What illiterate people and billionaires have in common
by Jim Rosenberg: Tuesday, August 21, 2007
In the world of mobile telephony, Jan Chipchase needs no introduction. Suffice it to say he studies - on a global scale - how people use mobile phones. Jan’s title is “Human Behavioural Researcher” at Nokia, and CGAP and infoDev recently had the chance to host him at the World Bank to talk about his work, as well as the impact mobile phones are having in developing countries.
Jan noted that for many people the mobile phone is the first thing they see in the morning and the last thing they see at night. They wake up with it and fall asleep with it.
“That’s immensely challenging - to understand the context - the need to be able to go in there and understand how a device fits into the context of human experience,” Jan says.
As for what this has to do with increasing access to finance (that’s our focus) for some of the world’s poorest people, Jan asks this question:
“What do illiterate people and billionaires have in common?”
The answer: both groups like to delegate tasks.
“Illiterate people can do anything on a mobile phone. The way they get around tasks that they don’t understand is by asking someone else to do it for them. In a way, it’s like asking someone else to complete the design process.” He says this is especially true for text messaging.
Will illiterate people buy a phone specially designed for them? Jan Chipchase doesn’t think so - too much stigma attached.
“The biggest innovation to help the poor?- and I’m speaking for myself here - is to get phones down to a price point that poor people can afford,” Jan says.
