Getting in touch with text: Designing a mobile

phone application for illiterate users

to harness SMS

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

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

Voice-assisted SMS application: Easy Texting

‘reading’ SMS

• text-to-speech

• karaoke

• playable buttons

composing SMS

• using icons

• sound support

• single/double tap

composing SMS

• re composition

• double tap

• plain SMS

Lab study

Lab study: structure

Each session (45 min):

• socio-demographic questionnaire

• short semi structured interview

• exploratory usability test of the application

• debrief interview

Exploratory usability tests

• demonstrating the application

• watch and repeat approach

• using simple and non technical vocabulary

• talk aloud protocol

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

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

current work

• port to Android

• voice recognition

• 3 choices

• one month field trial