Hamed Abdulsalam: Redefining UX Research in Africa

With the Africa’s digital market booming, and an unprecedented upscaling of various startups, there is a growing need to harness the power of in-depth User Experience Research.

By diving deep into the African User Experience, brands can uncover valuable insights that are essential for creating effective, user-friendly and adaptable solutions.

Leading User Experience Designer, Oxfam GB, Hamed Abdulsalam believes that in-depth user engagement that truly reflect the context, needs, perspectives and realities of African users has long been over-looked.

“I have deep roots and ongoing work in the African context, and I’ve seen firsthand how understanding users – truly understanding them – is often sidelined. And yet, in a region as diverse and dynamic as Africa, UX research is not just a luxury, it is the key to creating solutions that are meaningful, usable, and scalable,” he said.

He added that gaining accurate insights into the African psyche doesn’t come from sitting behind a desk – it requires going down to the grassroots, to learn the adoption of technology in real-life contexts.

“Forget fancy labs. Real insights come from Okada Bus-stops, internet cafés, market stalls, and WhatsApp groups. Remote tools may be convenient, but they don’t always reflect how real users interact with tech in their environments. We once tested a digital health prototype remotely via Zoom. The difference between what users said in virtual interviews and what they did on the ground was night and day.” Abdulsalam stated.

Abdulsalam urged users to avoid using a ‘One-Size-Fits-All’ approach to UX Research. He wants more brands to take cultural differences into consideration, bringing the user experience down to the nuances of local cultures.

“UX fails when it ignores how people speak, think, and interpret design. A single misunderstood icon or word can cause massive drop-offs. Local facilitators and translators aren’t ‘nice-to-haves’—they’re essential to insight. Africa isn’t a monolith. Lagos isn’t Lusaka. Urban Kenya isn’t rural Niger. Segment your users. Localize your tests. What works for fintech users in Nairobi may fall flat in Yaoundé,” he noted.

He wants more brands to resist the urge to skip research in the name of ‘quick completion’ or ‘budget cuts’, adding that the best technology doesn’t just ‘work’ – it works for the people who use it: “It is tempting to cut research for the sake of moving fast. But doing that usually means building for assumptions, not people.

And rebuilding costs more—in time, trust, and team morale. Brands need to learn to invest in local UX research talent, design for people with low literacy, no laptops, or zero digital history, and document every single thing that they share and learn.”

“UX research isn’t just about wireframes or post-it notes. It’s about deep respect for the people we’re building for. It’s about knowing that a fintech app in Ghana, an edtech tool in Uganda, or a health chatbot in Nigeria can only succeed if it reflects the realities, languages, frustrations, and dreams of its users,” he added.