Original subtitles

Hey there, great to have you back.

User experience doesn't just

focus on the experience of existing users;

it also pays special attention to

people who are about to become internet users.

These are the people around the world

getting online for the very first time.

Did you know that globally there are

a billion people right

now just starting to use the internet?

We call these folks the Next Billion Users, or NBU.

In this video, we'll explain why

understanding the Next Billion Users is crucial as

a UX designer and how to get into

the mindset of people who are new to the internet.

To start, let's break down the big issues facing

our Next Billion Users and what

these issues mean for us as designers.

The first big issue is cost.

People might not be able to afford

expensive phones with big screens and lots of storage.

The next issue is connectivity.

Users might not have

constant or unlimited access to the Internet.

Digital literacy is also a crucial issue.

People might not be familiar

with certain design patterns,

calls to action, or icons that we take for granted.

For example, they might not know

what swipe means in relation to a touchscreen.

They may not even know what a touchscreen is.

This can affect their confidence and

willingness to explore new technology.

And the final issue to keep in

mind is literacy in general.

Some users aren't able to read.

Others might need to switch

languages depending on what they're trying to do.

Let's check out each of

these four challenges more closely.

We'll start with cost.

For example, people with fewer resources tend to buy

less expensive devices with low RAM and limited storage.

When a phone has low RAM,

it means that the phone might load webpages more

slowly and people might have

problems trying to download files.

To solve this problem,

a company is not likely to lower its standard price.

Instead it's up to us,

UX designers, with a lot of help from engineers, to

figure out how to improve

storage without raising the price point.

The ability to temporarily disable apps is one way

UX designers and engineers can make this happen.

Next, let's discuss connectivity.

A lot of our Next Billion Users

don't have continuous access to the internet.

This might be because the data

they have purchased has run out or

because their network coverage

is inconsistent or sporadic.

UX designers should try to find ways to make

the offline experience as rich as the online experience.

For example, giving users the ability to load video

offline and making sure

that feature and experience is well-designed.

Moving onto digital literacy.

It's important to mention that

your users might not know how to use a phone,

download an app, or set up an account.

Without clear guidance, they might only

use the part of the app

that they're already familiar with,

or worse, they might stop using the app all together.

When designing for our Next Billion

Users, keep it simple.

Consider things like video tutorials

to help new users understand how to

install and to use an app and

explore new features with greater confidence.

Finally, there's the issue of literacy in general.

Some users aren't able to read or type,

and others might want to switch languages on

their device depending on

what they're trying to accomplish.

For example, a user might want to read in Hindi

but type using the English keyboard.

Designing a multilingual keyboard option,

and using universally understood icons,

like an icon with a currency sign for

a banking app, are just a few key ways

UX designers can make it

easier for the Next Billion Users.

Beyond these four common challenges,

there is a lot more you need to

consider when designing for the Next Billion Users.

For example, if you live in the United States,

Canada, or Western Europe,

you might have certain design biases,

like leaving white space to make

a document look less crowded,

or designing for left-to-right languages.

Now you have an understanding of

the issues that the Next Billion Users face.

Our goal is to make every user feel like we designed

the experience just for them no matter who they are,

where they live, how much they earn,

or how highly they're educated.

Gaining a comprehensive understanding of

your user's context is

an important place to start,

and you're already on your way.