Designing User Interfaces for Low-Literacy Populations in South Africa: A Technological Approach

User interfaces designed for low-literacy populations often face challenges in usability and accessibility. The study employed a mixed-methods approach combining surveys, interviews, and ethnographic observations to gather data from low-literacy participants. A prototype was developed using the Nielsen usability model as a framework. Participants expressed significant preference for interfaces with clear visual cues and simplified text content (85% rated clarity higher than complexity). The methodological approach successfully identified key design elements that improve user interface usability for low-literacy populations, particularly in South Africa. Future research should expand the dataset to include more diverse populations and incorporate technological advancements such as AI-driven translation tools. Model estimation used θ̂=argminθ∑ᵢ(yᵢ,f_θ(xᵢ))+λθ₂², with performance evaluated using out-of-sample error.