Defamiliarizing the Domestic: Exploring "M-Kopa Solar" and Sustainable Practices in Rural Kenyan Households

Domestic environments remain a topic of interest in HCI/Ubicomp, including how Information and Communication Technology (ICTs) can be designed to support sustainable practices in them. In this paper, we broaden the community's knowledge of these topics by studying them in rural Kenya. Specifically, we explore users' experiences with 'M-Kopa Solar', a commercially-available solar-powered lighting system for homes. We draw from our fieldwork, which primarily involved conducting interviews and observations at 21 households. In the process of learning about people's experiences with M-Kopa, we also learned about other sustainable practices that were central to their everyday lives. Our findings suggest that M-Kopa is a "green" solution to limited access to electricity in rural Kenya; in particular, we find that the system's design contributes to its success. These findings also raise questions about the long-term implications of such systems-especially in terms of how M-Kopa's marketing practices introduce people to consumption practices. We discuss this and other findings; in particular, the continued significance of "defamiliarization" as design strategy within HCI/ubicomp.