The doctoral dissertation in the field of Computer Science will be examined at the Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology, Joensuu campus.
What is the topic of your doctoral research? Why is it important to study the topic?
This research addresses an important topic that aimed to support the sustainable development of informal savings groups. Existing literature shows that many ISGs face several challenges in financial management, including poor record keeping and weak loan monitoring, which limits financial decision-making. While several digital solutions have been developed to improve financial management operations, they often lack context for their needs and mostly miss training and skill development. Integrating financial management skills training with daily financial operational practices provides opportunities for women to directly apply acquired skills into daily group operations. Such integration supports informed decision-making within groups.
What are the key findings or observations of your doctoral research?
The findings indicate that, although women in informal savings groups improvised by using simple digital tools to support financial management activities, these tools were weakly connected to the group's financial management practices. The study therefore emphasized the importance of aligning technology design with users’ mental representations, daily practices, and contextual realities rather than relying on standardized solutions that may not reflect local needs. This underscores the value of contextually relevant and user-centered digital innovations for informal workers. The evaluation of the Wanawake prototype demonstrated the important role of video conferencing features in addressing physical and geographical barriers that often limit participation in training and group coordination activities. Through remote interaction, women were able to access training materials and collaborate without the need for physical meetings, which improved engagement. The findings further revealed that the training content was highly interconnected, with financial recording emerging as the foundational skill influencing nearly all other financial management practices. The analytical features integrated into the prototype were found to improve loan management, repayment, and overall financial discipline among participants.
How can the results of your doctoral research be utilised in practice?
The study demonstrated the potential to overcome barriers related to physical meetings, mobility limitations, and geographical distance, thereby improving women’s participation and inclusion. The findings also provide strategies for improving loan recovery in government loan schemes and microcredit programs through better financial tracking, repayment monitoring, and accountability. Structured financial procedures and analytical features can reduce risks linked to unsustainable debt, including family conflicts, predatory lending, and stress-related mental health challenges.
Furthermore, the study supports the formalization and growth of ISGs into stronger microfinance units. The contextual and user-centered design approach can also reduce resistance to technology adoption and misconceptions associated with taxation.
What are the key research methods and materials used in your doctoral research?
This project employed the DSR approach to address practical problems through the development of innovative artifacts guided by established frameworks. In this study, the four-cycle view was integrated with a five-stage framework to structure and guide the DSR process. Following these frameworks, four papers PI, PII, PIII, and PIV were conducted, resulting in the development of the WanawakeApp prototype. The study was implemented in Dodoma City, Tanzania, and involved three key participant groups: women’s informal savings groups, information technology, and financial management experts. The research mainly adopted a qualitative approach, supported by a quantitative survey in PIV to complement and validate the findings.
The doctoral dissertation of Madina Hamisi Juma, M.A.Ed., entitled Mobile prototype for supporting financial management among women’s informal saving groups in Tanzania: A Design science research study will be examined at the Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology, Joensuu campus and online. The opponent will be Professor Caroline Wamala Larsson, Stockholm University, Sweden, and the custos will be Staff Scientist Jarkko Suhonen, University of Eastern Finland. Language of the public defence is English.
