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Profile
Research Areas
Software Engineering,Information Systems Auditing,Configurable Software Platforms,Human-Centered Software Design,
Profile
I am Lawrence Byson, a Lecturer in the Department of Computer Science, University of Malawi. I have a Bachelor of Science degree (Computer Science major and minor in Statistics and mathematics) from the University of Malawi. I also have a Master of Science in Informatics from the same university. I started working as a Software Engineer in 2016 at the Department of Computer Science in which my main responsibilities were designing, developing, and implementing client software systems. I have worked on different projects in the areas of health (HIV/AIDS, Malaria, TB among others), agriculture, sustainable development, and procurement among others. I was employed by the University in December 2019 as a Staff Associate in Computer Science. Some of my duties and responsibilities include Teaching Undergraduate Computer Science courses, Supervising Final Year Students Projects, Conducting Research, and Consultancy. I was promoted to the Lecturer position in December 2020 after I obtained my MSc Degree. Currently, I am the coordinator for the Master of Science program in the Department of Computer Science. Within the Department, I teach the following undergraduate courses: Introduction to Programming, Software Engineering, Human-Computer Interaction, Server Administration, Information Systems Auditing, and Controls. I am also a part-time Lecturer in the Mathematical Sciences department in which I teach Introduction to Computer science and Introduction to Computer Programming in the Diploma in Statistics Program. I have also worked as a part-time lecturer at Domasi College of Education in the Department of Computing and Mathematics. I have seven (7) years of experience in working with DHIS2 in areas of DHIS2 apps development, System support, DHIS2 customization, Android app implementation, and server administration. I have also attended local and international DHIS2 academies on DHIS2 Android Apps Implementation, DHIS2 Android App Development, DHIS2 Developers Academy, DHIS2 Developer academy advanced customization and app development, and DHIS2 server administration. I have worked on different projects within the University and as well as outside the University. Some of the projects include Mobile Health for Afrika (mHealth4Afrika) 2016-2019, ESCOM Management ICT Skills Training Consultancy 2016-2017, Nation Agriculture Management Information System (NAMIS) 2019-2021, BackUpHealth Project under HISP Malawi 2020-2022, Malaria Integrated Mentorship Checklist under National Malaria Control Program Malawi 2020-2021, Shire Valley Transformation Program MIS (SVTPMIS) 2021, Local Authority HIV and AIDS Activity Reporting System (LAHARS) 2021, Sustainable Agriculture Production Programme (SAPP) 2020. My research interests include Human-Centred Systems Design, IT Auditing, Software Usability, Configurable Software Platforms, HIS, and software architecture.
Publications
- Conference Papers
Abstract: Configurable software platforms, DHIS2 in particular, are useful tools for implementing nationwide solutions in health and other public sector problems in data management. The essence of this work is to indicate that the configuration and implementation of a DHIS2 use case in a collaborative environment with multiple practitioners utilizing and updating the same resources i.e. same data elements, program rule variables etc., is barely if at all, supported by the platform. This paper further points out that this inability to support collaborative work leads to team member confusion, time constraints, errors in configurations (program rules), resource duplication and workload repetition. This work then proposes some workflows that could be implemented in external software to mitigate some of these challenges, which can then be imported into the DHIS2 platform as a supplement in those lacking areas. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/ICECET55527.2022.9872957 (2022)
- Conference Papers
Abstract: For a long time, the Malawi health sector community level was using paper-based tools. However, the huge impact of the data generated at the lowest level of the health sector in performance monitoring, decision making, planning and measuring progress prompted the need to have digital solutions. When digital tools were introduced; most of them were only addressing a single functionality or programme, resulting with a lot of fragmentation and siloed systems. Therefore, most of the information systems in place are not holistic, what is missing is information systems that are integrated in nature, encompassing all the patient and programmes data. The Malawi MoH through the Community Health Services Section (CHSS) in collaboration with other departments is implementing an integrated community health information system (iCHIS), resting upon an open-source, web-based platform – DHIS2. The goal of this paper is to discuss the role that different communities of practice (CoP) played in the different phases of iCHIS development and implementation. Drawing on case material from several CoPs in the Malawi health sector community level, a case is built around the use of CoPs, arguing that if the different communities are well coordinated and collaborated, they will be able to enhance the integration of the community health information system. In this paper, we analyzed how the interaction of different CoPs have led to the successful implementation of the integrated community health information system (iCHIS) in the Malawi health sector. Five CoPs were identified namely: policy makers, developers, users, facilitators and supervisors CoPs. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.23919/IST-Africa56635.2022.9845579 (2022)
- Conference Papers
