innovative solutions [electronic resource] what designers need to know for today's emerging markets

INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS What Designers Need to Know for Today’s Emerging Markets INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS What Designers Need to Know for Today’s Emerging Markets EDITED BY APALA LAHIRI CHAVAN GIRISH V PRABHU Boca Raton London New York CRC Press is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group 6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300 Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742 © 2011 by Taylor and Francis Group, LLC CRC Press is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business No claim to original U.S Government works Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper 10 International Standard Book Number: 978-1-4398-1049-1 (Hardback) This book contains information obtained from authentic and highly regarded sources Reasonable efforts have been made to publish reliable data and information, but the author and publisher cannot assume responsibility for the validity of all materials or the consequences of their use The authors and publishers have attempted to trace the copyright holders of all material reproduced in this publication and apologize to copyright holders if permission to publish in this form has not been obtained If any copyright material has not been acknowledged please write and let us know so we may rectify in any future reprint Except as permitted under U.S Copyright Law, no part of this book may be reprinted, reproduced, transmitted, or utilized in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publishers For permission to photocopy or use material electronically from this work, please access www.copyright com (http://www.copyright.com/) or contact the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc (CCC), 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400 CCC is a not-for-profit organization that provides licenses and registration for a variety of users For organizations that have been granted a photocopy license by the CCC, a separate system of payment has been arranged Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe Library of Congress Cataloging‑in‑Publication Data Innovative solutions : what designers need to know for today’s emerging markets / editors, Apala Lahiri Chavan and Girish V Prabhu p cm “A CRC title.” Includes bibliographical references and index ISBN 978-1-4398-1049-1 (alk paper) New products User-centered system design Cross-cultural studies I Chavan, Apala Lahiri II Prabhu, Girish V TS171.4.I574 2010 658.5’75 dc22 Visit the Taylor & Francis Web site at http://www.taylorandfrancis.com and the CRC Press Web site at http://www.crcpress.com 2010008033 Contents Preface vii Editors xiii Authors xv An Introduction to Emerging Markets Warren Greving Key Themes of Working in Emerging Markets 15 Apala Lahiri Chavan Aspects of Innovation: Research and Technology 49 Beena Prabhu and Sarit Arora Usage Ecosystems: Dynamics of Emerging Markets 61 Girish V Prabhu Understanding Users in Emerging Markets: What’s Different? 79 Apala Lahiri Chavan Case Studies 91 Interviews 197 Index 229 v Preface Building up years of experience as user experience specialists has prepared us only for the tip of the iceberg when we enter the challenges of innovation and design in emerging markets There is so much to learn, so much to experiment with, so much to rethink whether what we know already could be useful in designing for the emerging markets Although many of us have done projects for different cultures, they were mostly relevant to the world we already lived in, the so-called “developed world” However, with the emerging markets, there is still a lot to uncover in regard to methods we use to gather user input, the processes that lead us to creating innovative p ­ roducts and services and tools we use for usability evaluation We see this as a journey, rather than a collection of experiences, that could lead us to great designs It is a journey that will be enriched with the new perspectives, ideas, innovations, and tools that will help us to dig into deeper ends of the iceberg This book is our attempt to show our road to the “riches” of new ways of uncovering opportunities in innovation and design for emerging markets Just like the companies who have established market shares in the developed countries face a new challenge, we as designers share the excitement and the pain while entering the emerging markets We already know that the usual ways of designing and introducing a product or a service may not work anymore in the newly opened markets Not only the cultural differences play a major role in what, how, and why customers behave the way they do, but the existing technologies, distribution channels, wants and needs of people become new elements to consider In this book, Human Factors International (HFI) in India describes the landscape of what ­ esigners are d facing today in emerging markets, and discusses the unique methodologies they developed to aid designers to overcome the difficulties faced when innovating and designing in emerging markets This book incorporates research and practice to provide a comprehensive look at the elements of what is needed to be knowledgeable and creative when innovating and designing for emerging markets Human Factors International in India and a selected group of professionals who have done pioneering work in the emerging markets make this a unique book due to its contributors: local designers and researchers providing insights directly from the depths of India, China and other parts of the world We provide an in-depth look at user research methods in emerging markets and underserved communities We show how ecosystems mapping could be a great tool to define the elements impacting innovation and design decisions We discuss methodologies to develop solution spaces based on the output from user research studies We provide case studies from around the world to bring perspective on how the landscape of innovation and design differs from the vii viii Preface design in the “developed world” These case studies and design examples p ­ rovide us insights on how to avoid pitfalls in innovating and designing outside of our comfort zone that we were living in the past decades We