A critical approach to human helping in information systems: Heteromation in the Brazilian correspondent banking system

- We explore heteromation (the reliance on user helping for information system success) as a labor relation and as a design strategy for ICT4D projects.
- We take a critical approach as we examine issues of the type of labor and amount of effort such helping requires.
- Empathy in terms of a felt obligation to local people spurred helping in the correspondent banking system that we studied.
- Context was important in shaping the extent and type of helping across four banking settings.
- Given the rise in heteromated systems, we discuss important concerns that heteromation raises as a labor relation and as a system design strategy.