ConnectOS

How can create a mobile operating system for those in the global south and rural communities with limited access to power and connectivity?

In 10 weeks, my team designed and developed an operating system designed for users who have low low affordability, lack of access to power and data, and travel difficulties.

My Role
UX Design & Research

Area
Wireframes, Design System, UI Design

Duration
10 weeks

Tools
Figma, Sketch, Adobe illustrator

Persona Research

In the initial research, we were able to identify some key user pain points and created preliminary sketches.

Our team did some market research on our targeted areas & users (rural area in the global south). Some main user pain points we identified are low affordability, lack of access to power and data, and travel difficulties. Based on the research findings, we created two key user personas: Mario & Abebi.

ConnectOS VS. Other Operating Systems

iOS: Hard to navigate & learn due to complex user interactions, structures, and system features.

Why doesn’t mainstream operating systems like Andriod or iOS work for our targetted users?

iOS: Mainly uses English language systems and bright icons

Andriod: Requires high power, data, and large storage space to run the system.

Design Principles

Based on all research findings and user personas, we came up with the design principles for ConnectOS. The core principles are Universal, High contrast, Flat structure, Consistency, Efficiency, and Offline.

We then created style guidelines such as icons, typography, and color to ensure our core native applications are highly consistent.