Paper Presentation by Vansh Bothra at MobileHCI, Egypt
Highlighting research presented at the MobileHCI Conference in Egypt on inclusive e-commerce design and digital accessibility.
Vansh presented a research paper at the MobileHCI Conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt
Vansh Bothra , a final-year Computer Science and Entrepreneurship student, recently attended the MobileHCI conference in Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt, to present research on inclusive e-commerce design. Held at the Park Regency Resort, the conference served as a professional forum for scholars and practitioners in the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). This participation provided a platform to engage with the international research community and share findings on digital accessibility.
The Research: Designing for Emergent Users
The research originated as an Independent Study Module (ISM) under the supervision of Professor Anirban Sen (Ashoka University) and Professor Dipanjan Chakraborty (BITS-Pilani Hyderabad). Vansh and co-author Amrit Singh investigated the barriers to e-commerce adoption among “emergent users” in India, specifically individuals from rural areas and elderly populations.
The mixed-method study identified that these users often face significant difficulties with product filtering and digital payment systems due to a lack of trust and unfamiliarity with standard user interface patterns. The research concluded by proposing specific design recommendations aimed at improving accessibility and building trust for these demographics.
The full paper and design recommendations are available here.
Conference Proceedings
The three-day conference featured two days of technical paper and poster presentations. Vansh presented the study’s findings to an audience of international researchers and students, participating in a constructive environment for discussing current trends in HCI.
He attended the conference alongside Professor Dipanjan Chakraborty. Engaging in academic discourse with professors and peers from various global institutions provided a broader perspective on the challenges of technology adoption—insights that significantly complement his undergraduate studies in computer science and entrepreneurship.
As part of the conference program, the organizers arranged a cultural outing to the Red Sea. This provided an opportunity to observe the local Egyptian context and the geography of the region. The visit offered a brief but insightful look into the history and environment of Sharm-El-Sheikh.
Acknowledgments
Vansh expresses his gratitude to Ashoka University for the grant that funded his travel and conference registration. He also thanks his advisors and co-author for the opportunity to contribute to this research. Presenting at an international forum during his undergraduate studies marks a significant academic milestone.