Usability, digital literacy critical when designing products for rural consumers: Priyanka Dutt, BBC Media Action

In her decade-long stint with BBC Media Action, country director Priyanka Dutt has helmed multiple projects for the international development non-profit arm of the British public service broadcaster. The entity which has had a presence in India since 2001 works in the fields of health, rights and resilience.

“For us, in terms of making our design decisions about services and using digital technologies, it was really important to think about not just ownership and access but also usability and digital literacy,” Dutt said in an interview with TechCircle.

The platform uses multiple medium including a combination of television, radio, online, street theatre, outdoor advertising and mobile phones for outreach. Some of the key focus areas for BBC Media Action in India has been improving maternal and child health in rural India, decreasing the incidence of bonded labour and addressing sanitation in urban areas. 

The organisation has worked on projects across the states of Bihar, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh.