Affordances of Digital Interventions to Support Adults on Probation: A Grounded Theory Approach

Information Technology (IT) based products hold great promise in supporting the significant number of individuals on probation, a marginalized population. This paper investigates how IT products designed for marginalized populations present distinct affordances. In this qualitative study, we used a grounded theory approach to interpret the affordances of the Probation and Reintegration Coach App (PARCA) digital product. Our study included 29 adults on probation before and after they used PARCA for 2 weeks. Our analysis of the interview data revealed four key affordances: self-monitoring, information access, engagement, and community support. Our findings confirmed that these affordances are not solely derived from technological features but emerge through user interactions with technology features and contextual factors that motivate the interactions. Hence, these affordances are inherently relational, particularly when designed for marginalized communities. Finally, we outline future research plans based on our findings. Keywords: Marginalized populations, digital intervention, affordances, adults on probation