I agree that it's harder to solve a problem that you're not experiencing, but, by the same token, underserved communities will tolerate an even lower threshold

I agree that it's harder to solve a problem that you're not experiencing, but, by the same token, underserved communities will tolerate an even lower threshold of quality as long as you're helping them :) For the approach on how to solve their problems, the main goal is empathy. Look at the Design Thinking theory: first step is to emphatize. When I was taking a marketing course, they told us to shadow a consumer. You have to "walk a mile in their shoes" For example, I've been very impressed by the use of artificial impairments to simulate the experience of people with real disabilities. Once you -really- understand their problems, I'm pretty sure any sharp mind here will come up with interesting solutions. Edit: Design School http://dschool.stanford.edu/dgift/ http://dschool.stanford.edu/dgift/ Look for the Bootcamp material too: https://dschool.stanford.edu/sandbox/groups/designresources/wiki/36873/attachments/74b3d/ModeGuideBOOTCAMP2010L.pdf https://dschool.stanford.edu/sandbox/groups/designresources/... HOW to empathize To empathize, you: - Observe. View users and their behavior in the context of their lives. As much as possible do observations in relevant contexts in addition to interviews. Some of the most powerful realizations come from noticing a disconnect between what someone says and what he does. Others come from a work-around someone has created which may be very surprising to you as the designer, but she may not even think to mention in conversation. - Engage. Sometimes we call this technique ‘interviewing’ but it should really feel more like a conversation. Prepare some questions you’d like to ask, but expect to let the conversation deviate from them. Keep the conversation only loosely bounded. Elicit stories from the people you talk to, and always ask “Why?” to uncover deeper meaning. Engagement can come through both short ‘intercept’ encounters and longer scheduled conversations. - Watch and Listen. Certainly you can, and should, combine observation and engagement. Ask someone to show you how they complete a task. Have them physically go through the steps, and talk you through why they are doing what they do. Ask them to vocalize what’s going through their mind as they perform a task or interact with an object. Have a conversation in the context of someone’s home or workplace – so many stories are embodied in artifacts. Use the environment to prompt deeper questions.