Digital Development

There are 9 Principles of Digital Development

1. First is, Design with the User.

The Core tenets of this first principle Design with the User are as follows:

➢ It should Incorporate multiple user types and stakeholdersin each phase of the
project lifecycle to direct feature needs and revise the design.
➢ It should have clear objectives and open to a process of repetition
➢ It should improve users’ current processes
➢ And aside from considering the needs of the underserved it should always be open
to people opting out of the design process
2. The second Principle is, Understand the Existing Ecosystem.
➢ The Ecosystem is the political, economic, social, technological, environmental, legal
and other factor within the group or geographical location where the final design
product will be used. A very important thing to note is that the ecosystem is
everchanging thereby requiring that digital developers check and analyze their
assumptions.

The Core tenets of this principle are the following:

➢ Coordination, consultation, and constant engagement with civil society groups, the
government, or all stakeholders from the start of the project until project
completion to avoid duplication and ensure smooth integration with the existing
technical system if any.
3. The third Principle is Design For Scale.
➢ The elusiveness of achieving scale is a goal that has been hard for digital developers
because of pilotitis. The mHealth describes it as the inability to move initiatives
beyond the pilot stage. From the start it is a must to Design For Scale. Designing for
scale means planning and strategizing beyond the pilot stage. Aside from the
obvious concern about funding the initiative and continuously funding it after the
pilot stage, digital developers must take into consideration its usability and bottom
line affordability in order to achieve scale in the future.

The Core tenets:

➢ Design and Plan for Scale from the start. Keep the design simple but flexible and
adaptable. Devise a funding model that incorporates the partners who can help
 fund and sustain the initiative. And remember to demonstrate the impact after
gathering enough evidence that validates the initiative before any attempt to scale.
4. Principle number 4 is to Build for Sustainability.
➢ Very closely related to designing for scale is building for sustainability because this
fourth principle is about ensuring user and stakeholder support be maximized and
uninterrupted. Working hand-in-hand with NGOs, Corporations, or the
Government ensures that the initiative achieves institutionalization in the policies,
processes, and user workflow.

The 4th principle’s core tenets are:

➢ Plan, build, and implement a sustainable model from the start. Collaborate and
engage with all stakeholders particularly partners for funding. And design a program
that is adaptive to changes in user context.
5. The 5th principle of Digital Development is Be Data Driven.
➢ Informed decisions by the decision makers can only be achieved if the initiative is
data driven. Data produced and collected from such as those from surveillance,
research, operations, project management, and even secondary sources enable the
right people to make the right course of action.

The core tenets are:

➢ Always design with a focus on the outcome which is measurable and incremental.
Similar to starting the initiative where in developers engage all stakeholders, data
sourcing, collection, and analysis must also be holistic. It must also bridge the gaps
of knowledge within the development community and adhere to international
standards of interoperability.
6. The 6th of the 9 Principles is to Use Open Standards, Open Data, Open Source, and Open
Innovation.
➢ More often than not, digital content and innovations are locked away behind
licensing fees only to be used and available to specific sectors. To help increase
collaboration in the digital development world an open approach through open
source technologies, open innovation, open data and open standards that still takes
into account the practical, technical, security, and privacy constraints should be the
way to go.

The core tenets of the 6th principle are:

➢ Develop new digital codes or technologies that are freely viewed, copied, modified,
shared, and distributed in open or public platforms. In the same manner adopt and
expand on open data, standards, or innovation done by other digital developers in
the community. This enables a wide collaboration and co-creation of software,
systems and tools.
7. The 7th Principle is Reuse and Improve.
➢ This is very much related to the 6th principle. Reusing and improving an existing or
currently available resource, tools or products greatly makes you more efficient
because of reduce costs of development and testing. Your improvement of the
existing technology will help the global development community once you have
shared it openly.

The 7th principle’s core tenets are:

➢ Identify and evaluate existing tools or software used by your target market or users
and see how you will be able to improve them. Ensure that what you reuse, develop,
and improve on will also be easily adopted and further improved by others.
8. The 8th and penultimate principle is to Address Privacy and Security.
➢ This involves careful consideration about which data are collected and how they are
stored and shared. Organizations or entities collecting data should be responsible
enough to be transparent in how they collect and use personal data. Security
measures and policies that protect and uphold an individual’s dignity and privacy
should be in place and made known to the individual.

The core tenets are:

➢ Consider and understand the risks by performing a risk-benefit analysis not only to
countries but more so to individuals and communities who would be impacted
positively or negatively if the data collected leaks out. Always keep the best interest
of the individuals or end-users particularly their privacy and security before
collecting any data. It is imperative to define who will own the data, who will have
access, and how collected data will be used before any data can be collected or
captured. Always implement an informed consent so that participants understand
why data is being collected and that they have an option to refuse participation.
9. The 9th and Last principle is to Be Collaborative.
➢ This principle not only brings all other principles together but is actually part and
parcel of each and every principle of digital development. Simply put, collaboration
is the sharing of strategies, insights, and information across individuals, sectors,
projects, and organizations leading to increased impact and efficiency of the
initiative.

The core tenets are:

➢ Engage with local and international partners, leaders, experts and organizations
across disciplines, industries, and countries in all phases of the project life cycle.
Document and share findings and advancements in a Creative Commons License as
well as participate in conferences of the digital community.