User-Centred Design Approaches in the Development of Mobile Banking Interfaces for Low-Literacy Users in North West Nigeria

Mobile banking adoption in North West Nigeria, particularly in Katsina and Jigawa states, has been constrained by interface designs that assume literacy levels and digital familiarity substantially above those of the intended low-income rural user population. This study applies user-centred design methodology to the investigation of mobile banking interface usability among low-literacy adult users, with the objective of generating design guidelines applicable to financial technology interface development for underserved populations. A participatory design research programme conducted with eighty adult participants across Katsina and Dutse documented user mental models, navigation patterns, error types, and emotional responses during structured mobile banking task simulations. Findings indicate that icon-based navigation without supporting text labels causes consistent misinterpretation, and that multi-step security protocols generate high task abandonment rates among participants with fewer than six years of formal education. The study develops a set of fourteen evidence-based interface design guidelines addressing visual hierarchy, icon legibility, error feedback clarity, audio supplementation, and simplified authentication pathways. These guidelines are validated through prototype testing with sixty additional participants, who achieved a forty-one percent improvement in task completion rates compared to existing banking application interfaces. The study recommends that the Central Bank of Nigeria incorporate low-literacy user interface standards into its financial inclusion regulatory framework, and that fintech companies operating in rural markets commission mandatory user-centred design audits. Keywords: user-centred design, mobile banking, low-literacy users, North West Nigeria, financial inclusion.