Reimagining the Mobile Phone: Investigating Speculative Approaches to Design in Human-Computer Interaction for Development (HCI4D)

Design has traditionally been used to solve problems in the field of Human-Computer Interaction for Development (HCI4D). Mobile phone applications intended to address health and education challenges in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) are prominent examples of these efforts. In this paper, I argue that design-especially, speculative approaches-can play a different role in HCI4D. Within HCI, speculative design has proven to be useful for raising critical questions. Here, I present a collection of nine speculative design concepts that are intended to raise questions about mobile phones; in particular, how they are designed and what they are used for. These concepts are inspired by my +10 years of studying mobile phone use in Kenya. In the discussion, I elaborate on how speculative design approaches can benefit HCI4D by prompting questions about whether the field is solving the right problems. I also discuss how speculative design is useful for drawing attention to other problems and topics of study.