Computing for Socio-Economic Development Kentaro Toyama Assistant Managing Director Microsoft Research India Emerging Technology Conference (ETech) March 5, 2008 – San Diego

Outline The Challenge of India Three Projects from MSR India –Simultaneous Shared Access –Text-Free User Interfaces –Digital Green Five Stages of Design

Outline The Challenge of India Three Projects from MSR India –Simultaneous Shared Access –Text-Free User Interfaces –Digital Green Five Stages of Design

India People ~1.1 billion people –Over half under 25 years old 22 official languages Annual incomes $100-$100M+ 28 states Area ~1/3 the area of United States Technology ~30M PCs, installed base ~110M households with TV –65M cable consumers Sources: CIA Factbook, TRAI, CNN Roads in India

People ~1.1 billion people –Over half under 25 years old 22 official languages Annual incomes $100-$100M+ 28 states Area ~1/3 the area of United States Technology ~30M PCs, installed base ~110M households with TV –65M cable consumers India, a Personal View but, power held by few tremendous energy and optimism incredible diversity, EM microcosm reminiscent of European Union impact of weather (ubiquity of agriculture) huge interest in PCs, by everyone information still flows (e.g., 250M mobiles) Huge potential opportunity for computing industry. But, there are new challenges that neither India nor the industry have ever faced before.

Infosys campus, Bangalore

A small Internet café on a market street in a town near Bombay

Rural village with a VSAT Internet connection near Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh

Technology for Emerging Markets Understand potential technology users in economically poor communities: –E.g., urban domestic labourers –E.g., rural entrepreneurs Adapt, invent, or design applications of computing that contribute to socio-economic development of poor communities worldwide. Computer-skills camp in Nakalabande, Bangalore (MSR India, Stree Jagruti Samiti, St. Joseph’s College) Microsoft Research India

Multidisciplinary Research Aishwarya Lakshmi Ratan – Public Administration and International Development Jonathan Donner –Communications Nimmi Rangaswamy – Social Anthropology Indrani Medhi – Design Kentaro Toyama (Group Lead) – Computer Science Paul Javid – Computer Science Society Group Technology Individual Society Group Technology Individual Innovation Understanding Impact Innovation Understanding Impact Rikin Gandhi – Astrophysics Randy Wang Computer Science – Saurabh Panjwani – Computer Science

Outline The Challenge of India Three Projects from MSR India –Simultaneous Shared Access –Text-Free User Interfaces –Digital Green Five Stages of Design

Simultaneous Shared Access Udai Singh Pawar, Joyojeet Pal (UC Berkeley), Kentaro Toyama

Education in India 300M children aged 6-18; 210M enrolled in school; 105M actively attending. Mostly children of low- income farmers, villagers, migrant wage workers Teachers poorly trained and frequently absent Schoolchildren outside of Bhopal

True personal computer A Computer Per Child? Intel’s Classmate PC XO from One Laptop Per Child Typical PC Classroom

Rural school in Chinhat, Uttar Pradesh Photo: Randy Wang

Even with computing… One PC, many children. Photos: Joyojeet Pal

MultiPoint: Solution Provide a mouse for every student –One cursor for each mouse, with different colours or shapes –USB mice Have tried up to 20 –Content modified Game-like environment

MultiPoint: Screenshot

MultiPoint: Results Kids understand MultiPoint immediately. All students more engaged for longer periods of time. –Even children without mice engage longer. Self-reporting is positive. –Exception: one student didn’t like MultiPoint because of competitiveness For memorization tasks, MultiPoint as effective as one PC per student Before After

MultiPoint: Advantages Costs reasonable; incentives aligned –Cost effective: One computer + 5 mice comes to ~$100 per child. –Content authors can adapt to paradigm –Government / administrators can claim better use of computers –Teachers can keep more students entertained –Students have more fun (cf., multi-player computer games)

Shared PC Nothing personal Personal mouse (MultiPoint) Shared processor, monitor & keyboard Shared processor & monitor Shared processor Nothing shared Personal mouse & keyboard (Split Screen) Personal mouse, keyboard & monitor (Multi-console, Thin client) True personal computer Continuum of Sharing

Split Screen Two users, two mice, two keyboards, two instances of the OS, but only one monitor

Split Screen Research Two young adults learning with Split Screen Photo: Divya Kumar IT training centre in a busy low-income urban community –Run by HOPE Foundation –Co-certified by state gov’t Content is basic computer skills education: –Computer basics –Office suite (Word, Excel) No problems with usability; individual Split- Screen users can accomplish as much as single-screen users. Minor technical problems. Collaboration effects strongly correlated with existing degree of friendship between users

Outline The Challenge of India Three Projects from MSR India –Simultaneous Shared Access –Text-Free User Interfaces –Digital Green Five Stages of Design

Text-Free User Interfaces Indrani Medhi, Kentaro Toyama

Illiteracy 1-2 billion illiterate population in the world. 98% live in developing countries. India’s rate of literacy (optimistically) estimated at ~60%.

