The traditional approach to malaria diagnosis has been examination by microscope of a thick blood smear from the individual suspected of being infected. In an attempt to provide a more rapid alternative, companies worldwide have developed malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs). Although RDTs can be effectively used in clinical settings by trained personnel, their greatest potential use is in rural areas with limited access to health and laboratory facilities. Using RDTs for diagnosis at the community level will shorten the delay between the onset of symptoms and the beginning of appropriate treatment. It will also slow development of resistance and lead to significant cost savings by avoiding unnecessary use of antimalarials. However, achieving a high level of sensitivity and specificity with RDTs in this context will require a product designed, labelled, and explained so that community health workers (CHWs) can use it accurately with minimal formal training and supervision. In partnership with theWHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific, the Quality Assurance Project (QAP) carried out quality-design research in the Philippines and the Lao People's Democratic Republic to develop and test a generic RDT job aid, mainly pictorial, that could be adapted with little modification for use with different RDT products and in different cultural settings by health workers with low literacy skills and with little or no prior training in product use. (author's)