Contextual Design

A design approach that grounds technology development in a deep understanding of users' actual contexts, workflows, constraints, and cultural settings, rather than designing for idealized or generic use cases. Contextual design is particularly critical for assistive technology and AI tools targeting the Global South, where infrastructure, institutional norms, and user capabilities differ dramatically from the well-resourced contexts where most technology is developed. Research with TVIs in India demonstrates that even free, technically accessible tools fail when they do not account for the contextual realities of multi-grade classrooms, institutional technology restrictions, limited internet, and non-English language needs.