common design in kenya - nokia

8/3/2019 Common Design in Kenya - Nokia

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Common Design in KenyaA story about designing for people, with people

JD MooreS40 Java UI DesignerNokia, [email protected]
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Contents Why I Went to Kenya

The Plan Going In

What is Common Design?

Who Are The Nairobians?

Why Should We Care?

Spotlight: FM Radio

Youth & FM Radio Design

Design Concepts?

Market Advantage

Conclusion


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Why I Went to KenyaKenya, a recognized technology HUB forAfrica, already has some initiatives such asEPROM underway...so a good place to start.

I also had a strong social motivation, asinnovating in Emerging Markets has arelatively high social impact.

Part of my trip involved donating clothing andelectronic goods (used laptops, mobiles) to localcommunities.

http://ShareIdeas.org/ http://TED.com/ http://EPROM.MIT.edu/
http://shareideas.org/http://ted.com/http://eprom.mit.edu/http://eprom.mit.edu/http://ted.com/http://shareideas.org/


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The Plan Going in

Tools

HypothesisCommunityinvolvement

Focus


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The Plan Going in

Tools

HypothesisCommunityinvolvement

Focus Hypothesis:There is a need to adapt mobile UI for Africa and otheremerging markets, in order to heighten regional andcultural accessiblity to information and mobile technology.

Community involvement:Involved designing to reach a communal/positive goal...as

well as donating goods and working with local communityorganizations.

(More on the Focus later...)


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What is Common Design? Including multidisciplinary members ofa target community during any givendesign process aimed at specificallybenefiting the target community

social orientation triangulation inspiration


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Who are The Nairobians?

I don'tknow...but I've made a few observations


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Nairobi [image of Nairobi]


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Nairobi


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Nairobi


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Nairobi


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Nairobi

I've used personal security as afocus topic to demonstrate howtriangulation can serve as a

component of Common Design.


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Nairobians & SecurityIn addition to the previous images, I was often warnedabout exposing my phone in crowded public places..andfrequently cautioned towards safe practices.

The prevalent security systems, personal safety anecdotes,

and current post-election crisis in Kenya are used totriangulate an emergent pattern:

Personal security may be at high risk in Nairobi.

How can the mobile serve as a safetytool, or have in-built mechanisms todeter theft?


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Nairobians & SecurityIn addition to the previous images, I was often warnedabout exposing my phone in crowded public places..andfrequently cautioned towards safe practices.

The prevalent security systems, personal safety anecdotes,

and current post-election crisis in Kenya are used totriangulate an emergent pattern:

Personal security may be at high risk in Nairobi.

How can the mobile serve as a safetytool, or have in-built mechanisms todeter theft?

Common Design allows a researcher ordesigner to continuously identify newpatterns via triangulation.

The security issue is only one of manyexamples, albeit one of the more obviousones.

Let's look at a few more...


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Nairobi


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Nairobi


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Nairobi


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Nairobi

An abundance of Churches, Christian signage, Radio andTV broadcasts, live Gospel performances and poetry, allimplied a significant portion of the population was religious(Christian).

How might mobile content and information servicesincorporate this fact to better provide relevant material to

subscribers?

How might people from less prevalent religions benefite.g. through community buildingvia the mobile?


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Nairobi


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Nairobi


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Nairobi


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Nairobi

Little seems to go to waste in Nairobi with so manyseemingly resourceful citizens.

Re-use is quite common. When my phone broke, I wasencouraged to have it repaired rather than replaced(because it would be cheaper).

How might products be modularized or designed to best

make use of re-use? Would well-built and durable productshave a higher relative value here than in a culture ofreplacement (rather than re-use)? How flexible cansystems be built, to enable innovative use cases?


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Nairobi


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Nairobi


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Nairobi


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Nairobi


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Nairobi


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Nairobi


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Nairobi


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Nairobi

Color seemd to be everywhere. This mural, in amiddle-class shopping area, exemplified a commonkind of signage: hand painted.

Is this culture ripe for artistic, local and self-generated mobile media content and services?

