Into(context), Kiva.org and an MMS application
November 7th, 2008
Africa, hybrid media, microenterprise
I have been meaning to mention this project by Into(context) for a while. It has a great website, with lots links, images, and documentation that exceeds that of most ICTD pilots.
Into(context) is a design research project developed by the Design for Sustainability group of Delft University of Technology and funded by Microsoft Research’s Digital Inclusion Initiative. The project reflects the initiative’s goal to understand what role information & communication technology (ICT) can play in creating solutions for overcoming the myriad barriers facing the developing world.
During six months in 2006 design researchers worked directly with Kiva.org and four of its existing microfinance partners in Uganda and Kenya to develop an appropriate technology solution to facilitate the use of their online lending platform. The solution needed to meet the needs of their users and be congruous with the context of East Africa.
The outcome was the development of a cell phone based application dubbed ‘The Miracle Mobile Solution’ or MiMoSo. The MiMoSo effectively eliminated some of the most significant barriers facing the staff in delivering content to the Kiva website. Critical partner information including text and images, can now be sent via Multi-Media Message Service. It allows MFIs the ability to expand their technology resources affordably to accommodate their operations with Kiva. Users submit updates directly over the mobile network without the need for an internet connection.
The design of this project interests me, as it has been developed to suit a particular niche, to provide an the organizational interface between the loan officer of an MFI and Kiva itself. Driven by MMS, of all things, it is another example of a hybrid process–through it, images and text which start their lives on mobiles in the developing world end up appearing on the PC screens of would-be Kiva users in the developed world.
