Designing For NBU — How Designers Can Be More Empathic When Creating Products For Emerging Markets

Hundreds of millions of people around the world are about to come online for the first time. These ‘next billion users’ live in emerging markets like Nigeria, India, Brazil, and Indonesia — places where mobile phone usage is poised to dramatically increase and connectivity is improving.

A first-time internet user living in Nigeria will have very different needs and wants than a seasoned technophile in San Fransisco.

Here are a few factors to have in mind while designing products for the NBU

1. Internet access isn’t guaranteed

Internet penetration is still low in Nigeria and even in places where connectivity exists, reliability is still an issue. Most people use cellular data and not Wifi and this contributes to both increase in data cost and battery consumption. Phones last on average of 12 hours on cellular data before battery warning starts popping.

2. Smaller devices are the norm

Nobody selects a small screen artboard or canvas to create their UI mock ups. We want our designs to look great on the latest phones and for good reason. However, more of our Next Billion Users will be accessing the internet for the first time using a smaller cheaper phone. It is only fair that we consider them when we create our mockups.

3. Forget Credit Cards

Nigerians hardly use credit cards — at least for now. Yes, Nigerians in urban areas use debit cards, however, creating other options for payment would do a lot of good. Payment options like pay on delivery, bank transfers using USSD, etc should be made available.

4. Consider Social Context

There are social contexts that we may not be aware of even as we carry out our jobs as designers and researchers. These contexts are like black swans outside the scope of our knowledge ie things that we don't know that we do not know. First, you must always have it in mind that they exist and then try to identify them. For example, we may forget that in some parts of the world, people may not have a first name and last name as we are used to. All they have is a name. Insisting that users enter a first name and a last name before they use your app is going to lead to a poor experience for them. It is not possible to be aware of all these social constructs, but by being on the lookout for them, they can easily be discovered and addressed.

5. Communicate beyond words

While spoken languages may do a great job helping groups of people who speak the same language communicate among themselves, it may not be the best form of communication between people who do not readily understand the words you speak. This is where icons and other forms of visual communication using images come in. As often as you can, try to augment your communication with visuals that help users understand what you are trying to say.

As an addition, and to borrow the point from the earlier paragraph, visual communication has to respect social factors. For instance, using the classical music icon to indicate music may not be very appropriate for people who do not understand music in its literary form. Another icon may come in handy, like a CD or even a cassette.

6. Add surprises to your design

Adding a pleasant surprise here and there, helps to elevate the experience of exploring the digital space for NBUs. Add a bit of animation where possible, add a touch of human connection to make users feel welcome and curious exploring this new world.

7. Forget Minimalism

Minimalism is one of those trends that make sense only from a point of privilege. NBUs like colour and vibrance both as a source of excitement and as a way to relate to their real world.

8. Above all, talk to users

You may be a genius, but chances are that is only half the reason you are an awesome designer. The other half is probably due to your understanding of the digital space and the unwritten rules that guide it. You know what you ike and what others like you would also like.

To design for NBUs, you will have to immerse yourself in their world, try to figure out what a day in their life is like and how your product will fit into their daily lives. Talk to them and observe them in their real environment for the best results.

Keep being awesome!