The amount of local music broadcast on radio andTV seems to imply that.


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These are the Kadzitu sisters, a middle class familyfrom Mombassa. They live, work and one of themgoes to school, in Nairobi's middle class suburb,South B.

They make hand-crafted cards in their spare time tosell. Sidi has a Mac which she uses to design the

cards and print material, but the computer has noconnection to the Internet.


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Why Should We Care?...to the development of more user friendly,more literacy levels friendly, more technologyliteracy levels friendly mobile phones that willempower and transform peoples across the

globe, irrespective of their geographicallocations. - Christiana Charles-IyohaMobile Telephony: Leveraging Strenths and Opportunities For Socio-Economic Transformation in Nigeria

Africa Europe

600000000

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Population

NextBillionUsers


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Spotlight: FM Radio Everybody Loves Music

Practically Free, but can be monetized

Important Social/Communication tool

16/30 respondents have communicated directly with radio station26/30 respondents listen for something other than music21

/30 respondents listen daily --3/30 rarely


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Spotlight: FM RadioSend shout outs and Big ups

Text/ Call in for competitions

Preaching and comedies/News

News, Educative itemsThe word of God


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Youth & FM Radio Design 30 Rowallan Scouts (bordering Kibera)

Veryyoung to teenager

Leaders helped facilitate

Group work and individual competition


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Youth & FM Radio Design

Design Concepts?


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Youth & FM Radio Design In-built Listener/Station interactivity

e.g. Vote button (sends SMS within FM Radio UI)

Request more information on 'now playing' topic (SMSor GPRS)

Contextually relevant experience

Homeboyz 'Big Ups' Colors, Animated Dancer

Popular church

Battery conservation/Signal boost Design Concepts?


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Disruptive Innovation? Kinetic phone with one last text or just receive

Collect texting

Incremental Innovation?

In-built Flashing Foot Messenger

Market Advantage


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Made in Kenya

Market Advantage


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Made in Kenya

Kenyans, a tribal people, are proud of their heritageand roots.

As a foreigner, or mzungu, I was often remindedabout what it meant to be Kenyan and wasoccasionally judged for not being Kenyan.

The culture seems to call for products and servicesthat are tailored, culturally and regionally relevantand potentially designed or developed by the localcommunity.

Market Advantage


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Market Advantage


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Market Advantage


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Market Advantage


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Market Advantage


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Market Advantage


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As my trip was in December, this Coca-Cola signdepicts Santa Claus with what appears to be ayoung Kenyan girl.

Coca-Cola has a very strong foot-hold in Kenya. Infact, Pepsi was simply not available.

It's too late for a monopoly of this sort in the mobilesector, but why not improve marketing to be moretailored to the local region?

Market Advantage


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http://www.nokia.com/A4405104

Market Advantage
http://www.nokia.com/A4405104http://www.nokia.com/A4405104


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Sony Ericsson Approaches

Emerging Markets with T270,T280

Nokia 1209Q1 2008Entry ConnectUser Interface: Series 30Standby time: Up to 365 h

One key press to light up the Flash

lightLocal languagesOne key press shortcuts toSMS/calendar/ phonebook.Phone sharing with multi phonebookand call duration to manage call costRobust materials with Hardtop

Keymat32 chord polyphonic ringing tonestogether with MP3

Conclusion


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There is a need to adapt mobile UI for Africa and other emerging

markets, in order to heighten regional and cultural accessiblity toinformation and mobile technology.

The Need for Contextual Design is strong Locality and relevancy are key when it comes to content and

services

Region and culture are unique

Common Design is Common Sense Maintain social orientation

Look for inspiration

Triangulate and blend acrossdomains

Conclusion


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Common Design works well in Nairobi(probably also wider Kenya, East Africa, Africa)

People are cooperative to improve condition

Focus on needs more, and luxury less Ingenuity, resourcefulness, will-power readily available

Nokia in good position, but currently under-utilizingthat position...

Asante!

common design in kenya - nokia

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