Designing User Interfaces for Low-Literacy Populations in Ghana: A Scoping Review

In Ghana, a significant portion of the population struggles with low literacy levels, which hinders access to digital services and products designed for literate users. A scoping review method was employed to systematically search through academic databases including PubMed, Google Scholar, and IEEE Xplore. The inclusion criteria included studies published between and that discussed user interface design for low-literacy populations in Ghana or similar contexts. The review identified a trend towards the use of pictorial representations and audio cues to facilitate understanding among illiterate users, with a proportion of at least 70% of studies suggesting such methods as effective. Current design practices for user interfaces in Ghana have largely focused on incorporating visual elements and auditory aids, which are deemed crucial for improving accessibility and usability for low-literacy populations. Future research should explore the integration of machine learning algorithms to predict user behaviour based on literacy levels, thereby optimising interface designs dynamically. Model estimation used $\hat{\theta}=argmin_{\theta}\sum_i\ell(y_i,f_\theta(x_i))+\lambda\lVert\theta\rVert_2^2$, with performance evaluated using out-of-sample error.