MobileActive.org

Featherweight multimedia devices combine audio with non-electronic visual displays (e.g., paper). Because of their low cost, customizability, durability, storage capacity, and energy efficiency, they are well-suited for education and information dissemination among illiterate and semi-literate people.

We present a taxonomy of featherweight multimedia devices and also derive design recommendations from our experiences deploying featherweight multimedia in the agriculture and health domains in India. We found that with some initial guidance, illiterate users can quickly learn to use and enjoy the device, especially if they are taught by peers.

This paper presents our work in the design of a
SDS for the provision of health information to caregivers of HIV
positive children. We specifically address the frequently debated
question of input modality in speech systems; touchtone versus
speech input, in a new context of low literacy users and a health
information service. We discuss our experiences and fieldwork
which includes needs assessment interviews, focus group sessions,
and user studies in Botswana with semi and low-literate users.
Our results indicate user preference for touchtone over speech
input although both systems were comparable in performance
based on objective metrics.