Christopher A. Le Dantec
ABSTRACT
Technology, it is argued, has the potential to improve everyone's life: from the workplace, to entertainment, to easing chores around the home. But what of people who have neither job nor home? We undertook a qualitative study of the homeless population in a metropolitan U.S. city to better understand what it means to be homeless and how technology--from cell phones to bus passes--affects their daily lives. The themes we identify provide an array of opportunities for technological interventions that can empower the homeless population. Our investigation also reveals the need to reexamine some of the assumptions made in HCI about the relationship people have with technology. We suggest a broader awareness of the social context of technology use as a critical component when considering design innovation for the homeless.
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Index Terms
Designs on dignity: perceptions of technology among the homeless
Reviews
Robert L. Glass
This is an unusual but fascinating research study. It uses an interview technique (although it is actually more complicated than that) to record uses by the homeless community of information systems/technology tools. This is probably the only study of this population on this topic. It has serious weaknesses-the study involved only 13 participants, and yet it makes the point that the homeless population is hugely varied and difficult to characterize. Consequently, the ability to generalize these findings is severely questionable. Nevertheless, its findings will have to do until something better comes along. Basically, it found that there is a certain level of technology use among the homeless population, although usage varies by individual. Most homeless people use cellular phones, for example; a few use the Internet (using free library computers), but most do not, out of ignorance. The paper is designed to appeal to the social consciousness of information people-especially researchers. Yet, it is difficult for the reader to see much that he or she can do given the disparities in the homeless population. Online Computing Reviews Service
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