Designing Usable Products for African Users The African Product Resilience (APR) Framework™

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgements

Part 1: Foundations

Chapter 1: Africa as a Fertile Ground for Innovation

Chapter 2: A Primer on the African Context

Part 2: The APR in context

Chapter 3: Building Mobile-First for African Contexts

Chapter 4: Building for Limited Digital Connectivity

Chapter 5: Building for Sociocultural Context

Chapter 6: Building Trust in Digital Products

Part 3: Looking Forward

Chapter 7: The Unique Challenges and Solutions for User Research in Africa

Chapter 8: The Future of Design in Africa

Appendix: Voices of African Product Resilience

Glossary

Biography

Iwalola Sobowale is an executive leader in Research and Strategy, and founder of Usability for Africa. With 13+ years bridging customer insights and business value, she builds high-growth products through embedded research. A speaker at World Usability Day Africa 2024 and ESOMAR Africa in Focus 2026, her publications include “From NPS to Action” and “Designing Usable Products for African Users.” Her work drives user adoption, retention, and product-market fit across emerging markets.

Lade Tawak is a problem solver and creator working across UX, Product, and AI. Through Limen Labs she provides research, consulting, and coaching. Working globally, she connects people and businesses with the insights and strategic expertise needed to unlock value and achieve goals. With over 10 years of experience, she helps businesses at thresholds and in transition to discover the answers and actions that create success. She is also an international speaker, writer, and community builder.

Hillary Omitogun is a Senior UX Researcher, strategist, and community builder whose work sits at the intersection of human behaviour, complex systems, and business decision-making. Professionally, she has worked across financial services, fintech, and consumer technology, leading research on high-stakes journeys and compliance-heavy flows. Hillary is also the founder of HerSynergy Tribe, a professional community built to support the growth of mid-senior career women across EMEA.

“This book delivers the blueprint the African tech ecosystem has been waiting for. It defines the standards for efficiency, reliability and usability required to serve the 'next billion users,' and is essential for founders and investors who want to make impact and build resilient businesses.” – Tosin Eniolorunda, Founder & Group CEO, Moniepoint Inc.

“Finally, a guide that matches the reality we’ve seen doing research in Africa over the last decade. Designing Usable Products for African Users offers a practical framework to successfully navigate the continent’s unique infrastructure and cultural landscape.” – Yann Le Beux, Co-Founder & CEO, YUX Design