bring the voice of the researchers and designers providing insights directly from the depths of innovation and design for emerging markets In the introductory chapter we talk about the similarities and dissimilarities in the emerging markets, whether it is BRIC, MBRIC or the BISA group of emerging countries Through his experience in setting up research labs in three of the four BRIC countries (India, China and Russia), Warren Greving highlights the key economic and research trends in emerging markets Drawing upon the historical backgrounds of these nations and cultures, he highlights the ways to be “surprised” and asks the designers to keep their eyes open to identify the contexts of emerging markets as not one unified entity With examples from India, he goes further to emphasize how each of these emerging markets are not homogeneous in any way In the second chapter, Key Themes of Working in Emerging Markets, Apala Lahiri Chavan analyses the four key themes of working in emerging markets These themes are culture, people, technology and transition Innovators and designers need to have enough data points, even before embarking on any emerging market work, to understand how similar or different the specific emerging market is from the country they belong to and are familiar with In addition, the fact that the emerging markets are not necessarily similar cultural entities The people who comprise emerging markets are also different because of their unique demographic, social and cultural context Technology is one of the main “game changers” for the emerging markets The extremely positive attitude about technology has often resulted in the emerging markets being able to leapfrog in the area of technology adoption and usage This can often be an unexpected surprise and hence less than optimally leveraged by designers coming from the developed/mature economies And finally, the fast pace of change in the emerging markets and the resultant transitionary nature of society poses unique challenges and opportunities The third chapter, Aspects of Innovation: Research and Technology, emphasizes the role for user research in understanding needs and wants At some level, the consumers in these markets are rooted in their socio cultural practices, but at the same time a clear shift in practices and beliefs is also seen Consumers are aspiring for better products, and they want these today! However, the models and the trends for technology adoption in the emerging markets are not the same as in the developed markets This difference can be attributed to sociocultural differences, ecosystem differences and the changes in macroeconomics that have influenced the emerging m ­ arkets significantly With carefully selected examples from Brazil, China and India, Beena Prabhu and Sarit Arora have created a case for why a deeper understanding of user needs in emerging markets could lead to appropriate products and services Gaining a deep understanding of users will enable Preface ix designers and innovators to come up with products and ideas that will be successful and will have a positive impact on the lives of the users It is c ­ rucial that user research be designed in such a way that it not only ­ ncovers u insights about the users but also about the ecosystem that the user lives in and is influenced by Every market is different, and the emerging markets are more so because of the changes that have transpired in the past 10 years and have influenced their consumers Looking at these markets through the right lenses, and using the appropriate methods to understand the fabric of each market will help multinationals in their quest to penetrate them and be successful in delivering “killer” products and services Usage Ecosystems: Dynamics of Emerging Markets, the fourth chapter­ , covers the importance of understanding the ecosystem and its needs Building on existing research on business ecosystems, Girish Prabhu makes a case for needs analysis of the entire ecosystem We call the resulting a ­ nalysis and understanding the usage ecosystem as this provides designers a deeper understanding about the interdependence of various stakeholders from a usage perspective With two live examples, one in the K-12 education system and another in high frequency (mom-and-pop) retail, we bring to the forefront the key advantages of this approach towards developing appropriate solutions We strongly feel that understanding of interdependence of stakeholders in an emerging markets ecosystem becomes more crucial, as they tend to be less homogenous in nature compared to developed ­ arkets m The relationship between these entities is also very much more flexible and fluid Culturally, many of the emerging market countries value ­ elationships r over rules Hence entities often behave in different ways and assume different characteristics in an ecosystem where they need to “be” as the relationship dictates in a specific situation Secondly, the state of infrastructure and technology in the emerging markets is leapfrogging so rapidly that the very profile of the entities undergoes rapid transformation This in turn drives the need for utmost flexibility in relationships between entities in the ecosystem Designers need to be aware of the specifics of emerging market ecosystems in order to spot opportunities for design that would not exist in developed market ecosystems In the K-12 education ­ cosystem, interdee pendence of students, parents and teachers from a holistic education perspective led to identification of needs that are supportive of each other as well as conflicting These insights allowed the innovators to identify a solution that provides an optimal level of success to the key end user without risking the other stakeholder’s values In the high frequency retail solution, understanding of ecosystem stakeholders’ needs allowed the innovators to identify a solution that could possibly create a return on investment (RoI) for the HFR ­ toreowners In a nutshell, by picking out the stakeholders that s have the greatest interdependencies and the most profound effects on the key ­ takeholders, the innovation team can develop out-of-the box solutions s In the next chapter, Understanding Users in Emerging Markets—What’s Different?, Apala covers methods that the designers could use to make 214 Innovative Solutions Much of village commerce is conducted using scooters or bicycles including far more scooters than cars, and scooters converted to haul every type of cargo or stand-alone business I saw how common the scooter (and scooter accessory) retail business was and I began to figure that if you are in that kind of mobile, scooter-based lifestyle, you’re going to be stopping and starting frequently and maybe the helmet just stays on Keep in mind that I’m just doing observation here, triangulating across a few different points and using my own pattern-matching to figure what I should investigate further Ideally I’ll try to ask someone One tool that’s been really helpful is Flickr I posted a great deal of pictures from Mumbai and Bangalore and I would sometimes state my question or at least my assumption Thanks to all the online participation in India, I actually got answers, including some detailed explanations For example, I was struck by a sign for HP gas featuring a smiling anthropomorphized LP canister with the slogan ‘Safety To ensure your happiness.’ I had to wonder what type of place is this where the benefit they want to highlight is safety? We assume that everything we buy is safe (in spite of many of the recent scandals around tainted products both from the United States and elsewhere) and talk about a much higher level of benefit Someone on Flickr explained in great deal about the revolution in this new canister design; that tamper-proof features meant that corrupt middlemen could not meddle with the contents of the canister and that design had been used to get around challenging and entrenched behaviour I don’t think my original reaction was that far off, but I was able to get more of the story Of course, this is all something I’m doing with no goal beyond the pleasure of curiosity When trying to understand a culture for more targeted reasons (i.e., a client engagement), I’m going to have a bit more of a filter on my noticing Interviews 215 This gas canister carries a message A colour version of this figure follows page 136 There is a major increase in MNCs conducting ethnographic/ethnography-inspired studies in emerging markets What you think is the reason for this sudden popularity­of ethnographic methods for emerging countries? I think it’s primarily about money There’s a major increase in MNCs developing products for the new middle classes in these emerging markets, and so there’s hopefully a certain amount of humility in those efforts, not assuming that products can simply be exported as is As new middle classes are being created, they represent new consumers with very little history as consumers, and that is a very juicy opportunity So there’s a combination of opportunism and humility behind it What role you see for innovation and design in the progress and growth of e ­ merging countries? I think there are two key paths here The first is the use of innovation and design to try to address crushing problems I’ve read how dwellers in Mumbai slums transplanted into apartment buildings are terribly unhappy and eventually return to a slum environment That’s counter-intuitive to the naïve ­ utsider (foreign and Indian, of course) who tries to solve the problem o by giving them an environment like we all have It doesn’t work So this is a challenge for innovation and design: how to understand the need much more deeply and how to create solutions that provide safety and security in a ­ elevant fashion There are many examples of small but powerful r innovations like a creative use of local materials or low-effort pumps that support subsistence agriculture The other path, though, is the trappings of modernization­ more cars, more electronics, more global and national : brands in retail, fast food, and so on That’s progress, but there are cultural 216 Innovative Solutions consequences to quality of life, environment, and beyond I would hope that design can be sensitive to those consequences, but I also suspect the call of consumption (to consume and to produce consumables) is awfully strong What role you see that designers can play in an emerging economy like India/China, etc., that may be different from their role in a developed country like the United States? Designers (and I include design researchers in that category) can be the c ­ ultural bridges who help ‘foreign’ products and technologies establish themselves in a relevant way They can look for innovation opportunities among their neediest citizens where there’s been little development of any solutions and where a minor improvement could be enough to dramatically change the quality of life for many people Designers can also be the long-term ­ hinkers t who look at the unintended consequences of growth and progress and ensure that their solutions are optimized to reduce negative impacts If you were to wish for one project that you could in an emerging country, what would it be? We a lot of work with consumer electronics companies, and we have the benefit of assuming our target customer has electricity, a high-definition television set, a PC, a home network, and broadband Internet We help them put together electronic solutions that help people with entertainment, passing the time, being connected with family members in and out of the home, and other crucial aspects of a digital daily life I would love to understand how those behaviours take place in an emerging country (because the behaviours are fundamentals, only the toys and tools change around the world) I think this would lead to some fascinating concepts for low- or non-technology products for both the developed and the developing market Interview Dmitry Volkov on Users, Innovation, Design and Other Things Russian What, according to you, describes an emerging economy? I think this term has never been strictly defined During the time of the former Soviet Union it was used to designate countries of the Third World, those that demonstrated high economic growth but were neither part of the industrialized Soviet nor developed Western world Today, more often, Russia considers itself an emerging economy Along with Brazil, Argentina, India, China, Malaysia and a few others There is another term that seems to have surfaced—BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China), because it offers not just a profile of their current collective