Design for Impact

I specialize in creating user-centered products, services, and experiences for organizations tackling complex social challenges.

Working across sustainability, sanitation & hygiene, healthcare, & social entrepreneurship, my approach blends product and material expertise with user research. Drawing inspiration from diverse design disciplines and cultural contexts, I create solutions that resonate with people and drive meaningful impact.

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Immunization Accelerator Program Across East Africa

PROJECT
IMMUNIZATION ACCELERATOR PROGRAM

SECTOR
PUBLIC HEALTH

ORGANISATION
OPENIDEO

ROLE
HUMAN CENTERED DESIGN
WORKSHOP FACILITATION
VISUAL STORYTELLING
SUPPORT & MENTORING ORGANISATION

LOCATION
KENYA, TANZANIA, SOMALIA & UGANDA

PROJECT DURATION
6 MONTHS

TEAM SIZE
4

CONTENT COURTESY
OPENIDEO

This project leveraged human-centered design to empower grassroots organizations across Kenya, Tanzania, Somalia, and Uganda in developing innovative immunization solutions. Through sustained piloting, testing, and mentorship, we guided these organizations toward user-ready solutions that could influence broader health ecosystems and create lasting community impact.

KEY METHODOLOGIES & TOOLS
+ HUMAN CENTERED DESIGN
+ USER JOURNEYS
+ ECOSYTEM MAPS
+ QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWS
+ SYNTHESIS WITH TEAM
+ EVALUATION MATRIX
+ SYSTEMS MAP
+ DESIGNING OF COMMUNICATION ASSETS

Field research across 4 remote communities revealed the intricate relationships between culture, customs, and health service delivery.

︎Kenya
︎Uganda
︎Somalia
︎Tanzania

Stories from the field

Hearing personal stories from different stakeholders and key voices in the community allowed us to develop a more nuanced perspective of the complexity of the health service ecosystem.

Insights & ahas

Working directly with local organizations provided deep contextual knowledge essential for designing interventions that would resonate within existing community structures rather than disrupting them.

Human Centered Design Mentoring & Support

Our methodology employed human-centered design principles, recognizing that sustainable solutions must emerge from genuine understanding of user experiences and constraints.

Gathering stories

I engaged more deeply with a Maasai community living in Moita Kiloriti, Northern Tanzania. We gathered personal accounts from mothers, caregivers, husbands, and traditional birth attendants who played crucial roles in the immunization journey. These narratives became primary data, revealing structural barriers and community strengths that surveys typically miss—the nuanced realities behind health decisions and service delivery gaps.
Through extensive fieldwork and stakeholder engagement, the research process involved systematic consultation with multiple community actors...

...caregivers navigating healthcare decisions, healthcare providers operating within resource limitations, traditional birth attendants keeping their traditions alive and community leaders influencing local health practices.

Collaborative Solution Development

The participatory design process yielded contextually appropriate interventions aligned with existing community practices.

Through iterative development and community feedback loops, we co-created user-friendly immunization calendars containing vital information, appointment tracking, and adherence nudges. Additionally, we developed baby carriers and bags as motivational incentives to ease clinic transportation while enhancing caregiver standing in the community. The resulting interventions were both evidence-based and community-owned, contributing to improved immunization service delivery.

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Developing
Hygiene
Solutions
in Kenya

PROJECT
DEVELOPING DIAPER SOLUTIONS FOR COMMUNITIES IN KENYA

SECTOR
SANITARY & HYGIENE

ORGANISATION
ZANAAFRICA

LOCATION
KENYA

ROLE
USER, PRODUCT & MATERIAL RESEARCH | PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

CONTENT COURTESY
ZANAAFRICA

PROJECT DURATION
8 MONTHS

In partnership with ZanaAfrica, this project addressed a critical gap in infant hygiene for Kenyan families who faced inadequate diaper options. Existing affordable products contained substandard materials causing poor absorption, frequent leaking, and infant discomfort—creating health risks and financial burden.

KEY METHODOLOGIES & TOOLS
+ MATERIAL RESEARCH
+ QUALITATIVE USER INTERVIEWS
+ FOCUS GROUP SESSIONS
+ LAB TESTING
+ CROSS ANALYSIS OF RESULTS
+ HYBRID DIAPER PRODUCTION

The challenge required balancing premium performance with affordability while considering environmental impact and specific user needs.

Research revealed that different diaper properties suited varying family requirements, necessitating a comprehensive approach to product development.

