The Absence of One-Size-Fits-All in the Day Labour Organisations ICT4D Designs

Abstract

This chapter covers design experiences gained by working with two Non-Governmental organizations and one day-labour organization for the informal job seekers and employers—day-labour market (DLM). The three design architectures implemented for the DLM organizations are presented. On critically discussing the designs, it is found that even when users are portrayed as similar in the way they work and the things they do, their Information Management Systems (IMS) functional software requirements remain contextual up to the details. The synthesis of the designs shows that there is need to focus on the different functional information needs, including the ones that may seem insignificant even where non-functional requirements may be the same for seemingly similar users. From this argument, it is important that information systems designers, especially for Day labour market organizations, should go deeper into their users and beyond the “about us” information to understand the unique features and requirements of each user group. In conclusion, designers should not assume that seemingly similar organizations/users can be approached from the “one size fits all” IMS perspective.