MICROSOFT'S SOFTWARE FOR ILLITERATE DOMESTIC WORKERS

Is Microsoft fast enough for rural India?

A microsoft lab in India is developing a software that aims to aid rural people and domestic workers in their job hunt.

A Microsoft lab in India is working on developing software that will have some practical use for illiterate people. The software targets domestic workers who might be looking for jobs and was on display at the Microsoft Research TechFest. The festival typically brings together company researches in countries located in India, China, England and the US, and exposes the company to a mix of far-flung technology and practical applications.

Interestingly enough, developing the software and trying to implement it became a learning experience not just for the domestic workers, who were being exposed to the machinery for the first time, but the researchers as well, who said they had to give up their preconceived notions of how technology should work.

P. Anandan, managing director of Microsoft Research India, said that once the researches actually engaged with the target group, they had to change their approach and views on what was required. The software, which uses pictures, video and voice commands to communicate job specifications to the women, had to be substantially modified to make sense to the workers.

For instance, a photograph of dirty dishes communicated that "those" dishes were what needed washing, whereas a caricature or cartoon got across that it was a metaphor for the job. Using more familiar devices, like Bollywood-inspired scenes of a woman complaining about wanting a better job also worked.

However, while the software might have a huge target group, whether it can be modified enough to appeal to the workers is another question. Despite extensive revisions, the researchers found that the workers still did not appreciate why such a system would be more useful than more traditional methods of communication. In what could a system like this one be sufficiently revised to include information that is never officially recorded but nevertheless necessary to know prior to the job?

For instance, a worker might want to know how considerate or abusive the employer is, before deciding whether to work for them or not. In addition, traditional 'shop' discussions form a useful medium to talk about negative experiences and build solidarity among workers that are not otherwise organized, in addition to fixing wages and working for a unanimous raise. It would be interesting to see whether such a software can manage to at least work in tandem with these other considerations.

Raj Reddy, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University also emphasized that often what people think rural people might want from technology is different from what those people actually want. A telephone, car or TV is acceptable, but a PC baffles. According to him, if a PC can initially be used to assist with familiar tasks, and then go on to help with ordering farming supplies or getting medical help for a sick child, then the venture might catch on.