Abstract. The advent of configurable software has shifted the implementation of software solutions from total reliance on software developers to increased participation of end-users. End-users are now able to create software solutions without the need for writing code but through configuration and customisation. Despite the increasing use of configurable software challenges in designing the software platform architecture, the process of testing and usability exists in configurable software. The research aimed at evaluating how available interface elements influence usability in DHIS2. Empirical data was collected by studying the design of custom data collection forms for routine health data collection with two groups of users. 80% and 90% were recorded as completion rates of the designed task and overall efficiency of 86.23% and 89.94% was achieved between the two groups. Lack of relevant editing features, increased distance between related objects, lack of conformity to Keep It Simple, Stupid (KISS) and minimalistic design principles were found to be the major challenges affecting usability. doi:10.3233/SHTI210718 Citation: Byson, L.F. (2021). Data Entry Form Designing Tools and Software Usability in DHIS2. Studies in health technology and informatics, 284, 254-258 . (2021)
- Conference Papers
Abstract: Time efficiency and design consistency are key measures in evaluating software usability. Literature suggests that usability influences software acceptance. This paper focuses on efforts to improve efficiency and consistency of a configurable software platform that provides functionality for users to define software interface skip-logic. The study was conducted using the District Information Software version 2 (DHIS2), a configurable software platform. In DHIS2, skip-logic is implemented using program rule variables and program rule expressions. In particular, the paper focuses on the development of a custom app for defining program variables, in place of an inbuilt DHIS2 app, whose design was found to be inconsistent with other DHIS2 apps and less time efficient. The inbuilt DHIS2 app restricts users to the creation of one program rule variable at a time. The custom app was evaluated by 11 users to check its efficiency. Users were able to batch-create program rule variables, when using the custom app, reducing development time. An average of 9 minutes 24 seconds was taken to create five program rules variables using the DHIS2 inbuilt app. The same task took an average of 2 minutes and 3 seconds when using our custom app. DOI: 10.1109/ICECET52533.2021.9698797 Conference: 2021 International Conference on Electrical, Computer and Energy Technologies (ICECET) (2021)
- Conference Papers
Abstract: The objective of the research was to discuss how software architecture shapes the usability of configurable software in data entry-form design. The research process was conducted in three stages. The first stage focused on usability studies for DHIS2 custom form editor from which empirical data was collected from 11 participants. The second phase centred on experimentation with Sketch2Code and Commcare. The final stage focused on solution prototyping and evaluation. The research found out that usability is enhanced in configurable platforms through the availability of interface elements for achieving desired goals with the platform without the need for writing code and meta-design. Constraining factors to usability include lack of functionality to advance the appearance of interfaces beyond the basic outlook and having predefined functions with limited room for innovation outside the predefined range. The research also found out that software architecture enables software usability by providing mechanisms for cross-platform compatibility with similar applications, provision of boundary resources for further customisation and through meta-design Citation: Byson, L., & Manda, T. (2020, September 16). Software Architecture and Software Usability: A Comparison of Data Entry Form Designing Platforms . The African Conference on Software Engineering, Nairobi, Kenya. Available on http://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2689/paper1.pdf (2020)
- Conference Papers
Abstract: In Malawi, mobile money providers and banks predominantly provide customers access to financial services through USSD applications. A customer dials a specified code to access services and a list of services are displayed on the phone interface, with an input field for registering a selected list item. This study analysed design consistency in four USSD applications, two provided banks and the other two provided by mobile network operators. Design consistency, within and across applications, is essential towards realising desirable user experiences. Design consistency looks at creating uniformity in look and behaviour in interface elements and aspects of software that are meant to accomplish similar functionality. Internal consistency focuses on an application’s design, content, and behaviour to be the same within screens and features. External consistency is concerned with like implementation of functionality and interface elements, that are aimed at achieving similar objectives, across applications. Literature suggests that inconsistency in design negatively affects users’ mental models on how applications function, which then negatively impacts user experience with software products. A mental model is a person’s mental construction of how things are made and can be interacted with. The study did a comparative analysis of how the four applications support the following operations: checking account balance, transferring funds, buying airtime and buying electricity units. Services were compared in terms of the number of steps to get to a target goal, provision of feedback to users, logical ordering of options and design consistency. The study found both internal and external inconsistencies in the design of the applications, in terms of the number of steps followed to achieve a desired goal, layout of options and presentation of feedback. The study, then, came up with a design framework to enhance design consistency in mobile banking platforms. Citation: Byson, L., & Manda, T. (2020, November 18-21). Design Consistency and Mental Models in USSD Banking Applications in Malawi . The 3 rd Nation Research Dissemination Conference, Mangochi, Malawi. (2020)
