1. Getting in touch with text: Designing a mobile
phone application for illiterate users
to harness SMS

3. Previous research
• feature phones
• Chipchase (2005)
use call logs instead of contact list
avoid stygmatizing devices
icons + text
• Medhi et al. (2007)
minimal use of text or even text free
• audio feedback and voice annotation support
• Prasad et al. (2008)
feedback for screen navigation

4. Interviews:
9 participants (7f, 2m)
• description of a typical day
• problems faced
• technology use at home
• mobile phones
receiving and placing calls
SMS
managing Contacts

7. Voice-assisted SMS application: Easy Texting

8. ‘reading’ SMS
• text-to-speech
• karaoke
• playable buttons

9. composing SMS
• using icons
• sound support
• single/double tap

11. composing SMS
• re composition
• double tap
• plain SMS

12. Lab study

13. Lab study: structure
Each session (45 min):
• socio-demographic questionnaire
• short semi structured interview
• exploratory usability test of the application
• debrief interview

14. Exploratory usability tests
• demonstrating the application
• watch and repeat approach
• using simple and non technical vocabulary
• talk aloud protocol

18. Results
• impossible to « read » without Karaoke
• 2 out of 3 succeded after 10 min training
• two main errors
simple tap/double tap
screen navigation through scrolling

19. Summary
• proficient use of mobile phones (smart and feature)
• not a cognitive issue
• does not stigmatize illiterate users
• corpus of icons limited
• potential source of learning

20. current work
• port to Android
• voice recognition
• 3 choices
• one month field trial