situation, but evokes a certain perspective Interviews 217 on global development For international business it usually suggests the most exciting markets for development and expansion BRIC was considered an area of special interest for the new but highly ambitious top Russian business school, Skolkovo President Medvediev was present at its third anniversary and paid special attention to developing leaders for emerging markets Based on your experience of working in Russia, you think users in Russia are d ­ ifferent from users in already emerged or developed economies, and how? If I had to outline Russian cultural differences in respect to services and technology I would say that Russian users are more tolerant towards unfriendly customer service and faulty equipment Times when there were no choice of products and services are gone but still remembered This perhaps makes Russian customers more inventive in the way they use services or products For decades everything made abroad was considered more valuable than what was produced locally, even when it was objectively not any better Regarding other issues such as behaviour on the Internet, according to a study by Rambler Media, Russian users search and use public email daily at a rate of around 60% The majority prefer a local search engine Yandex ru, ‘ya.ru’ for short Search and email are perhaps the most used services in other countries as well But Russian users are more frequent readers of news About 70% read news daily, and weather forecasts (we have a lot of bad weather!) My guess is that during the crisis most people also check the dollar exchange rate This must be a difference, too In Russia most e-commerce Web sites don’t accept credit cards as a means of payment Most payments, at a rate of close to 60%, are made to the person delivering the merchandise So Web sites don’t need to think much about p ­ roviding credible interfaces and security for transactions The customer can always refuse to pay for the product upon personal examination The other related issue is the number of payment options available to the customer Web sites usually offer several—5 to 10—different options for payment, most of which involve some kind of virtual currency This creates a lot of usability problems Why Russian audiences not help contestants to win a million (according to the book Sway, which studied how audiences of the show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire behave across cultures)? I assume it’s not enough to succeed … everybody else must fail Honestly, I’m puzzled like you are In Russian schools, helping the neighbour is still an important part of study During exams in the universities, asking for help from classmates or giving help is considered normal behaviour In my own experience with schools in the United States, Americans tend to be much more individualistic, but times indeed change 218 Innovative Solutions Overall, we have a major trend towards less cooperation and trust between people There’s a decline of communal values, and a rise in individualism Survival of the fittest has become one of the dominant ideologies Business schools teach the value of cooperation, but students don’t believe it What are the three most important aspirations every Russian citizen has? In terms of material goods or services I believe the majority wants fashionable clothes, housing independent from relatives, a decent foreign-made car, and travelling Well, this is four, not three Food is a basic necessity But I think most people are satisfied Most people have a place to live and are not renting, but rather own by sharing an apartment with parents or relatives So getting a separate place is a very high priority By the way, I may be disregarding people from rural areas Especially the younger generation that wants to move to Moscow or St Petersburg since these places are happening Russians really like to travel for warm weather, sun (we have almost none), and out of curiosity For youth, having a nice mobile phone or even a laptop is definitely becoming important During perestroika, education was not considered as important since rules of the game were subject to change every year Then, it was important to make money in the short term Prevailing wisdom said ‘Take as much as you can and run!’ Take risks, be adventurous … and run! I think the current crisis caused concern for good education to be placed higher on the agenda Now just about everywhere you hear about the importance of efficient management and technical expertise I think this an i ­ mportant trend As education became commercialized, it gained value in public opinion as it was free for decades We had an old folk saying: the problems in Russia are twofold: fools and roads Now we are more politically c ­ orrect We say there are still two problems: management and infrastructure … and we’re ready to work on both If we are talking about nonmaterial aspirations, then stability and confidence in the future would be the biggest concerns Is Russia only defined by Moscow and St Petersburg from the perspective of the users of technology? Russia has about 30–40 million Internet users About 30% of them are in Moscow or St Petersburg Both cities are very different from the rest of the country—very cosmopolitan, growing and developing very fast There are many attempts to equalize the coverage of information and communication technologies, but the difference is still very significant Both cities appear to the rest of the country as a major place for opportunities What is the rest of Russia like—from a technology adoption and usage perspective? Most Muscovites wonder whether there is life outside the outer city roadring! It’s a common joke You can hire our company to study this … we’re interested to know, ourselves! Interviews 219 What role does information and communication technology play in the life of an average Russian citizen? Most people use mobile phones and the Internet We have major cellular networks providers and most of the country is covered by cellular Â� etworks n We have 3G networks available and all cellular phone operators have been offering mobile Internet About 11% of users have actually tried mobile Internet I believe this number is close to figures in the United States, United Kingdom and Italy The new generation of mobile Internet has been offered by