Download - Andrew Harder - “Emerging Market Research”
Design Research for Emerging MarketsAndrew Harder
@thevagrant
Me
Relevant, Beautiful and Successful
Why do emerging markets matter?
Growth
GDP growth per capita, 1991 – 2011. Source: World Bank via google.com/publicdata
New consumers
Rama Bijapurkar
Enormous infrastructure improvements
Perfect conditions for disruptive innovations
Why do emerging markets matter?
Design is the translation of social need
Kat Gough
Why do emerging markets matter?
The question therefore isn't so much 'what is design and why does it matter?' but 'how can I use good design to make the world around me better?'
The Design Council
Why do emerging markets matter?
The question therefore isn't so much 'what is design and why does it matter?' but 'how can I use good design to make the world around me better?'
The Design Council
The improving mentality
The Albert Memorial, Kensington Gardens
Source: Empire Marketing Board
Source: Empire Marketing Board
Source: Empire Marketing Board
"The Great Improvers"
Charles Darwin Ernst Haeckel
"The Great Improvers"
Colonial errors:There is a fundamental difference between us and themI have more things and better morals, so I am superior
I can judge them according to my standardsI can see what they need
They need our help
It's not about them. It's about us.
As researchers, our mission is to see the world as our participants see it
Core of Anthropology: Reflexivity
Relevant, Beautiful and Successful
Research notes1. Text-based UIs are not suitable for illiterate users2. Abstract metaphors like envelope for SMS are unsuitable3. Instead, physical interface elements like dials,
exaggerated buttons and information gauges are familiar4. Mechanical world metaphors are more intuitive in this
context5. Most technology in rural India separates controls from
information6. Reselling and repair is common7. Vast majority of phone's features are untouched by non-
literate users, creating a bloated feature set
Creative Direction - SteampunkSteampunk reflects the design and craftsmanship of the Victorian eraRemove the aesthetic of "preciousness" to invite tinkering and exploration
Me
Fallacy 1: Cultures are frozen at a point in time
1: The world plays out in real time
Fallacy 2: They need basic products
Fallacy 2: Their needs are defined by what they lack
What is needed?
Ways to manage illiteracyHelp repairing and maintaining devicesSimple featuresTechnology that feels appropriate and familiar
We live in multiple cultures
2: It's cool to be cool
2: Self-esteem is a very powerful emotion
Aspiration: Not dreaming, doing.
Fallacy 3: Usability is universally important
Buying for power, not comfort
3: In a rapidly changing society, keeping up-to-date is important
Your users want to be smarter, sexier and richer.
Help them.
Source: Empire Marketing Board
"The Great Improvers"
Fallacy 4: They aren't rational
"I am worried about the environment. So I take my 4WD off-roading in Tibet to enjoy the environment before it is ruined."
I don’t like the preview of a text message. I don’t want
people knowing what messages I get
Do you put a password on your phone?
Of course not, I don’t want people thinking I have
something to hide
4: Explain novel behaviour as rational response to a different environment
4: Treat contradictions as your failure to understand the situation
Central contradiction in privacy
Phones are private objects
Phones are social objects
Porous privacy
Help me avoid embarrassment
I basically trust my friends
Research toolkit for reflexivity
What do we expect to find when we go?
What does this person want from their phone that you don't want from your phone?
See your actions in historical perspective
Use reflexive tools
Thank you
Andrew Harder @thevagrant