Human technology : an interdisciplinary journal on humans in ICT environments 

About: Human technology : an interdisciplinary journal on humans in ICT environments is an academic journal. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Design rationale & Interaction design. Over the lifetime, 127 publications have been published receiving 2539 citations.

National policies that connect ICT-based education reform to economic and social development

Abstract: Information and communication technology (ICT) is a principal driver of economic development and social change, worldwide. In many countries, the need for economic and social development is used to justify investments in educational reform and in educational ICT. Yet the connections between national development goals and ICT-based education reform are often more rhetorical than programmatic. This paper identifies the factors that influence economic growth and shows how they supported economic and social development in three national case studies: Singapore, Finland, and Egypt. It describes a systemic framework of growth factors and types of development that can be used to analyze national policies and connect ICT-based education reform to national economic and social development goals. And it discusses how the coordination of policies within and across ministries can support a nation’s efforts to improve economic and social conditions. The paper highlights special concerns and challenges of developing countries.

An acceptance model for useful and fun information systems

Abstract: Investigating the factors associated with user acceptance of new software systems has been an important research stream in the field of information systems for many years. The technology acceptance model has long been used to examine the acceptance of utilitarian systems. Recently, it has been used to examine recreational or pleasure-oriented systems. Many examples exist of software that, depending on the context of use, can be used for productive and pleasurable interaction. This paper examines the determinants of use of one such "dual" system. A survey of users of a dual system was conducted. Results show that perceived usefulness is more important in determining intention to use than perceived enjoyment, and that perceived ease of use has no direct impact on intention, but still has a strong indirect effect.

Evaluations of an experiential gaming model

Abstract: This paper examines the experiences of players of a problem-solving game. The main purpose of the paper is to validate the flow antecedents included in an experiential gaming model and to study their influence on the flow experience. Additionally, the study aims to operationalize the flow construct in a game context and to start a scale development process for assessing the experience of flow in game settings. Results indicated that the flow antecedents studied—challenges matched to a player’s skill level, clear goals, unambiguous feedback, a sense of control, and playability—should be considered in game design because they contribute to the flow experience. Furthermore, the indicators of the actual flow experience were distinguished.

Towards a sociology of the mobile phone

Abstract: Use of the mobile phone is an immensely significant social and cultural phenomenon. However, market hype and utopian dreams greatly exaggerate its importance. The fundamental issue for sociology is the process of change. Bound up with contemporary issues of change, the mobile phone is a prime object for sociological attention both at the macro and micro levels of analysis. This article considers the strengths and weaknesses of four methods for studying the sociality of the mobile phone (social demography; political economy; conversation, discourse and text analysis; and ethnography), the different kinds of knowledge they produce, and the interests they represent. Recent ethnographic research on the mobile phone, particularly motivated by issues around the uncertain transition from 2G to the 3G technology, has examined the actual experience of routine use. Interpretative research is now supplementing purely instrumental research, thereby giving a much more nuanced understanding of mobile communications. Critical research on the mobile phone, of which there is little, is beginning to ask skeptical questions that should be pursued further.