Yota, called Mobile WiMax But so far it covers only Moscow: http:/ /www yota.ru/ru/coverage/ We have a total of 191 million subscribers for mobile phone services, with 32 million in Moscow alone This is strange since we only have about 15 million inhabitants So two phones per person? I think Nokia is the most popular and known brand of mobile phone in Russia People think they are the best quality For young people the number of functions and stylish design is most important From my experience with the elder generation, the size of the buttons and simplicity is the key to success The most popular Web sites on RuNet (Russian Internet) yandex.ru—71,14%; search engine mail.ru—70,69%; email rambler.ru—49,74%; search engine odnoklassniki.ru—37,33%; social networking site Find your former classmates! google.ru—35,04% google.com—28,63% vkontakte.ru—27,76%; social networking site Find your former classmates! microsoft.com—26,55% rbc.ru—25,42%; business news liveinternet.ru—21,02% loveplanet.ru—17,38%; dating website ru.wikipedia.org—15,88% zaycev.net—15,63%; music and video files exchange readme.ru—14,57%; media, news etc kp.ru—13,49%; largest newspaper marketgid.com—13,49%; online market youtube.com—12,41%; video mamba.ru—11,50%; dating Web site depositfiles.com—10,81%; file exchange 220 Innovative Solutions Although we have a smaller percentage of Internet users than developed countries, they tend to be more active Russian users may have multiple accounts in social network sites, as well as multiple email accounts A Russian Internet user has an average of 70 ‘virtual’ friends (they don’t meet in person but communicate on the regular basis) compared to 10 for European users Do you find that there are technologies/devices that have created an entire ecosystem of opportunities for people from all sections of society in Russia? My answer is trivial, perhaps: the Internet and mobile phones The Internet created a lot of business opportunities while mobile phones made business more efficient Both means of communication benefit cities as well as rural areas Heavy traffic in cities has made meeting people in person difficult Instead, they call each other more often Young people prefer SMS What role you see for innovation and design in the progress and growth of Russia? I assume most people would consider that talent, intelligence and connections would be the key to success for business in Russia Some would add hard work and criminal ties What about innovation and design? My  own perception is that innovation is what makes business worth it But ­ onestly, most of the time I’ve found solutions by copying somebody’s h idea and just making it slightly better, or marketing it better In short, these tactics seem to produce faster results But I’m convinced that in the long run innovation is the key to becoming really big and really successful That’s where we’re headed What role you see designers can play in an emerging economy like Russia that may be different from their role in a developed country like the United States? I think that customers in Russia pay more attention to the appearance of the product rather than to its functionality or usability It’s very important that a product looks fancy and expensive This is particularly true for both clothing and Web sites Unlike in the United States where people wear what is comfortable, Russians, especially women, wear what is impressive What changes, if any, you think should be made to the very Western methods of user research (one-on-one interviews, focus groups, etc.) when a designer tries to understand users in Russia? Russians have fewer concerns about privacy We organize focus groups and interviews But more often companies simply use online surveys and outbound calling campaigns to obtain information So you should not be surprised to be called late at night by some call centre operator knowing your name, age and profession asking about some product or service Interviews 221 What is your advice to anyone who wishes to conceptualise and design innovative products and services for Russia? It’s important to learn about the local culture and traditions There are substantial differences based on age There is a lot of scepticism about new Â� services because people expect scams, especially in the financial sector As regards technology, are there local examples of innovative, path-breaking product and services design that have significantly changed people’s lives in Russia? We have a very innovative design lab both for offline and online products: www.artlebedev.ru They have a lot of innovative concepts and are very stylish But they haven’t found their way into large production facilitiesÂ� Â� Google is also quite innovative; remember that Sergey Brin is Russian We have a huge economy for virtual currencies: example, Webmoney, which I think is also a typically Russian type of economy—no taxes Also, Paypal is also partially Russian (Ukranian) with Max Levchin cofounder I think he was the main tech guy there What are the challenges and opportunities that you see for usability and design in Russia? Raising usability specialists and education for designers The most important problem is the lack of knowledge Interview Darelle van Greunen on the Difference that Design and Innovation Can Make to Users in an Emerging Country What according to you describes an emerging economy? In my opinion an emerging economy is best described as an economy which has the potential to grow This means regions of the world that are not only experiencing rapid growth but that also have the potential to experience rapid growth and remain sustainable This includes regions where barriersÂ� and difficulties can be turned into opportunities for sustainable growth opening up new markets for economic growth in areas such as ICT and then specifically telecommunications and mobile technologies In my opinion, characteristics of a typical emerging economy include: • There is a severe separation between rich and poor • They are likely to lack trained ICT workers 222 Innovative Solutions • They are likely to possess weak and inexperienced institutions and systems of economic governance • They have sharp sensitivities to cultural autonomy and threats • They tend to be less engaged and knowledgeable about forums where the global information society is being enforced The