Overview
uPortal is an easy-to navigate web portal with educational and inspirational content, delivered by Unicef Uganda. The portal was designed to be used by youth in rural area of Uganda.
Context
The project is a collaboration between a team of two designers from DwB and Unicef Uganda to develop a computer that is publicly available in off-grid areas. The result is the Digital Drum, a solar-powered and next-to maintenance-free computer kiosk easy-to navigate educational and inspirational content, delivered by Unicef Uganda.
As part of the DwB team, my responsibility was to design the uPortal to be used on the Digital Drum, making the content accessible to youth little experience with computer & technology.
The story in short
Snapshots of the Process
Young people at youth centers in rural Uganda, represent a marginalized, vulnerable group with limited access to education, technology and information. The context of the project is to work with youth centers in rural area Uganda.
In order to design a relevant, functional and desirable solution, we used the process of co-creation - engaging all stakeholders in the design process, with a special focus on the end user – which in this particular project is the youth.
In order to create a natural role for the design team to do field research with the rural youth, we facilitated computer training workshops with the youth.
Several design iterations for uPortal were produced and tested before the final prototype. (in picture: User testing the information portal with youth in TLC, a youth center located in a slum in Kampala.)
The information portal ́s simple design gives the youth a feeling of power and control, and a sense of mastering something new.
The final prototype