School of Information and Technology

USER CENTRIC MODEL FOR DEVELOPMENT OF MOBILE APPLICATIONS FOR MICRO, SMALL, AND MEDIUM SCALE ENTERPRISES: A CASE OF KAMPALA CITY COUNCIL AUTHORITY

2026-02-22T07:59:14Z

USER CENTRIC MODEL FOR DEVELOPMENT OF MOBILE APPLICATIONS FOR MICRO, SMALL, AND MEDIUM SCALE ENTERPRISES: A CASE OF KAMPALA CITY COUNCIL AUTHORITY WAUYO, FRED The growing dependence on mobile applications has revolutionized global business operations, offering substantial advantages, including enhanced customer engagement, streamlined workflows, and expanded market access. Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), particularly in developing economies, can significantly benefit from harnessing mobile technology. However, many MSMEs in Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) face challenges in designing and delivering mobile applications that meet user needs, resulting in low adoption rates and disappointing business outcomes. This study developed a user centric model for guiding the development of mobile applications for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises; a case study of Kampala Capital City Authority. To achieve this, the study explored the user-centric factors that influence the development of mobile applications for MSMEs, formulated a conceptual model, and validated the user centric model for mobile application development. The identification of user centric variables was achieved through a review of the literature on technology adoption models, software development models, the use of mobile applications in MSMEs, challenges experienced in developing user-centric mobile applications for MSMEs, and a pilot study. The study also examined Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Human-Centered Computing (HCC) models. These models, which informed the identification of key user-centric constructs including interface consistency, intuitiveness, usability, and interaction quality, emphasize usability, interaction design, cognitive fit, accessibility, and continuous user involvement throughout the system lifecycle. This reinforces the importance of designing mobile applications that align with users’ cognitive capabilities, behavioral patterns, and contextual usage environments. This study draws from four complementary theoretical frameworks: - The Technology Acceptance Model for Mobile Services (TAMM) focuses on user perceptions of usefulness and ease-of-use in mobile contexts, while Task-Technology Fit Theory (TTF) emphasizes the alignment between technology capabilities and task requirements for optimal performance. Diffusion of Innovation Theory (DOI) explains how technological innovations spread through social systems based on perceived attributes and communication channels. The Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework examines use through technological readiness, organizational characteristics, and environmental pressures, providing a comprehensive lens for understanding the multi-level factors that influence the acceptance and diffusion of technology. The conceptual model was developed based on existing literature that explores the causal relationships between independent variables identified, which are factors that drive design and development, and the dependent variable, which is the user centric development (UCD). In this model, the independent variables represent key technological, organizational, individual, and contextual drivers, while user-centric development serves as the dependent outcome. This study investigated the relationship between these factors and their impact on the development of mobile apps designed to meet the needs of MSMEs. The study employed an exploratory research design informed by the paucity of literature on user centric development models. The study integrated both quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques; the quantitative data enabled the extraction and analysis of descriptive and demographic statistics and statistical validation of the model, while qualitative techniques enabled triangulation of the quantitative findings. The adequacy of demographic compositions was confirmed through chi-square and t-test analysis. The Model analysis and validation utilized the Partial Least Squares-Structured Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM), a variance based tool found in SmartPLS software. The PLS-SEM analysis divides the model into measurement and structural components and confirmed several factors that significantly influence user-centric mobile application development for MSMEs across all four development phases. The most impactful predictors were User Training (β = .21), Updates (β = .20), and Cross-Platform Capability (β = .19), alongside other factors such as stakeholder input, compliance, functional features, interface consistency, intuitiveness, design flexibility, quality assurance, and task-fit. The model accounted for 59.7% of the variance (R² = .597), indicating moderate to substantial explanatory power. Predictive relevance was also strong, with Q² = .411, reflecting the model’s robustness in predicting user centric mobile application development outcomes. The development of this model constitutes a fundamental contribution to the foundational knowledge on user centric development of mobile technology applications for MSMEs.

Incentivization of Large-Scale Crop Pest And Disease Digital Surveillance: Model Formulation and Algorithm Design

