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By Taiwo Babatunde
The Nigerian ecosystem has grown to be a huge market for the adoption of digital products (mobile apps, websites, and desktop apps), and priority has to be put on the creation of these products for it to resonate with nigerians.
This is very important because of the many and different cultures, preferences, and challenges.
It was necessary for me to learn and understand Nigeria’s context.
Sharing this knowledge will help designers and creators build better products for Nigerians.
Localization is Key
Starting off with localization, the Nigerian ecosystem provides with it a unique set of
opportunities and approaches that can be seen in how we adopt products (mobile apps,
websites, and web apps), primarily because of the different languages, cultures, expectations,
and, in some way, legal standards and requirements.
With this understanding, we must first gain a deeper understanding of their behaviors,
preferences, and challenges. The following questions are designed to guide our research and
inform the design and development of our products thereby ensuring that we create a user-centered solution that resonates with our audience and addresses their unique needs.
User Understanding
– Who are our users and end-users?
– How do users typically interact with similar products?
Cultural and Regional Considerations
– Are there specific design elements, colors, or imagery that are culturally significant?
– How do users in the target region access digital content?
Accessibility and Inclusivity
– How can the product be designed for users with varying digital literacy levels?
– Are there considerations for users with disabilities?
Technical and Security Considerations
– What are typical internet connectivity conditions in the region?
– How can the product address security concerns?
Iteration and Improvement
– How can the product be designed for iterative improvements based on user feedback?
Providing answers and taking the time to understand the responses will help in providing a
well-defined path for the product you intend to build, and this is because at this point you have been able to study and understand your users.
Mobile-First Approach
In Nigeria, mobile phones have been seen as the primary means of accessing the internet.
Therefore, adopting a mobile-first approach is essential for any digital product aiming for
widespread adoption. A mobile-first approach prioritises the creation of products fully functional
on mobile devices before desktop or larger screen devices.
In an article published by Toby Nwanede, he highlighted that there are an estimated 162 million mobile phone users, with as high as 84% mobile penetration, as reported by Guardian Business
in March 2018.
Smartphone users continue to grow each year, with Statista predicting 23.3
million smartphones by 2019.
This statistic can be easily proven by just looking around the Nigerian environment.
You will find
out that almost every Nigerian has a smartphone and has conversations on WhatsApp. With this
understanding, designing responsive products has become very important.
Also, responsive
design and lightweight applications cater to the data constraints often faced by users in this
region.
Navigating Connectivity Challenges
While internet connectivity in Nigeria is improving, there are still areas with little or limited internet access and hence the following strategies will needs to be considered:
– Offline Functionality: Allow users to access and use the product offline, saving data
locally and syncing when connected. Here Memory Caching becomes very important.
– Lightweight Design: Optimize for low bandwidth and slow connections by cutting down
on heavy graphics, videos, and files, and using efficient coding practices.
– Progressive Enhancement: Implement a progressive enhancement approach, which
ensures that core features are usable and accessible with minimal network access and
then additional features are accessible with better connections.
Ultimately, knowing fully well that the goal is to craft a product that resonates with our Nigerian
audience, addresses their unique needs, and provides a meaningful experience despite the
already existing challenges, the need of understand and get continuous feedbacks over time
becomes important.
This way, we can guarantee that our products (solutions) are well and
definitely making waves in the Nigerian ecosystem.
Written by: Jeremiah Folorunso
About Jeremiah
Jeremiah Folorunso currently functions as a Product Designer at Soft Alliance and Resource
where his primary focus is on designing solutions with the aim of enabling the proper functioning
of both private and public organizations. He holds a Bachelors degree a Bachelor’s degree in
Computer Science from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria.
