This project was developed in collaboration with OBA as part of the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences' Master Digital Design. Visit the case study about this project to read more details. Feel free to get in touch with me if you have questions or want to talk about this project!
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Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam
Many government affairs in The Netherlands are handled online in the Dutch language, which puts non-native speakers in a vulnerable position. That's why my team and I developed Dims (Dutch Immigration Search), at the behest of OBA (Amsterdam Public Library). DIMS is a website that aims to help people who struggle with integration affairs, language, and digital skills.
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Project background
Project background
How to help digital illiterate immigrants become more self-reliant while integrating?
During our research, we found that there is no structured overview of what integration affairs people need to arrange first. And besides this, the information about this topic is scattered all over the internet. This doesn't correspond with the feeling of self-reliance, which The Netherlands is encouraging.
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The challenge
The challenge
How can we give digitally illiterate newcomers around Amsterdam simple access to trustworthy information regarding the integration process? This information is mainly available in Dutch, it can be difficult for non-Dutch speakers to find these reliable sources.
For example, the importance of a DigiD. Besides this, it's hard to get to know the different organizations that exist in Amsterdam since they all operate individually. So, how do we guide immigrants to the organizations that offer help around Amsterdam?
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The process
First prototype
The step-by-step guide for integration
We developed an interactive prototype to test with people that struggles with the language barrier while integrating in the Netherlands. This group became our target audience.
The prototype was a guide that consists of steps that the immigrant need to take care of. For example, report their move from the asylum centre to the right municipality. We user-tested it with Turkish and Arabic-speaking refugees.
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Testing with the target audience
Testing proved that our target audience thought the content in the guide was very valuable. However, they use platforms like Google and YouTube a lot. Also design convention such as hamburger menu’s and dropdown menus weren’t recognized by our target audience.
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Second prototype: Dims
During the iteration phase we developed a new prototype with a search engine at its core. The translation function in the search bar on the homepage allows the user to find reliable information about integrating in the Netherlands from Dutch and English websites, as well as websites in their native language. With the help of the filters, we provide a customized search results page, so users don’t get misled by reading irrelevant articles.
For instance, normally you would need to use the Dutch word "huurtoeslag" to look for official information on rental allowance in The Netherlands. However, this option allows you to search in your own language, and all the articles with reliable information on ‘huurtoeslag’ will be shown. Additionally, the content in Dutch will also be translated into your language. To ensure reliability, we carefully select the websites that show up in the results.
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The difference with Google
The difference between Google and Dims is that Dims will filter out outdated and irrelevant articles, while Google shows everything including unreliable news. Our prototype gets the relevant articles from Government websites, and reliable informative websites offered in different languages.
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Designing for digital illiterate users
In the first prototype, we produced a step-by-step guide, this is partially implemented in this second prototype. The guides are implemented as suggested articles on the Dims website since our participants are pleased with the valuable content in their native language. They can be found on the home page. Another feature we implemented was providing guidance to the organizations and their events in Amsterdam. To better assist our digitally illiterate users we designed a help button. This includes animated information on how features on each page work.
Testing proved that using the correct conventions is crucial for a good user experience. For digitally illiterate people, it's essential that they can relate to what they see. Instead of abstract line icons, we try to mimic the physical world by using 3D icons. In addition, we color-coded the user groups, so they understand better which content applies to them.
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First prototype
New design decisions
Designing for digital illiterate users
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Other work
Don’t hesitate to ask your questions. You can schedule a free 30 minute call with me through the button below. I can also be reached via email hi@emmakoole.com or telephone +31 6 43 96 94 39.