The Question Box (India)
Project Background
Even as Internet connectivity increases rapidly, billions of people still lack access because they do not have basic computer skills or even basic literacy. For example, according to the World Bank, 48% of India’s population is illiterate. The Question Box Project, the first initiative of the sustainability program Open Mind, aims to eliminate these access problems. It relies on verbal communication rather than written, is technologically very simple, and by its presentation offers a very low barrier to Internet exploration and access. Phase One is a one or two-site proof of concept test in rural India.
The Technology
The Question Box is an intercom-like box set up in a public area in villages. Riding on existing phone networks, it has a button that connects users to an operator at a call center. The operator is located in front of an Internet-enabled computer. Users are free to ask the operator about anything that may interest them. The operator translates the questions into search queries, selects the most appropriate answers, and then translates the content back into the users’ native language at an understandable level.
The Pilot Study
The six-month pilot aims to establish proof of concept and an understanding of how rural villagers interact with information when it becomes available outside of a computer interface. The Question Box initially will be available without an external structure imposed other than standard hours of operation. User observation and research will determine scale up strategies and what revenue models would be tenable to reach sustainability.
- Question Box Design
The Question Box would look much like a very sturdy intercom with one or two buttons. One button would initiate and end calls to the operator. Another button might control volume or some other basic function.
- Anticipated Impact
People will be invited to be curious about the world beyond them in an immediately gratifying way, thus reshaping their view of themselves in the world. Children and adolescents will probably be the first to use the service, and it would then spread to others, including women and the elderly.
Eventually, people might discover directly beneficial economic uses, such as getting current crop prices, or figuring out how to contact suppliers or businesses in towns inconveniently far away. Political news could travel faster, and perhaps lead to a more informed and active populace. Question Boxes could be used to broadcast information like vaccine days, health messages, soil conservation strategies, etc.
- Role of the Researcher
A Professor of Psychology from NIIT Institute, Ritu Dangwal, will manage all operational issues on the ground, selecting a village site within reasonable distance from New Delhi with an emphasis on maximum visibility. Prof. Dangwal will build rapport and community investment in the project. She will observe the villagers, interact with community members and children, conduct interviews and monitor the durability of the Question Box design. In parallel, Prof. Dangwal will supervise the operator, monitoring work behaviors and call exchanges.
- Scale-Up
After a successful pilot, the Question Box team intends to scale up to an initial 30 units serviced by 20 operators. Revenue will likely be generated by advertising messages, Question Box sponsorships, and a pay-per-call service connecting villagers and businesses. We anticipate hiring a team of sales representatives, which would sell both general advertising and those targeted to particular searches. We will also investigate collecting a fee from users. Additionally, the Question Box service may be conceptualized as a public good that furthers development, thereby garnering governmental subsidy.
- The Team
Rose Shuman holds a Master’s in International Development from Brown University, and has significant experience living and working on three continents. She is a business consultant to a start-up company offering an innovative technology for correcting vision in the developing world. The Question Box Project is her design and concept. She will travel to the project site over the course of the pilot, and is responsible for administration, project scale-up and strategy.
Ritu Dangwal is an Associate Professor of Psychology at NIIT in New Delhi, India. She has more than 12 years of research experience. Her core work is researching primary education in the rural/semi-urban parts of India. Prof. Dangwal is involved in a start-up called Hole in the Wall that provides free-standing open access Internet kiosks to villagers in India.
Prof. Sugata Mitra, an information technology pioneer and the creator of the Hole in the Wall project, is an advisor.
Contact:
Rose Shuman
RoseShuman (at) gmail.com
301-580-6601
A W.I.S.H. Asia
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