With the next billion users coming from Asia, Africa, and Latin America, we need to consider a huge diversity in terms of culture, languages, income levels, and lifestyles which was not present in the first billion users. The success of capitalizing on them depends on conducting inclusive design research covering diverse demographics that will not only ensure access to basic facilities, but also help companies be successful. This talk will also look at if the traditional design research methodologies work for the next billion users and tips while designing for them.

1. INCLUSION,
DESIGN
RESEARCH AND
NEXT BILLION
USERS
TAPPING HUGE OPPORTUNITIES
VEENA SONWALKAR | NOVEMBER 2020

2. A B O U T M YS E L F
16+
YEARS
EXP.
CREATIVE
LEAD
FROG DESIGN

3. W H AT I W I L L B E C O V E R I N G T O D AY …
INCLUSION NEXT BILLION DESIGN
RESEARCH

4. WHAT IS
INCLUSION?
I N C L U S I O N , D E S I G N R E S E A R C H A N D N E X T B I L L I O N U S E R S

5. TYPICALLY, WHEN WE HEAR
‘INCLUSIVE DESIGN’ WE
LIMIT IT TO LOOKING AT
INCLUDING SOMEONE NOT
PHYSICALLY ‘ABLED-BODIED’
W H AT I S I N C L U S I O N ?

6. HOWEVER, INCLUSION
IS TO GET RID OF ANY
DISCRIMINATION
By looking beyound just including physically
differently abled…to cover different races,
genders, social, intellectual, economic factors
and any other forms of discrimination.
W H AT I S I N C L U S I O N ?

7. W H AT I S I N C L U S I O N ?
INCLUSIVE DESIGN IS…
PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS TO ENSURE
THAT A PRODUCT, SERVICE AND/OR
ENVIRONMENT IS USABLE BY EVERYONE
TO THE GREATEST EXTENT POSSIBLE.

8. INCLUSIVE RESEARCH
IS TO ENABLE THIS
W H AT I S I N C L U S I O N ?
Emotional needs
Understanding the human behavior and the motivation
for adoption or rejection of products or functions, is very
important to be able to offer solutions that can be fully
embraced, without frictions or lack of trust.
Functional needs
Product attributes, both physical and digital.
Understanding form factors and if it is easy to use.
Addressing the user’s functional needs whilst
meeting their emotional needs, will improve
adoption and the user’s overall experience.

9. WHO ARE THE
NEXT BILLION?
AND WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT?
I N C L U S I O N , D E S I G N R E S E A R C H A N D N E X T B I L L I O N U S E R S

10. W H 0 A R E T H E N E X T B I L L I O N ?
MOST OF THEM LIVE IN
10 BIG EMERGING ECONOMIES

11. 2006 2010 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
40
Million
100
Million
342
Million
405
Million
475
Million
500
Million
620
Million
730
Million
829
Million
Internet
Population (Mn)
>10x in
10 years
Source: Euromonitor, IAMAI, China Internet Network Info, HBR, PEW
W H 0 A R E T H E N E X T B I L L I O N ?

12. Source: Bain & Company 2017
IN 2017, EMERGING MARKETS
CONTRIBUTED TO 2.1B INTERNET USERS.
W H 0 A R E T H E N E X T B I L L I O N ?

13. W H 0 A R E T H E N E X T B I L L I O N ?
20 BILLION WHATSAPP
MESSAGES ON NEW YEAR!
And that’s just from India.

14. W H 0 A R E T H E N E X T B I L L I O N ?
THIS TRANSLATES
TO HUGE POTENTIAL
IN TERMS OF RETAIL
& E-COMMERCE.
273 million bought retail online
and eCommerce market in India is
projected to touch 84 billion USD
in 2021

