Lessons from designing for tier-2 and tier-3 India
Most conversational interfaces are designed with an urban, English-first user in mind. But India’s next billion users bring a different set of contexts and behaviors. Here are a few things I learned designing conversational experiences for them.
Familiarity in voice
India has over 19,000 dialects. When people hear a voice that reflects their regional accent, there’s an immediate sense of familiarity. When a voice system sounds too polished or neutral, it can feel cold, distant, and sometimes intimidating. Regional familiarity in tone and pronunciation helps make a user feel like the system is speaking with them, not at them.
Silence is part of the conversation
Conversation has an unspoken rhythm, and it feels invisible until it goes wrong. For instance, something as simple as reading out a pin code can go multiple ways. One user might say “560012” in one breath, while another can say “5 6” and pause, waiting for acknowledgment that the person on the other end is getting it right. Designing for these variations in conversational cadence is just as important as designing for language.
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Question your assumptions
Contrary to assumptions, users from smaller towns are not digitally backward. They are active on WhatsApp, YouTube, and a range of apps. The gap is not in digital literacy, but in the fact that most products are not designed with their context in mind. We must try to meet them where they are, not where we assume them to be.
The medium shapes the message
Different media and touchpoints shape how users emotionally experience an interaction. Voice feels personal and can build warmth quickly. Text gives users control. They can read at their own pace, revisit information, and respond when they are ready. A message that feels reassuring on a call can come across as cold or transactional in a chat. Choosing the right medium for the right moment is a design decision.
The most trusted source is still a person
Discovery in these communities is deeply social, and word of mouth is still the strongest form of distribution. Recommendations from friends and family circles carry far more weight than ads.
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