African Development Communication (Media/Development/Social) | 25 July 2001
Designing Accessible User Interfaces for Low-Literacy Populations in Ghana's Rural Settings
K, w, e, g, y, i, w, a, a, A, s, a, r, e, ,, B, o, a, d, u, G, y, a, m, f, i
Abstract
Low-literacy populations in Ghana's rural settings face significant barriers to accessing digital services and information. A mixed-method approach was employed, including surveys, focus groups, and usability testing with participants from various rural areas of Ghana. Participants demonstrated a strong preference for high-contrast colour schemes (direction) and an 80% improvement in task completion rates when using the designed interfaces compared to existing ones (proportion). The design interventions significantly improved user engagement and understanding, suggesting a need for further research on scalability. Future studies should explore longer-term effects of these designs and consider implementing them across broader geographical areas. User Interface Design, Accessibility, Low-Literacy Populations, Ghana, Rural Settings Model estimation used $\hat{\theta}=argmin<em>{\theta}\sum</em>i\ell(y<em>i,f</em>\theta(x<em>i))+\lambda\lVert\theta\rVert</em>2^2$, with performance evaluated using out-of-sample error.