Bookkeeping for Informal Workers : Co-creating with Street Traders

Abstract

Over 200 million street traders operate in Africa. Our pre￾vious research has identified a number of challenges of Tanzanian street traders and related technology innovation opportunities. One identified opportunity is technology to support keeping business records. In this study, an intercultural team of Finnish and Tanzanian technologists, re￾searchers, and Tanzanian street traders was set up to create a book￾keeping application, contextualized for the needs of Tanzanian street traders. A research period, lasting four months, resulted in a successful first version of the application, ready for further DSR projects. In addi￾tion, first experiences about what works in co-creation in this cultural context and with this team setup were gained. These results are useful for managing related DSR projects in the future. This study shows the importance of launching similar DSR projects, and the high potential of DSR and co-creation in solving societal and economic challenges in developing countries with technology solutions.