opportunities for Africa and Africans are enormous The richness of culture and diversity that spans the continent from east to west and north to south is unique Africa today does face many challenges: job creation, health, education, culture and trade Yet, with a visionary approach, and the adoption and implementation of ICT, Africa will become a greater, more active and invaluable participant in the global village In Africa, ICT is big It is big in the sense that when it is adopted and deployed it can have a seriously positive impact on a very large number of people Across Africa today, ICT is being used as a catalyst for positive socioeconomic change. Every region of the continent (southern, northern, eastern and western) is implementing innovative ICT solutions that are benefitting citizens, communities and entire countries ICT is helping Africa to change from having a digital divide to having digital opportunities Based on your experience of working in South Africa, you think users in Africa are different from users in emerged/developed economies? How? Yes, users in Africa are certainly different from emerged or developed countries While many sustainability issues are relevant in both developed and emerging economies, the way they play out with respect to the users f ­ requently differs Local realities pose particular challenges in emerging economies, affecting the context for sustainability These can include m ­ assive poverty, weak social capital, significant inequality of access, power and wealth, and weak governance and corruption Expectations from users are extremely high and evolve rapidly depending on the political, economic and international climate The cultural diversity of South African society has important implications for software as far as user-centred design is concerned For example, under normal circumstances the user and task analysis techniques offered by HCI provide adequate information about users and their work However, these techniques are inadequate when a large number of cultural variables must be factored in To cope with cultural diversity and still ensure optimum performance, a designer needs to know about a wider range of factors that will affect a person’s work and social behaviour in a technological environment This implies that the South African HCI practitioner cannot function effectively without including ethnographic techniques in his/her toolbox The average typical user also has relatively low written literacy levels as well as low levels of technology literacy When designing, for example, user interfaces to support the ever-changing business processes in South Africa, Interviews 223 one has to consider three main categories of issues relating to people, process and technology How is South Africa different from the rest of Africa, from the perspective of the users of technology? South African users per se differ in the sense that the South African ­ ociety s is shaped by indigenous socioeconomic forces and cultural practices as much as it is by globalisation forces Computer users are not a homogeneous group and, for that reason, it is important to acknowledge and understand the role played by HCI, not only in the design of software for diverse user groups, but also in the efforts to build a healthy ICT industry that can enrich people’s economic, social, cultural and political lives South African users often display unique interaction patterns which reflect ethnic and cultural issues Seen against the background of South Africa’s social and political conditions, it seems that even poor usability can be blamed on factors like linguistic, cultural, literacy and economic diversity­ These realities can in turn be located within an historical context, for ­ xample e the legacy of apartheid education that has now forced South Africa into t ­ rying to catch up with the competency bases of developed countries Problems of poor user interface design that are ill-adapted to users’ requirements are common ICT tools are filled with worthless information originating from organisations’ lack of expertise and experience in the use of such tools Since the use of such tools is relatively new, South African user’s expertise is still poorly developed Learning often takes place by trial and error The absence of solid expertise often proves to be an inhibitor in the development of appropriate use of ICT technologies You have talked about the fact that ICT is regarded as a vital catalyst for social change and economic development in Africa Can you give an example or two as to how ICT is acting as a catalyst for social change? ICT is delivering positive social and economic change The challenges facing Africa cannot be solved exclusively by ICT; however ICT can and is playing an active and important role in the continent’s economic growth and development.  In the African continent healthcare, education, finance and e-governance­ are some of the industry sectors where the impact of ICT is felt most ICT has enabled tremendous growth in the online-education sector (e-learning) and thousands of online resources across the globe can now be accessed online One such example is that of eTeaching with KEWL 3.0 (Knowledge Environment for Web Learning) It is a Web 2.0 enabled eLearning environment designed for the creation of online courses with a choice of pedagogies and technologies KEWL originated in South Africa and is now used not only in Africa but several other emerging economies Built upon the Chisimba platform, KEWL 3.0 has an open architecture and ease 224 Innovative Solutions of integration with content and functionality from anywhere in the Web 2.0 world KEWL 3.0 has many features expected from a cutting-edge e-learning environment but was developed and designed with the emerging economy users in mind As more government services become available online for businesses and citizens, these public agencies promote a circle of adoption and investment and become conduits of technology, users of ICT infrastructure and p ­ romoters of ICT services Further, as government usage stimulates demand for ICT solutions, it helps promote investment in the supply of additional infrastructure and services It furthermore supports and encourages services delivery in countries where this is often severely lacking In the Western Cape Province of South Africa, the