Digital technology has been widely embraced in recent times due to the ease of doing business with it. From online apps used to order food, hail rides, transfer cash between banks and to even request a handy man, it is indeed a means of innovation which has come to stay.

Digital technology has helped provide jobs for people and made life easier and has kept families together by facilitating communication.

However, in the wake of all of these, it is important that digital technology modalities are carefully tailored to meet the capabilities of the target market and align with the country’s infrastructural capacity.

Of late, there has been a salvo of mobile phone-based applications for almost everything and inasmuch as this is good per se, it is worth keeping in mind that it would be more beneficial if digital technology modalities are tailored to meet the needs and capabilities of the target population.

For example, with many complaints of high internet data costs and erratic internet connectivity in some parts of Ghana, it can be come quite challenging for people to download mobile phone-based applications and have a seamless user experience.

Additionally, some digital technology modalities may not require the creation of mobile based phone applications, which are known to consume relatively large amount of data depending on the size and may be associated with some hesitance in usage unless users use them for services frequently.

To illustrate this, consider MindITGH, a digital mental health organisation which works to screen Ghanaians for mental health disorders for free and to facilitate affordable and accessible mental healthcare to them by signposting users to the nearest community mental health unit. In this case, the target users are persons who can not afford mainstream mental healthcare.

In treating them, it is imperative that the services are ass free as possible, and in this case, the use of a phone based application which requires internet data, hence a smart phone at least may not be affordable to its target group, In that light, they employ a toll-free short code (USSD) which does not require data, airtime or even a smart phone for use.

This dial in service is low cost and can be used by accessed by all types of phones, regardless of their level of complexity. It follows that such a service which seeks to provide affordable care for persons who ordinarily wouldn’t be able for mental health evaluation and treatment would need to have no financial barriers to accessibility, in which case a downloaded mobile phone app would be counterproductive as it would require the use of a smartphone at least, and with internet data which in themselves are some cost.

Digital health technology innovation, in my opinion does not have to be fanciful, but it should be as simple as possible to match the capabilities of the target user. While innovating for digital technology services, it is thus important to consider how compatible the solution would be with user preferences and behaviour.