This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I Project identifies information requirements in a low income community that could be supplied with resources on the Internet, and develops a prototype application for supplying those requirements. As the development of a National Information Infrastructure progresses, and as greater concern is raised over the issue of universal access for all Americans to the resources of the `information superhighway`, the development of vernacular applications tailored to the needs of low income communities is a matter of highest national priority. The prevailing design of Internet applications is based upon a middle class style of information access. Although `electronic redlining` is a regulatory concern, the question of universal access must be answered not only in terms of `access where`, but also in terms of `access by whom` and `access for what`. This study addresses this issue by conducting anthropological field research on information resources and strategy in a low-income neighborhood of Chicago. Wizdom Systems, Inc. will profile the information requirements and acquisition patterns of low-income groups; with rapid prototyping methods, they design broadband applications that are demonstrably useful and valuable. The Phase I result would be a system design and prototype for an Internet application tailored to low-income Black communities.