local government has established the Cape Gateway Portal, which is a single point of access to government information and services for the citizens of the Western Cape Due to the success of this initiative, the government information and services are now available on kiosk systems, the Internet and soon on mobile devices The adoption of mobile money services is also emerging as a fundamental tool for financial inclusion In terms of the addressable opportunity, approximately billion people currently have mobile phones but no access to banking services Several initiatives in this space are underway including mobile banking services and the mobile transfer of money using SMS technology E-health has evolved as an innovative solution for transforming the delivery and cost structure of healthcare Local officials in emerging economies such as Rwanda, now use mobile phones to input health data that provides real-time information on potential disease outbreaks and medicine s ­ hortages In Uganda the use of mobile phones to support midwives in rural areas are currently under investigation In South Africa, the capturing of patient medical records in rural areas using mobile technology has become a point of investigation given the lack of other infrastructure in these areas Do you find that there are technologies/devices such as the mobile phone that have created an entire ecosystem of opportunities for people from all sections of society in Africa? If yes, why you think this is the case? Can you give some examples? While the challenges of connectivity, infrastructure, hardware availability and support constitute the realities of Africa are well documented in literature (Abungu, 2002, Akinboade and Lalthapersad-Pillay, 2005, Czerniewicz, 2004, Ford and Whaley, 2003, Klein, 2004, Nwauche, 2005, Traxler, 2007, Traxler and Leach, 2006), it also records an enormous growth in mobile cellular technology use Mobile phones are advocated as a poverty-reduction tool in emerging economies Across rural–urban and rich–poor divides, they connect people to people, to information, to markets, and to financial services Mobile phones may even achieve for very little money what governments have spent millions trying to do: teach people to read The spread of mobile Interviews 225 phones in poor countries and their ability to leapfrog infrastructure-intensive­ landlines is well established Mobile phone technology’s societal penetration is not only faster than any other technology in the past, but also the single most widespread ICT today Amongst the developing regions Africa has had the highest mobile cellular technology growth rate (32% over 2006 to 2007) and the mobile penetration has increased from one in 50 people in 2000 to over in 25 people at the end of 2008 This trend is set to continue and the mobile cellular divide is expected to be reduced significantly over time In South Africa, it is suggested that mobile technologies, not only provide mobility, but also empower the user with ability This ability refers to the user’s capacity to connect to the information society as a contributor and a user This connection ability is of primary advantage in the areas where other means of access are not available as a result of various infrastructure and physical realities The use of networked personal computers being extended to the mobile platform for the added dimension of mobility and contextual access depicts the course that is evident in Europe, the Pacific Rim and North America Here access to the information age is predominantly gained through desktop computing Africa and other developing regions are, however, testing/contradicting­ this conventional thinking and entering the information society from a mobile centric perspective Mobile technology is extended with desktop capabilities where the functionalities of the technology are not able to support the activities of the user This alternative access to the information age challenges the concept of a digital divide with that of a digital opportunity Mobile technology has integrated into just about every sphere of the commercial and social fibre of Africa Barely half of adults—or 13.5 million p ­ eople—in  South Africa  have bank accounts in a country of 45 million people­ However, more than 20 million people possess a mobile phone, a device that has revolutionised everyday life for Africa’s poor A new mobile phone banking venture, shows how smart companies can profit from this anomaly MTN Banking, a 50:50 joint venture between South Africa’s Standard Bank and MTN, the continent’s biggest cellular provider by sales, offers customers full-service banking from their mobile phones Customers collect a starter pack at MTN outlets containing a Mobile Money bank card and instructions on how to download banking software to their phones Within 15 minutes they can begin to transfer money, pay bills or buy prepaid mobile airtime on their handsets Starting next year, the banking-services menu will be embedded on all SIM cards offered by MTN, including the prepaid SIM cards most South Africans use Banking via mobile phone is not new Many banks offer call centre services or individual banking functions accessible through the wireless application protocol or text messaging systems However, while other mobile offerings require users to send a number of characters to transact banking, the MTN 226 Innovative Solutions system allows users to scroll through a simple menu MTN Banking is, its investors’ claim, the world’s first stand-alone mobile phone bank to be established in partnership between a bank and a mobile phone provider And it is aimed squarely at South Africa’s ‘mass market’ customers, most of whom will never have so much as entered a bank You have studied the growth of the online retail sector in South Africa and its c ­ ontribution to the economy Do you feel that a designer of online retail channels in South Africa can take the best practices from online retail design of other developed countries and implement the same design in South Africa? It is difficult to answer this question in a particular manner E-commerce specifically online retail in this emerging economy has grown tremendously over the past years Even though online retail sales lag the conventional retail sales, it poses a great growth potential For online retail to be