15. W H 0 A R E T H E N E X T B I L L I O N ?
EVERYTHING SEEMS ROSY…
NOT REALLY

16. W H 0 A R E T H E N E X T B I L L I O N ?
MOST ARE ACCESSING INTERNET FOR
THE VERY FIRST TIME ON MOBILE

17. W H 0 A R E T H E N E X T B I L L I O N ?
MANY ARE ALSO CONNECTING
REMOTELY FOR THE VERY FIRST
TIME IN THE PANDEMIC

18. W H 0 A R E T H E N E X T B I L L I O N ?
COUNTRIES LIKE INDIA ARE
COMPLEX AS THERE ARE
MANY INDIAS WITHIN INDIA

19. W H 0 A R E T H E N E X T B I L L I O N ?
THERE IS NO SINGLE LANGUAGE
FOR THE ENTIRE COUNTRY

20. VARIATIONS IN INCOME IS HUGE
W H 0 A R E T H E N E X T B I L L I O N ?
SEC A1 5
SEC A2 21
SEC A3 31
SEC B1 36
SEC B2 42
SEC C1 53
SEC C2 48
SEC D 90
SEC E 86
Total 412
$30,000-35,000
$10,000-15,000
$4,000-5,000
$3,000-3,500
$2,500-3,000
$2,000-2,500
$1,500-2,000
$1,000-1,500
<$1,000
Largely executives, officers, big
businessmen; 90%+ are
graduates
Largely consist of shopkeepers;
~40% are graduates
Primarily skilled working class;
usually in clerical, field
positions/small traders
Primarily unskilled workers,
some employed in field
positions; ~50% are illiterateBangladesh Uganda
Kenya Egypt
Mexico Brazil
UK Canada
Proxies for average annual
income**
Urban consumer
segment and
population (Mn)
Countries with
comparable
annual income
Segment
characteristics
11%
47%
20%
22%
Share of
Retail Spend

21. W H 0 A R E T H E N E X T B I L L I O N ?
WHICH MEANS ACCESS
TO INFORMATION IS STILL
EXPENSIVE FOR MANY

22. HOW TO DO
RESEARCH FOR
THIS DIVERSITY?
I N C L U S I O N , D E S I G N R E S E A R C H A N D N E X T B I L L I O N U S E R S

23. RAW DATA
Notes
Photos
Activities
TRANSCRIBED DATA THEMES AND PATTERNS
Cluster 3
Cluster 2
Cluster 1
INSIGHTS
Cluster 3
Cluster 2
Cluster 1
DESIGN FRAMEWORKS
Focus Areas
Personas
Journey Maps
FEATURES
Design Principles
OFTEN WE LOOK FOR TARGET USERS
H O W T O D O I N C L U S I V E R E S E A R C H ?

24. TARGET GROUPS, PERSONAS HOWEVER
MAY NOT COVER THE VAST MAJORITY
H O W T O D O I N C L U S I V E R E S E A R C H ?

25. RELYING ONLY
ON DATA MAY
PROMOTE BIAS
H O W T O D O I N C L U S I V E R E S E A R C H ?

26. RAW DATA
Notes
Photos
Activities
TRANSCRIBED DATA THEMES AND PATTERNS
Cluster 3
Cluster 2
Cluster 1
INSIGHTS
Cluster 3
Cluster 2
Cluster 1
DESIGN FRAMEWORKS
Archetypes
Journey Maps
FEATURES
Design Principles
Co-Creation
Workshops
H O W T O D O I N C L U S I V E R E S E A R C H ?
COVER MAJORITY OF THE PATTERNS
ARISING FROM THE RESEARCH

27. H O W T O D O I N C L U S I V E R E S E A R C H ?
ARCHETYPES MAY WORK
BETTER THAN PERSONAS
User archetypes focus on attitudes,
behavioral, motivation and pain points. They
are gender and ethnicity neutral.
While persons primarily look at ‘who’ based
on demographic information or roles,
archetypes go further into behaviour - who
does what, when they do it, and why.

