The Possibility of One-Size-Fits-All in ICT4D Design

This paper presents design experiences for two Non-Governmental organizations and one day-labour organisation working for the informal job seekers and employers—day-labour market. The authors present the three design architectures implemented for the organisations and show that, even when users are portrayed as similar in the way they work and what they do, their Information Management Systems (IMS) functional software requirements remain contextual up to the details. The authors argue that, although non-functional requirements may be the same for seemingly similar users, there is need to focus on the different functional information needs, including the ones that may seem insignificant. They noted that designers need to know more about their users beyond the “about us” information. The authors conclude that there exists no “one size fits all” IMS, even for seemingly similar organisations.