UXDX Community:EMEA Online Series

Have you ever wonder how you could launch a product or startup in Africa? Scary right? Notably because you have no idea where you're going, who the users are or where to start. Well, now it's a bit easier because we built LOOKA, a saas platform that helps you do continuous user research in 18 countries in Africa with our network of 400 surveyors and our user panel. At the beginning made for us (YUX, a pan-African design agency), LOOKA is now used by teams at Google, Square/Block and the African unicorns Chipper Cash and Wave. But to be honest, building a product and ops in Africa is not that easy and we'd love to share more about how it started and the challenges we faced on our way to make research much more accessible and iterative.

When we think of “users” we often confine their identities into how they’re interacting with our products and services. But how might we take a step back, to understand their mental models of the world and how those behaviors translate into the experiences we deliver? At the same time, how can we ensure we minimize our personal bias and influence in the process? Ultimately, we're designing for people - not just "users" - and their needs continually evolve, so our products must do so in parallel. In this session, we’ll explore ethnographic and visual methods for continuous research, the role of language and metaphors in survey design, and actionable strategies to develop meaningful, adaptable products.