Technology interfaces have for a long time been designed to fit the skill sets, the cognitive tendencies and the information literacy of their users. Removing these constraints remains a challenge for technology developers. This area of engineering work has been known as Interaction Design (IxD). In recent years the attention has expanded beyond interest in the design of technology artefacts. Researchers, designers and product developers have shifted their attention from human-computer interactions to human experiences of technologies. Within this more holistic space, the emphasis has shifted to providing users with delightful technology experiences. Besides IxD, the discipline of User Experience Design (UX) involves identifying functional specifications, visual design, information design, spatial experience, etc. In cases of service innovation, user experience is often understood as customer experience (CX) and modeled via customer journey maps. The figure below is borrowed from Dan Saffer (2008) and summarizes the panoply of user research disciplines.
For resource constrained users in developing countries, user experiences have become more comfortable and familiar. Digitalization has shifted their technology experiences from the literate to the visual. Communication via text and traditional literate forms has been replaced by communication via symbolic systems and images. This shift in the language paradigm has been fueled by lower prices for devices and connectivity, and has brought a surge in demand for multimedia mobile services.
MMD4D 
It is very interesting to see your perspectives on mobile technology. I have similar interests and perspectives on applying mobile technologies for social good. So a search this morning led me to stumble upon your blog…
I also liked reading about you and your dream. I earnestly wish that your dream come true, so that global society, especially developing ones would be better of!
My name is Uday (Uday Bhaskar) living in Bangalore, and am a communications software professional. Currently am a entrepreneur in mobile applications space. I am able to apply some of my good learnings made at Lucent Bell-Labs, Siemens, Apple, LG, & C-DAC in this endeavor.
I appreciate many of your links/videos, apt in this context. I am innovating few apps and service platforms to meet the challenges of emerging societies (of Indian/Asian). While it does not mean that urban societies are free from challenges, I think it is a best shot with mobile technologies (and the Internet) to include and empower often neglected classes. On the other hand I also believe, by this way, the rest of the society can be made to benefit from the vibrant cultural and emotional richness of this, so called, poor society. I strongly believe that the second would be a surprise and more profound outcome of inclusion.
I would be glad to bounce and get your help on some related ideas and/or be of some mutual help.
Thanks
Uday
Hello Uday,
Thanks a lot for getting in touch. I would be very interested in discussing mobile applications with you. I think that basic mobile phones have proved the worth of mobile communication in the developing country context. But there a little more than basic functionality has the potential of delivering very valuable services.
What mobile OS are you looking at for your applications? J2ME?
Do write to me at mira_at_mmd4d.org. And let’s have a chat some time soon!
Cheers,
Mira