A Study of Innovation Activities in Software Firms in Nigeria

Software firms in Nigeria were in the business of buying and selling software products about two decades ago but are now developing customized software products. Hence, this study sought to examine the extent to which selected software firms in Nigeria have built their innovation capability to engage in software innovations activities. Using appropriate methods, the study analyses data obtained from 73 software firms located within three geopolitical zones in Nigeria (North-Central, South-West and South-South). The results showed (on a five-point Likert scale) that the software firms to a great extent engaged in Human-Centered Designs (3.6) and User-Experience (3.5) software innovation activities and to a moderate extent in User-Interface (2.9) activities. The study also revealed that 91.8%, of the selected software firms engaged in the development of entirely new applications, 65.8% improved on existing applications, 20.5% applied entirely new software methodology, 76.7% improved on existing software methodology, 57.5% introduced entirely new software services, 78.1% slightly improved on existing software services, 87.7% initiated entirely new software designs, while 11.2% slightly improved on existing design interface. The software firms were classified to be on the innovation capability maturity (ICM) level 3 (out of five maximum levels) which implies that the software firms in Nigeria are at the supported innovation level. The study recommends that firms focus on user-centric designs, ensure adequate engagement of users in software development and encourage the acquisition of new HCI knowledge for the effective incorporation of newer interactive features, intuitive interfaces, and customized options for user satisfaction.