Industries from developed countries tend to overlook the fact that people in new emerging economies are different in terms of context, ergonomics, social and cultural dimensions. Evidence from the literature shows technical design problems involved in adapting technology and that it may require the development of new ergonomics principles because of the diverse nature of people. Users around the world are no longer willing to settle for one-size-fits-all products with standardised technology.

There is little in-depth research that can assist designers to use culture as a catalyst for designing innovative products within Botswana’s context. This is supported by evidence from the literature which indicate that from an African perspective, there is no solid theoretical framework which can assist designers to consciously integrate users culture in designing products. This challenges designers to gain a deeper understanding of users culture and find strategies on how they can use culture as a resource in product development.