Text-Free UI, Take 1 Design Principles: –Pen or touch interface –Liberal use of icons and images –Voice feedback –Care in details of graphics; semi-abstracted cartoons –Aggressive use of mouse-over functionality –Consistent help icon Monster.com for domestic labourers? Maps for illiterate users?

Results, Take 1 Task: For a friend who is unemployed, find the best- paying job in her neighborhood. Results: Subjects could manipulate the application, but only 30% completed the task, even with significant prompting: Problem: Deeper problem in motivation and lack of cognitive model of how the PC worked.

Can any UI be converted into one that is usable by illiterate users? ILLITERACY FEAR OF TECHNOLOGY LACK OF TRUST IN TECHNOLOGY LACK OF AWARENESS OF WHAT TECHNOLOGY CAN DELIVER New Problem! Can a UI be developed to allow an illiterate, first- time PC user to access information he/she needs without any assistance or prompting? New question: Original question:

Full-Context Video A full-context video explains the broader context of the application and how it works, in addition to instructional material about how to use the application. Full-Context Video

Results, Take 2 100% of subjects completed task with full-context video! Round-two subjects were incredulous that round-one subjects didn’t understand the application. Impact of video not permanent for most subjects. Many wanted to see the full- context video each time, even after seeing it before. Full-context video appears to increase motivation, as well as performance. Those who saw full-context video were interested in providing feedback on the specifics of the UI.

Text-Free UI, Take 2 Design Principles: –Pen or touch interface –Liberal use of icons and images –Voice feedback –Care in details of graphics; semi-abstracted cartoons –Aggressive use of mouse-over functionality –Consistent help icon –Full-context video

Outline The Challenge of India Three Projects from MSR India –Simultaneous Shared Access –Text-Free User Interfaces –Digital Green Five Stages of Design

Rikin Gandhi, Rajesh Veeraraghavan, Vanaja Ramprasad, Randy Wang, Kentaro Toyama Digital Green

Agriculture Extension Dissemination of expert agriculture information and technology to farmers “Training & Visit” extension popularized by the World Bank in 1970s –Face-to-face interactions of extension officers and farmers 100,000 extension officers in India –Extension agent-to-farmer ratio is 1: 2,000 –610,000 villages in India with average 1,000-person population Typical extension officer salary is $100 per month Extension officer “commuting” between farms

? ? Main source of information about new technology and farm practices over the past 365 days (India: NSSO 2005) Agricultural Social Networks

Six months in field trying various combinations Over 200 days of surveys, ethnographic investigation, and iterative design Early Experimentation

Digital Green System 1.Participatory content production 2.Video database 3.Mediated instruction 4.Structured sequencing

20 villages in Karnataka: –Language: Kannada –Crops: Ragi, banana, mulberry, coconut –Population: households –Irrigation: households with access –Television: households Metrics: –Knowledge: Before-and-after –Attendance: Farmers at each screening –Interest: Intent to take-up a practice –Adoption: Number of households taking up each new farming practice or technology Experimental Set-Up Preliminary Evaluation Expert Extension Officer Farming Community Research Assistant Local Mediator Poster Green(4) Same as Digital Green with local mediator, but no TV/DVD Mediator makes posters and holds regular group sessions Classical GREEN (8) Same as usual Digital Green (8) 3 sessions per week Cost: Rs. 9,500 ($240) for TV/DVD per village PC / camera costs shared Extension officer shared Mediator salary Accountability: Daily metrics and feedback Official extension staff 9-month study

7 times more adoptions over classical extension at less cost per village 9 months: 12 villages, 3 nights a week, 1,000 regulars Sustained local presence Mediation Repetition (and novelty) Integration into existing extension operations Social homophily between mediator, actor, and farmer Desire to be “on TV” Trust built from identities of farmers and villages in videos Digital Green: Results Digital Green is at least 10 times more effective per dollar spent than classical extension!

Outline The Challenge of India Three Projects from MSR India –Simultaneous Shared Access –Text-Free User Interfaces –Digital Green Five Stages of Design

StageKnowledge Gained WonderTechnology / Surface Problem ExuberanceSurface Solution RealizationReal Problem AdjustmentReal Solution IdentificationUser Deeper Intuition Good design comes out of deep intuition into the user.

Stage Simultaneous Shared Access Text-Free UIDigital Green Wonder rural educationilliteracy agriculture extension Exuberance PCs for everyone! UIs without text!Video for farmers Realization per-student PC too costly UI manipulation not the issue “Experts” on TV not trusted Adjustment shared PCfull-context video local video;medi- ated instruction Identification “We’ll share and play!” “Demystify it for me.” “Farmer Idol” Cyclical process Five Stages in Our Projects Time spent with (potential) users is key!

Conclusion The Challenge of India Three Projects from MSR India –Simultaneous Shared Access –Text-Free User Interfaces –Digital Green Five Stages of Design

Thank you! Photo: Indrani Medhi