I do believe technology can empower and liberate.  That a single effective product has more potential for worldwide impact – by providing clean water, food, shelter, income – than any other development approach.  That the introduction of inexpensive and simple, but life altering products can change the lives of more than 2 billion people around the globe living in poverty.  The real challenge is getting people to adopt these technologies.  Adopting new technology goes hand in hand with behavioral change; rich or poor, it’s hard to get people to change their behavior.  Understanding that even small changes can have larger emotional or unexpected consequences is what makes or breaks technology efforts.  Some exemplary stories:

In an off-the-grid Guatemalan community, a micro-hydro project was installed by a local NGO. The community was isolated from the rest of the region.  The only road was nearly impassable and required development in order for the NGO to even get access.  The system installation was considered a success.  But if you go to that community today and ask about the project, you won’t hear stories about electricity and its advantages.  Instead, you’ll see the impact of that road that was developed to get to the community.  Accessibility, it turns out, was the real game changer in their lives – simple things like the exchange of fruits and vegetables from the nearby towns dramatically altered diets.

Last February I was in an Indian community of 2500 where dozens of people die each year of water diseases.  A local NGO tried to introduce bio sand filters and explain the benefits of the filtration process – but they were fighting against everything this community could hear on the radio, or see on their one-hour of TV watching.  The filters were abandoned because despite the fact that less than 5% of people had ever been outside the community, their proximity to Delhi left them striving for a modern lifestyle.  Why should they accept a concrete and sand when just an hour away people had modern kitchens?

Across the globe solar panels promising electricity are being used to dry clothes.  Cooking stoves promoting fuel efficiency are turned upside down and used as seating.  The New York Times recently reported that 96% of hospital equipment donated to developing countries fails within five years.

In spite of the fact that technology exists capable of changing lives, the majority of the people living in our world are caught in a trap of poverty they cannot escape.  The reality is that one of the biggest barriers we face in getting technology to the people in need is psychological.  On a personal level, these hurdles make it difficult for me to be in this job and not get angry with people.  Is cutting wood into smaller pieces that big a deal when your life is at stake?  Or cooking food just a little bit differently?

But it’s equivalent to the sacrifice we’re asked to make in our own lives and fail to do so.  For example, we know taking public transportation is better for us and for our future, but the inconvenience of it keeps us in our cars.

Last year I did a few personal experiments on seemingly small sacrifices.  The first was prompted by an observation in India, where my host family wore the same clothes each day.  I decided I would do the same and wondered how long it would take my co-workers to comment.  On day five, still no comments.  Yet, I had gone completely insane.  Turns out the daily act of selecting clothing was more important to me than I had anticipated by providing a daily outlet for personal expression, even though it had little impact on others.  Without this ritual, I felt completely unmasked.

My little experiment is a small step towards appreciating the difficulty of diverting from instinct, from the well-trodden routines we’ve all made for ourselves.  Ultimately, change is what we make of it; and it’s powerful if we can convince ourselves and others to embrace the possibilities it can bring.  Good technology, good design, should be able to inspire that in all of us.