TARAhaat.com: Designing for Rural India

By Stephanie San Miguel
July 2001

Case study from Development Alternatives (DA)

About DA

Organization: Development Alternatives (DA) http://www.devalt.org

Objectives: Creating large scale Sustainable Livelihoods

Staff: Approximately 200 employees divided between the Delhi and Jhansi offices.

Partners: SDCN members,
others listed on Web site page http://www.devalt.org/partners.htm

Introduction

In the past several years, there has been a growing awareness of the needs of minority internet users, especially those residing in non English-speaking and developing countries. Indeed, the expansion of the internet into previously under-developed regions has required web designers to put more time and consideration into Web site design to ensure that the unique requirements of these new users are met.

As the newest and most busy project at Development Alternatives, TARAhaat.com is a good example of a Web site which has been created with the unique needs of its users in mind. Developed as a "one-stop shop" for India's rural community to access information on matters ranging from education to market prices, the TARAhaat Web site has to cater to a widely diverse rural Indian community. By using graphics, animation and voice-overs, the designers have allowed the site to reach its core audience, many of who are illiterate, non-English or Hindi speaking and who have never used a computer before. The purpose of this case study is to explore at greater depth the reasoning behind the chosen format and its success in reaching its target audience.

The considerations

Poverty and lack of educational opportunities have prevented many rural Indians from receiving an adequate education. The literacy level among the rural population is quite poor in comparison with urban areas in the rest of the country. Illiteracy is also especially high among minority groups such as women and the Scheduled Castes and Tribes. As part of the core audience for the TARAhaat Web site, it was imperative to be able to reach this audience without needing to rely solely on a text-based medium. Information therefore had to be presented in an easily understood and unambiguous manner.

An additional consideration was the need for a "user-friendly" site that could be easily manipulated by people who, for the most part, had never used a computer before. Demystifying the process of accessing information over the internet, and making it more interactive and entertaining, would ensure that the users did not feel intimidated or alienated by the technology. In this way, they would be more willing to continue using the World Wide Web.

Finally, language posed a tremendous barrier to the TARAhaat team. Although the official language of Government of India is Hindi, there are over 24 recognized languages in the country. This does not include the many dialects spoken in smaller villages and towns. The challenge faced by TARAhaat was how to address the language needs of the users and provide them the answers they need in a format they could easily understand. Once again, if the audience felt alienated by the chosen language, they would be less likely to continue using the Web site.

The design

To address the various issues, TARAhaat decided to make the two first layers of the Web site as graphics-intensive as possible in order to guide users to the information they needed regardless of language spoken or literacy level. Using Flash and Java, the designers created a home page with a distinctive "cartoon look" in bold primary colours that was not only easily interpreted, but also visually pleasing and entertaining.

Since the Web site catered to rural villagers and farmers, the designers of the Web site chose to represent the TARAhaat services as part of a village scene. The "idealized" village depicted on the home page was one that most rural Indians could relate easily to. The local well, the central gathering area, the village school, etc., are all typical elements found in most rural areas. Each element on the page was then associated with various activities. For instance, the well was linked to water and women's issues. Since rural women are responsible for fetching water daily from the wells or other water sources, linking this information from that image was a logical decision.

To further simplify the navigation process, the designers used Macromedia Flash to add sound and animation to the page. As a user moved the mouse over the different elements, text boxes would appear with a listing of the information found in the next sub-level. A voice-over of the listing was also added, allowing users who could not read to understand the contents of the box.

The success

Although the project is still in its pilot phase, results from the test sites in the rural villages of the Bundelkhand indicate that TARAhaat.com has been successful at designing for its audience. The initial apprehension involved in using the internet seems to have been overcome in many of the villages, and the population, from small children to elderly men and women, can be seen visiting the site and navigating with relative ease.

Despite its success at allowing almost universal access to the site, there are still a few issues that TARAhaat must address to continue improving accessibility. For instance, once past the initial two layers, those users who cannot read must rely on the TARAkendre (Internet café) owner for assistance in interpreting the information they are accessing. This can be problematic if the TARAkendre owner is not available or does not himself speak the language of the site, which so far only exists in English and in Hindi. Plans are being considered to expand the language selection to better reflect the diverse audience of the site, but until then the content of the Web site will remain out of reach for a certain portion of the target audience.

Conclusion

Designing with the needs of rural India in mind, TARAhaat has been successful in reaching its target audience. By creating a site that uses graphics, animation and voice to help users navigate through its first few layers, the designers of the TARAhaat.com Web site have overcome many of the barriers not normally considered when designing Web sites in developed countries.

The needs of rural users are not necessarily unique to India alone, but also to many rural regions around the developing world. The experience of TARAhaat in designing a site that allows almost universal access regardless of literacy level, previous computer experience and language spoken can therefore be valuable to other countries where similar obstacles may be faced.

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Contact:

Development Alternatives
B-32 TARA Crescent
Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi, India
110 016
tel: 91+11+685-1158, 696-7938
fax: 91+11+686-6031
email:tara@sdalt.ernet.in