successful, e-commerce Web sites that are responsive to the users’ needs is a critical prerequisite Designing such a Web site in South Africa is a challenge since the population varies greatly with regard to cultural background A recent study (Van Greunen, Martim, Herselman, 2009) indicated that South African users are more comfortable using the locally developed online retail sites as opposed to a very well-known often sited international retail site Findings from the mentioned study include the following: In general, most users preferred the South African retail Web sites over the well-known international Web site It can therefore be concluded as a result of the role of culture in the use of online retail sites, South African users have different needs from international users It was also concluded from the study that some South African retail companies are aware of usability and have ensured that their Web sites are usable South African users are still sceptical about security and trust issues Online retailers therefore, should require users to provide the relevant information Information such as gender, title and date of birth can be irrelevant The aim should be to enable the customer to complete a sale South African users ­ refer colourful, well presented Web sites Error mesp sages needs to be clear and visible since users not read the information provided on the Web sites What changes, if any, have you had to make to the very Western methods of user research (one-on-one interviews, focus groups, etc.) in your usability and design work to suit the user population in South Africa? In my opinion it is important to understand that the traditional approaches to usability and design work are not necessarily usable in the South African and African context All the methods can work, but before employing any of the methods or techniques, it is important to have a thorough understanding of the context This includes the following: Interviews 227 • An ethnographic orientation (understanding of users) with regards to the user and the specific organisation • An understanding of the linguistic diversity of the intended target users considering their reading and writing ability, as well as what their home language is • An understanding of the literacy diversity of the intended target users with reference to their written language knowledge and their exposure to technology Different techniques can be used to establish the above, but without this background knowledge, none of the traditional Western methods of user research will be successful What role you see designers can play in an emerging economy like South Africa that may be different from their role in a developed country like the United States? The designers from other countries have a window of opportunity While other countries seek to replicate the United States’ existing design strengths (such as design guidelines), they can continue making their creative processes stronger Countries such as the United States should consider how emerging economies have benefited from design in order to understand how to take advantage of the new opportunities offered by the global marketplace It has to be said that designers in emerging economies can make a difference by providing models, roadmaps and strategies for e-inclusion in diverse user populations Not only are they able to design for their users but also to design to meet the needs of their users By involving their users and putting the needs of the users first, they will know the local context that they are designing for Designers from emerging economies not only have similar diversities to their user population but will also be familiar with the culture context and what is required to establish e-inclusion and access to ICT If designers from different parts of the world are not able to work together and make the most of the opportunities, the designers of the emerging economies may, in the time to come, become the leaders of design What would be your advice to anyone who wishes to conceptualise and design i ­nnovative products and services for Africa? Context … context … context Designers and developers should understand the context of use of the product they are designing Not only the context, but a thorough understanding of the intended user population is required Involve local knowledge experts in as far as possible Also ensure a thorough understanding of local culture and requirements Understand the technology and literacy levels of users, how they read text on screens for example What are their abilities to read and understand documentation? 228 Innovative Solutions Are there examples of innovative/path-breaking design of products and services done locally (preferably using technology) that have significantly changed peoples’ lives in Africa? There are a number of innovative mobile projects which have made a significant impact in Africa Some of these include the Collaboration at Rural (C@R) project (a project for using SMS technologies to order products from s ­ uppliers in rural areas); the PATHS project (an ehealth initiative in rural clinics in South Africa); mobile banking projects in Uganda and mobile health initiatives in Rwanda Can you describe a couple of your favourite projects and why they are your favourites? It is difficult to single out specific projects as each project has a different impact and purpose There is the project with voice interfaces to assist HIV care workers in rural Botswana; the Africa Drive Project which used v ­ arious technologies to familiarize teachers with technologies such as Word Processing, Internet and email and, at the same time, upskill them in s ­ ubjects such as mathematics and science .. .INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS What Designers Need to Know for Today’s Emerging Markets INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS What Designers Need to Know for Today’s Emerging Markets EDITED BY APALA... only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe Library of Congress Cataloging‑in‑Publication Data Innovative solutions : what designers need to know for today’s emerging markets. .. insight into what might be different in emerging markets It is very likely that there are many more characteristics waiting to surprise and to be discovered An Introduction to Emerging Markets