Hey guys! I’m currently in week 2 of my Google UX Design Professional certificate. So far I’m loving what I’ve been learning!
This week I learned about the Next Billion Users.
So who are the Next Billion Users?
They’re the next one billion people who will be accessing the internet for the first time on a smartphone. Here are 10 things that I’ve learned while researching this topic.
- The next billion users will be from emerging economies like Brazil, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Nigeria, and other developing nations.
- The internet and the products that are used on it are very much shaped by its users. So the next billion users will have a big role in the future of the internet and what that looks like.
- Equity-focussed design and inclusive design really come to play here. UX designers need to ensure that products are tailored for different parts of the world and meeting the needs of users there.
- Some products need extra features to be more helpful to users in these developing nations. For example, Google Maps was initially designed with a focus on cars and less so for motorbike users. With important user research, a motorcycle mode was added to Google Maps bringing value to millions of people in parts of the world that use motorbikes as their main vehicle.
- Mobile banking is another area that the next billion users can really benefit from. Some users may be living in remote areas without nearby banks. Having the option to pay for things online on mobile phones would make a big difference to people’s financial life. Let’s take Brazil for example, where half of the population do not have a bank account to put their money in. However, that’s all changing with neobanks like Nubank who as of last year, have 34 million users. With the pandemic leading to the closure of branches, even older generations who tend to not trust digital banks have opened up a bank account.
- Super-app Grab is a prime example of how apps can transform a region like South East Asia. It started off like Uber where people could book taxis safely in 2012. But as the app became more and more popular, it became apparent that many of the drivers delivering Grab’s service didn’t have a bank account. This meant that UX designers began to develop more financial services into the app where users could apply for loans, get insurance, and other services that would have been difficult before.
- Data storage can be limited in the smartphones that are used in developing nations. That’s why UX designers must consider building experiences that do not require lots of data. There are clever solutions like Camera Go that allow users to take great photos and store it on low-memory devices. Not just that, but operating systems can be simplified so that even entry-level phones can access them.
- In many parts of the world, power cuts are a regular occurrence. (I’ve experienced this firsthand in Vietnam many times.) This would affect a person’s internet access, and worse, it could happen during a critical moment in the user journey. For this reason, offline mode is so crucial for users in developing nations so they can continue the user journey seamlessly even if the internet cuts out.
- Digital literacy is also such a key area. For some users, smartphones may be the first device that they’ve ever used to access the internet and its products and services. Swiping, tapping, what icons mean, information architecture are all things that need to be learned.
- One interesting point about this area is that there are often assumptions by tech companies and aid groups that these next billion users will need to use technology to ‘lift themselves out of poverty’. However, user research in these parts of the world shows that people from these countries want very much the same things that their counterparts in the West want. These include entertainment, education, and love.
So those are 10 things that I’ve learned about the Next Billion Users. Thanks for reading!
