Openphone user engagement and requirements solicitation in low literacy users

The OpenPhone project aims to design an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) health information system that enables people who are caregivers for HIV/AIDS infected children to access relevant information by using a telephone in their native language of Setswana in Botswana. The system lowers accessibility barriers since it is accessible to illiterate users and the community of the blind. The design utilizes usability engineering methodology in order to ascertain that the end product is usable, efficient, effective and satisfactory to the targeted users who are predominantly females, ranging from semi-literate to illiterate adults but nevertheless numerically literate. The paper describes the methodologies that were used to obtain information from the target user population. Based on the information gathered, we are now able to begin the initial design of the OpenPhone system.