One World South Asia is an international non-profit working towards democratizing technology. The Lifeline for Education program being managed by One World, intends to provide academic support to teachers in rural schools in India using accessible communication mediums like mobile phones. The system uses simple communication protocols, such as the telephone, laid over an IT and internet-based system. Its design is guided by lessons learned from an existing project that addresses the knowledge needs of farmers.
Designing a Teacher Training Helpline
Client/Funder
- OWSA
Sectors
- Education
- Technology
Services
- Ethnography
- Product & Service Solutions
Quicksand was brought in as the design research team to evaluate the unique aspects of Indian education, including constraints on rural schools, teachers, children, parents and infrastructure. The research, in turn, led to design recommendations on:
- Suitable collaboration platforms between various stakeholders.
- Concepts for content delivery, interaction and system interfaces at each consumer touch point for phase one of program implementation.
- A future blueprint of the program with respect to new technology & human interventions.
- Internal & external communication is necessary for system rollout.
- Tweak the existing user interface, making it relevant for the new context of education
The following are some design & research artefacts from the project.
The program was piloted at the district Bardhman, four hours from Calcutta. A week-long ethnographic research established some key personas, concerns and paradigms that would govern the design of the Education Helpline. The work consisted of observational studies, in-depth interviews, group discussions, as well as photo and film documentation – all aimed at moving towards a richer understanding of the current context.