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Paper short abstract:

Although the basis of software development is largely technological, also the context in which it takes place impacts the process. This paper studies how context matters in developing applications for local markets in the region of East Africa.

Paper long abstract:

The ongoing digitalization and increased connectivity across the world have made application development technologically feasible in almost any part of the globe. No matter where one is, most of the resources such as application programming interfaces (APIs), software development kits (SDKs) and required skills can be acquired via Internet. There is an increasing interest towards promoting software development and creation of app economies to serve local markets. What remains more unclear is how the context, where application development takes place, is relevant. This research aims to answer that question by studying application development in East Africa, concentrating to Kampala, Uganda. The data has been collected by interviewing entrepreneurs and software developers in the region and doing participant observation in the local tech hubs where many of the start-ups reside. Using structuration theory and the concept of habit formation in the user space the research finds that even though the technologies and skills needed for the application development are there, the context heavily conditions what type of applications are created and how, as well as the ways applications are being pushed for targeted users. The contextual challenges for the entrepreneurs are not only technological, but also display themselves in the form of existing social habits that the entrepreneurs aim to replace with their technology-driven solutions. The entrepreneurs find themselves between two different types of structures, those that come with the technological resources and the ones that exist in the context where their applications are built and used.

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