Bypassing the evolution of technology: Using design science artifacts to give a leg-up for digitalization in developing economies

Abstract

The ongoing digitalization reveals gaps between developed and developing economies regarding technological resources and knowledge. While resources can be imported or externally provided (e.g. by humanitarian organizations), knowledge is hardly exchangeable. Still, it is an important factor to the solving of local challenges with the help of technology. Accordingly, the development of information systems is challenged, since specialists may have the expertise, but require high involvement with the local peculiarities to grasp practical problems entirely. We observed this effect in a three-year research project with the goal to provide mHealth-systems for midwives in Papua New Guinea. The challenge was approached by applying the principle of projectability, which originates from Design Science Theory. We achieved mutual comprehension between local practitioners and technical experts through the adoption of a mobile assistance system that was originally developed for Mechanical Engineering. This study reports on our research and contributes guidelines for future development project. © International Conference on Information Systems 2018, ICIS 2018.All rights reserved.