Comments on: For mobile banking, lessons from research into illiteracy http://technology.cgap.org/2010/07/21/for-mobile-banking-lessons-from-research-into-illiteracy/ How can technology increase the reach of microfinance? Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:55:24 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Mobile Phones and 21st Century Poverty Reduction | Eric Tyler http://technology.cgap.org/2010/07/21/for-mobile-banking-lessons-from-research-into-illiteracy/comment-page-1/#comment-2887 Mobile Phones and 21st Century Poverty Reduction | Eric Tyler Fri, 10 Dec 2010 04:28:03 +0000 http://technology.cgap.org/?p=2643#comment-2887 [...] It is clear that communities in the developing world have chosen their own tool for poverty reduction. In many rural and poor communities where schools and hospitals struggle to get the resources they need and intermittent electricity and inadequate roads remain, mobile phones and the infrastructure to support them are booming. A report examining income expenditures of 17 African countries found that on average the poorest individuals in over half the countries were spending more than 16 percent of their income on mobile services. And where non-financial barriers present themselves, users have adapted solutions to remain engaged with their mobile phones; car batteries have become phone chargers, and even illiteracy has not stopped users. [...] [...] It is clear that communities in the developing world have chosen their own tool for poverty reduction. In many rural and poor communities where schools and hospitals struggle to get the resources they need and intermittent electricity and inadequate roads remain, mobile phones and the infrastructure to support them are booming. A report examining income expenditures of 17 African countries found that on average the poorest individuals in over half the countries were spending more than 16 percent of their income on mobile services. And where non-financial barriers present themselves, users have adapted solutions to remain engaged with their mobile phones; car batteries have become phone chargers, and even illiteracy has not stopped users. [...]

]]> By: Fehmeen | Microfinance Hub http://technology.cgap.org/2010/07/21/for-mobile-banking-lessons-from-research-into-illiteracy/comment-page-1/#comment-2322 Fehmeen | Microfinance Hub Tue, 27 Jul 2010 19:07:14 +0000 http://technology.cgap.org/?p=2643#comment-2322 Textual illiteracy presents a bigger a hurdle in mobile banking compared to financial literacy (as proved by the relative lack of success of M-pesa in Tanzania) but the former can be overcome more easily than the latter. Although audio and pictorial assistance has it's limitation, these methods can be supplemented with teaching youngsters how to handle transactions (they are quick learners compared to adults, as mentioned by Helen) who can then pass only the knowledge to their parents on a regular basis, until they're adept enough to handle it on their own. Additionally, a special task force of people can be trained specifically to pass on the knowledge to end-users in certain localities until the learning curve is mature enough. Textual illiteracy presents a bigger a hurdle in mobile banking compared to financial literacy (as proved by the relative lack of success of M-pesa in Tanzania) but the former can be overcome more easily than the latter. Although audio and pictorial assistance has it’s limitation, these methods can be supplemented with teaching youngsters how to handle transactions (they are quick learners compared to adults, as mentioned by Helen) who can then pass only the knowledge to their parents on a regular basis, until they’re adept enough to handle it on their own. Additionally, a special task force of people can be trained specifically to pass on the knowledge to end-users in certain localities until the learning curve is mature enough.

]]> By: Helen Abadzi http://technology.cgap.org/2010/07/21/for-mobile-banking-lessons-from-research-into-illiteracy/comment-page-1/#comment-2316 Helen Abadzi Wed, 21 Jul 2010 12:29:00 +0000 http://technology.cgap.org/?p=2643#comment-2316 Every generation of staff conceives increasingly ingenious and thoughtful means to bring about adult literacy. But to understand the problem, there is a need to understand something that seems bizarre: it takes a minimum speed to understand written text (45-60 minutes for simple text). With practice children get automatic (very fast) recognition of letters, but somehow adults cannot. There seems to be a neurological obstacle. Adults read letter by letter and by the end of the sentence they forget the beginning. A few numbers and letters in the cell phone may be doable, but complex scanning is probably not. It will overwhelm the working memory limits of about 12 seconds for about 7 items. Perhpas the cell phone can provide the thousands of tries needed to bring reaction time down to about 50 msecs required for automatic recognition, but it's unknown. Please contact me for more information. Every generation of staff conceives increasingly ingenious and thoughtful means to bring about adult literacy. But to understand the problem, there is a need to understand something that seems bizarre: it takes a minimum speed to understand written text (45-60 minutes for simple text). With practice children get automatic (very fast) recognition of letters, but somehow adults cannot. There seems to be a neurological obstacle. Adults read letter by letter and by the end of the sentence they forget the beginning.

A few numbers and letters in the cell phone may be doable, but complex scanning is probably not. It will overwhelm the working memory limits of about 12 seconds for about 7 items. Perhpas the cell phone can provide the thousands of tries needed to bring reaction time down to about 50 msecs required for automatic recognition, but it’s unknown.
Please contact me for more information.

]]> By: Tweets that mention For mobile banking, lessons from research into illiteracy -- Topsy.com http://technology.cgap.org/2010/07/21/for-mobile-banking-lessons-from-research-into-illiteracy/comment-page-1/#comment-2315 Tweets that mention For mobile banking, lessons from research into illiteracy -- Topsy.com Wed, 21 Jul 2010 07:00:44 +0000 http://technology.cgap.org/?p=2643#comment-2315 [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by CGAP, Thomas Schwenk and Riskebiz, Scott Bales. Scott Bales said: RT @CGAP: For mobile banking, lessons from research into illiteracy http://bit.ly/9t37cx [...] [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by CGAP, Thomas Schwenk and Riskebiz, Scott Bales. Scott Bales said: RT @CGAP: For mobile banking, lessons from research into illiteracy http://bit.ly/9t37cx [...]

]]>