User Research in Africa
Abstract
NRC projects in Africa and learning's in the research practices in low-income communities.
Jussi Impiö is Research Leader of Nokia Research Africa (NORA) in Nairobi. NORA conducts socio-cultural research in Sub-Saharan Africa and together with non-governmental organizations and local universities creates communication solutions to assist in socio-economical development in Africa.
Jussi joined Nokia in 2003 as Senior Research Scientist and has conducted research in the areas of mobile video, civic activism and citizen journalism. Prior to Nokia he has worked as Concept Manager at Clothing+ Corp. and as Researcher at the University of Lapland.
Jussi has co-authored 4 academic publications and holds 10 patents.
Summary of Seminar
Mobile technology is already playing a major role in economic development in Africa. What might be the impact if that technology was specifically designed for these users? This is the mission of Nokia Research Africa (NoRA); to develop services and devices that meet the specific needs of low income communities in sub Saharan Africa.
There are three stages to the group's work. First, field research is conducted in African communities. Second, the team works on concept design and prototyping. And finally field trials are held and further adjustments made. The team has a strong record of getting products out as a result of its research.
Jussi described three projects he has been involved in recently:
- 90% of jobs in Sub Saharan Africa are microenterprises. NoRA is developing a micro entrepreneur tool kit that will be rolled out in five countries.
- 70% of Sub Saharan Africans are members of informal banking groups where money is saved collectively. NoRA is looking at ways of bringing these groups together to share expertise.
- There is a growing music informal music industry in African slum communities. NoRA is working with NGOs to help understand the dynamics of this.
- The average age on Africa is 18. NoRA's Youth Africa project seeks to understand how youth segment themselves. Over 400 interviews have been conducted so far and the project is due to be completed by the end of June.
When thinking about the introduction of technology into Africa, Jussi suggests that an analogy with biology may be helpful. Just as when a new species is introduced to a habitat, a new technology will have all kinds of unintended consequences in its environment, not all of them desirable. Therefore it is crucial to think through any potential harms and how these might be controlled. Jussi also suggested some rules of thumb for working in the field of technology for development in the Africa:
- Think hard about what is the exact source problem you are trying to solve
- Make sure you try out ‘horror' scenarios
- Work with local organizations
- Talk to journalists - they are often the best sources of information
- Talk to governments; it is very hard to achieve anything in Africa unless you involve government from the earliest stages
- Conduct long and controlled pilots
- Educate users with the skills they will need
- Don't trust your instincts too much - we can make the mistake of thinking we ‘know' Africa, attributing to it a single culture
- Expect the worst! It is better to have thought through what could go wrong
- Be real(ideal)istic. It is important to understand the magnitude of the problems you are dealing with while keeping motivated by the belief that your work could have a major impact
Wallenberg Theater
