Скачать или смотреть GSMA Entry: Android Koeksisters

STATEMENT OF SUBMITTED WORK

The following will outline the design principles of the Launcher; Android Koeksisters[1]. The system is developed based on empiric qualitative research in cooperation with the Danish Red Cross, and the Help and Knowledge Center of Ethnic Women in Copenhagen. We applied personas throughout the process to address issues as illiteracy, safety- and health problems e.g.

Helping Stella -- "the sole provider"

Living alone in Kenya with her three children in a small village, Stella was left by her husband and has become the sole provider of the family. She can read a few words, and calculate basic numbers. As a single woman she often feels unprotected.

Intuitive and Usable? -- Graphic motivation, by using symbols, is our main design principle. We use icons which we tested on illiterate users. Our navigation system is executed based on basic physical attributes -- meaning that we cannot use western design conventions but we can use affordances in objects spurring an urge to "click", "tap" or "slide". The system is developed with the guiding principle that first time users are assisted by relevant pre-installed content but as they move along the learning curve they will be able to customize their system to meet specific needs. We also use written language in the design assuming that the device in itself will be a way for the women to learn and potentially overcome their illiteracy.

Appropriate? -- On the lock screen the user can access three essential functions at once: The phone (emergency calls), the flashlight and the "panic alarm". On the home screen three category boxes are pre-installed -- "health and medicals", "monetary" and "settings" -- identified as some of the most pressing issues. Under "Monetary" the user can access M-pesa accounts, charge mobile money, sms-dialogue with the bank, see the day's corn and food prices and use the calculator[2]. "Health and Medicals" addresses the issues of limited access to medical help. Here widgets as "nearest doctor", "vaccine overlook" and "medicine descriptions" are pre-installed. The question mark-function enables the user to always ask for help or watch the build-in guidance video[3].

The voice-message widget: Checking your voice message is time-consuming, pricy and complex. The widget saves the message directly on the phone and displays, by a small notification symbol, on the address book, who called and if they left a message.

Relevant? -- By using a specific color palette[4], softer icons and images we are trying to appeal to a female audience. We use the standard Android typographic conventions.

By The Danish Design Team, December 2012


[1] Name of South African Cookie. With a "K" it would be the natural extension of the Launcher Design series of Android.

[2] Calculator uses both numbers and symbols

[3] Also shown as the first thing when a new user accesses the phone

[4] Based on observed colour conventions in Kenya, Uganda and Iraq (webpages, magazines and IT)

Made by: Sofie Hauge Katan, Mathilde Hegelund Ive, Lærke Nørholm & Chris Bjerremose