'Shada Baksho': a hardware device to explore the fears of using mobile phones among the rural women of Bangladesh

Abstract

Previous Information and Communication Technology and Development (ICTD) research has shown that rural women's access to digital technologies in many Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs), including Bangladesh, is challenging because of a number of reasons, including Techno-Phobia. With a view to mediating access for rural women, we designed an one-button communication box, and documented rural women's user-experiences with it. Drawing upon our discovery of the set of gender specific and culturally contextual problems, this paper also discusses several design and policy interventions to ensure a better Information and Communication Technology (ICT) access for the rural women in Bangladesh.