2025-05-27T12:39:51Z

Incentivization of Large-Scale Crop Pest And Disease Digital Surveillance: Model Formulation and Algorithm Design Ouma, Gordon Otieno Crop pests and diseases pose a significant threat to global food security, causing substantial yield losses, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where economic damages from pest and disease outbreaks could exceed $1 billion in the next decade. Smallholder farmers, who cultivate most of Kenya's farmland, are especially vulnerable due to limited resources and inadequate pest and disease management support. In Homa Bay County, where agriculture is integral to the local economy, challenges such as insufficient surveillance systems and poor extension services exacerbate food insecurity. Traditional surveillance methods are often ineffective, while mobile-based surveillance offers a promising solution for large-scale monitoring. However, despite the presence of barriers such as high data costs, low digital literacy, and poor connectivity, lack of incentive prevents farmers from overcoming these challenges and adopting the technology. This study addresses these challenges by developing a tailored incentive model, underpinned by an algorithm, to promote the adoption of mobile e-surveillance systems, thereby improving pest and disease management and enhancing food security. The study analysed existing surveillance practices, identified adoption barriers, and developed a participatory based incentivization framework to guide the design of an incentive model. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining a descriptive survey design with experimental approach to evaluate the adoption and effectiveness of mobile e-surveillance among smallholder farmers. The study is piloted in Homa Bay County, Kenya, and involved 367 farmers and 31 extension officers purposively selected for their relevance to the research objectives. Data was collected through structured questionnaires for farmers and interview guides for extension officers, exploring current surveillance practices, adoption barriers, and perspectives on incentive models. The experimental component designed and prototyped e-surveillance application for mobile phones with various incentive structures to assess their impact on adoption. Instrument reliability and validity were ensured through a pilot study conducted in Kitutu Chache South Sub-County, where Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient was applied. Expert evaluations were incorporated to verify the instrument's accuracy and relevance. Data analysis, performed using statistical software, applied both descriptive and inferential statistics to identify key trends and factors influencing adoption, which informed the development of the incentive model. Findings revealed that farmers in Homa Bay County predominantly relied on traditional and labour-intensive methods for pest and disease scouting. Despite the availability of mobile-based solutions, adoption remains limited due to barriers such as inconsistent internet access, high data costs, low digital literacy and inadequate institutional support. This informed the development of an incentivized e-surveillance framework that anchored the incentive model within a collaborative digital ecosystem supported by strategic partnerships. The incentive model, formulated using game theory, fosters sustained engagement by leveraging strategic interactions between farmers and the e-surveillance platform to achieve nash equilibrium. Farmers earn points for participating in surveillance activities, which can be redeemed for benefits such as input subsidies, technical support, training, and subsidized data bundles. Rewards dynamically adjust based on participation, ensuring long-term engagement. By integrating this scalable and adaptable incentive model into digital surveillance solutions, the study aims to boost adoption and enhance the effectiveness of mobile e-surveillance for pest and disease management, thereby strengthening agricultural resilience and food security.

Incentivization of Large-Scale Crop Pest and Disease Digital Surveillance: Model Formulation and Algorithm Design

2025-05-27T12:34:59Z

Incentivization of Large-Scale Crop Pest and Disease Digital Surveillance: Model Formulation and Algorithm Design Ouma, Gordon Otieno

A Model For Integration Of Gamification In Learning Management Systems For Students’ Motivational Learning Experience

2025-05-27T12:25:41Z

A Model For Integration Of Gamification In Learning Management Systems For Students’ Motivational Learning Experience Bogonko, Ben Mariga Motivation in eLearning mode for higher education matters since it improves the interaction and engagement of the students and consequently enhances the quality of their skills. Despite the huge financial support by the government of Kenya to facilitate learning processes in public universities, students feel demotivated when using Learning Management Systems (LMSs) and this could be attributed to limited concept development in the gamification of education. This study aimed to analyze the effect of integrating gamification mechanics in LMSs to develop a model for students’ motivational learning experience. In achieving this, the study was guided by four specific objectives explicitly: to analyze the existing models that apply to the integration of gamification in LMSs, to determine the constraints encountered in the integration of gamification in LMSs, to investigate the effect of integrating gamification elements in LMSs and to develop and validate a model for the integration of gamification in LMSs for students’ motivational learning experience. The study was anchored on Self-Determination theory and gamified learning theory and it followed pragmatism research philosophy. Besides, the study also adopted a deductive research approach and experimental research design. The target population was 162 respondents and a complete enumeration survey method of sampling for data collection was employed. Questionnaires integrated into LMS and MOODLE reporting logs were used for data collection. Data was analyzed using inferential statistics methods of regression and correlation as well as paired samples t-test and descriptive statistics methods of percentages, mean, and standard deviation. The results were presented in form of tables, graphs, charts, and statistical narratives. The study's results confirmed that most of the respondents agreed (M=3.87, SD=1.033) that the integration of gamification elements in LMS positively impacted students’ motivational learning experience. Further, the experimental overall results confirmed that there was a significant increase in course total activities score of the students on a non-gamified LMS from (M=30.26, SD=13.36) to gamified LMS (M=50.60, SD=21.53), t (80) = 10.45, p < .001, d = 1.14. In conclusion, the study established that the integration of gamification elements revealed a positive effect on students’ course activity scores and consequently their motivational learning experience and that there existed gamification constraints that any university cannot evade. This study was limited to badges, level-up, and custom certificates gamification mechanics, and their results on the performance of students’ activity scores may not be valid for other gamification elements. The study recommends that the university management offer capacity building to all eLearning lecturers on how to integrate gamification elements in their courses. Further, it recommends that the Directorate of eLearning develop a clear policy on how integration of gamification can be achieved in the university course curriculum. The findings of this research were used to develop and validate a model that higher education institutions could use to integrate gamification in LMSs to improve students’ motivational learning experience. Moreover, this study will considerably influence policy formulation on gamified eLearning management systems that will facilitate the attainment of the fourth sustainable development goal of quality education for students.