course at Michigan State University. Supported by Mozilla’s Responsible Computing Challenge, the course integrates topics from African studies—including African history, postcolonialism, and multilingualism—and incorporates the perspectives of Kenyan students from Egerton University through virtual and in-person collaborations. Together with MSU students, they developed prototype technologies addressing real-world challenges, such as rural telemedicine and digital tools for farmers. The presentation concludes with practical insights on how other courses can adopt similar approaches and benefit from them.