28. SCREENING PARAMETERS
AGE RANGE 25-60
LOW INCOME
ATTITUDE TOWARD HEALTH
HEALTH-RELATED BEHAVIOURS
Measuring self-efficacy related to health
Assessing risky behaviours
01. INACTIVE &
UNAWARE
02. ACTIVE &
AWARE
01. INACTIVE &
UNAWARE
• People at risk of high
blood pressure
• People in denial of such
risk
02. ACTIVE &
AWARE
• People who reduced risk
of high BP
• People who have
changed behaviour
PARTICIPANTS
H O W T O D O I N C L U S I V E R E S E A R C H ?
RECRUIT PARTICIPANTS BASED ON
ATTITUDES & BEHAVIOUR

29. H O W T O D O I N C L U S I V E R E S E A R C H ?
COVER EXTREMES NOT
JUST THE AVERAGE USERS
Hobby Bakers
Novice Bakers Chefs

30. WHEN YOU LOOK AT EXTREME
SCENARIOS YOU AUTOMATICALLY
COVER THE REST
(MAYBE WITH BETTER NETWORK)
H O W T O D O I N C L U S I V E R E S E A R C H ?

31. ASK HOW TO DESIGN FOR LOW
INTERNET SPEED AND
DISCONNECTED MOMENTS?
H O W T O D O I N C L U S I V E R E S E A R C H ?

32. HOW TO DESIGN TO EDUCATE THE
COMMUNITY DURING THE PANDEMIC?
INSIGHT - RELY ON COMMUNITY TO GET INFORMATION
H O W T O D O I N C L U S I V E R E S E A R C H ?

33. HOW TO DESIGN WHEN MOBILE
IS A SHARED DEVICE?
INSIGHT - KIDS LIVING IN JOINT FAMILIES AND
SHARE PHONES
H O W T O D O I N C L U S I V E R E S E A R C H ?

34. ULTIMATELY IT’S ABOUT FARMING THE
PROBLEM RIGHT…
…TO HELP CREATE THE RIGHT SOLUTION
H O W T O D O I N C L U S I V E R E S E A R C H ?

35. I saw/heard this + We know this = Insight
OBSERVATION GROUP & INTERPRET INSIGHT
Data gathered through
ethnography, contextual
inquiry, questionnaires,
and interviews
Guided by ethics and
morals, intellectual
prowess, and the
accumulation of world view
and breadth of experience
Clear, deep, meaningful
perception into human
behavior in a particular
design context
LEVERAGE EXISTING RESEARCH OR
KNOWLEDGE WHILE SYNTHESIZING
H O W T O D O I N C L U S I V E R E S E A R C H ?

36. DEMOCRATISE
RESEARCH AND
DESIGN
WITH THE
COMMUNITY
Involve communities and end users in co-creation
activities which help derive at the solution and
understand the diversity of thinking.
COMMUNITY RESEARCHERS
COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS
CONTEXTUAL OBSERVATION

37. RELEASE,
TEST,
REFINE,
REPEAT
This is a tough area to design for. The only way you
can master is by experimenting, trying by releasing
a product, testing it extensively and then refining
as you go.

38. ENSURE YOU DEFINE EXPERIENCE
PRINCIPLES BASED ON THE RESEARCH. IT
PROVIDES DIRECTION TO THE DESIGN.
H O W T O D O I N C L U S I V E R E S E A R C H ?
CONVENIENCE EMOTIONAL CONNECT INSTANT
GRATIFICATION
VALUE FOR MONEY
Most Indian users use mobiles
and apps primarily to help
improve their living standards in
the hyperlocal context, esp. in
the informal economic sector.
Ability to get information, get
services or feel safe (in current
covid-19 situation) at a touch on
mobile is something which most
They are primarily looking to connect
with family, community at large.
Informal conversations through low
network has helped apps like
WhatsApp’s huge success.
As plans and resources may be
scare, users look for value for
money.

39. AT FROG, WE
DESIGNED A
SUSTAINABLE AIR
PURIFIER - ‘VYOH’,
BASED ON THESE
EXPERIENCE
PRINCIPLES TO
HELP INDIANS
BREATHE BETTER
H O W T O D O I N C L U S I V E R E S E A R C H ?

40. Breathable Natural Proactive Affordable
H O W T O D O I N C L U S I V E R E S E A R C H ?

41. PROFIT & INCLUSION NEED NOT BE
MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE
Including underrepresented users and building more equitably, you can grow your consumer
base and build your business simultaneously

42. https://linkedin.com/in/vinasoni
THANK YOU