Throughout our research we were looking to understand the following:

︎ How different materials affect our user, their usage behaviour, needs and desires

︎How might we reduce health risks associated with diaper usage

︎Getting a clear picture of material differentials, options and technologies available

︎Understanding which materials have a lower environmental footprint

︎01 Material Research

Material science research provided foundational understanding of diaper components, revealing the complex relationship between construction methods, quality indicators, and performance outcomes across disposable, eco-friendly, and hybrid products.

02 User Testing︎

User testing across Nairobi, Kilifi, and Homa Bay involved focus groups and six-day product testing periods with families, comparing usage behaviors and preferences across different demographics and situations.

We tested different diaper types

4 Disposable
2 Eco-friendly
3 Hybrid

With

45 users

Over a

6 day period

In 3 locations

Kilifi, Homa Bay & Nairobi

︎03 Lab Testing

Laboratory validation through partnership with a Kenyan pharmaceutical company provided objective performance data on absorption, retention, and rewet properties, revealing important discrepancies between technical specifications and real-world user experiences.

04 Prototyping︎

This comprehensive analysis informed development of both hybrid and disposable diaper solutions tailored to the Kenyan market.

The hybrid option balanced environmental sustainability with performance, while disposable alternatives prioritized affordability without sacrificing protection.

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Empowering Young Couples in Rural Ethiopia

In collaboration with IDEO.org and PSI Ethiopia, this project addressed a critical gap in reproductive health support for married adolescent girls in rural Ethiopia. While motherhood remained a primary aspiration for these young women, they lacked essential information and agency to pursue healthy pregnancies safely.

KEY METHODOLOGIES & TOOLS
HUMAN CENTERED DESIGN +
USER JOURNEY MAPS +
ECOSYTEM MAPS +
QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWS SYNTHESIS WITH TEAM +
EVALUATION MATRIX +
DESIGNING OF COMMUNICATION ASSETS +

PROJECT
FAMILY PLANNING IN RURAL ETHIOPIA

SECTOR
PUBLIC HEALTH

ORGANISATION
IDEO.ORG PARTNERING WITH PSI ETHIOPIA

ROLE
CO-LEADING PROJECT | HUMAN CENTERED DESIGN | SERVICE DESIGN

LOCATION
ETHIOPIA & NAIROBI

CONTENT COURTESY
IDEO.ORG

PROJECT DURATION
4 MONTHS

The challenge centered on embedded power dynamics and systemic barriers that limited girls' access to antenatal care, proper nutrition guidance, and continuous reproductive health services.

Traditional customs and social structures often excluded young women from decision-making about their own pregnancies. Research in rural Ethiopian communities revealed specific intervention points where support could be most effective. The design process focused on shifting mindsets, building agency, and addressing power imbalances that created barriers to care.

We interviewed

100 users & stakeholders

Husbands
Mothers
Mothers In-law
Health Worker

In two rural locations

Becho Woreda

& Geze Gofa

in Western Ethiopia

Smart ANC Tracker︎

This leaflet guides young couples through the complete pregnancy journey, providing developmental information, danger sign recognition, and ANC checklists to encourage joint decision-making and care adherence.

︎Smart Nutrition

The guide delivers clear, accessible guidance on essential nutrition and supplements for healthy pregnancy illustrated in a culturally relevant way.

These tools transformed the conversation around reproductive health from individual burden to shared responsibility, empowering young women while engaging their support networks in ensuring safer pregnancies and continued family planning access.

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Boda Pesa
Scale Up

PROJECT
EXPLORING PRODUCT MARKET FIT FOR BODA PESA’S ROVING AGENT

SECTOR
FINTECH

ORGANISATION
IDEO.ORG

ROLE
LEADING PROJECT | DESIGN RESEARCH | SERVICE DESIGN

LOCATION
NAIROBI

CONTENT COURTESY
IDEO.ORG

PROJECT DURATION
1 MONTH

Exploring product market fit and investigating the relevance of PesaKit’s Boda Pesa roving agent model in peri-urban regions of Kenya. PesaKit is a fintech network agent revolutionizing last-mile access to financial services and digital commerce through mobile money agents.

KEY METHODOLOGIES & TOOLS
+ USER INTERVIEWS
+ JOURNEY MAPS
+ PERSONAS
+ UX/UI APP RECOMMENDATIONS

In the course of this 4 week sprint we focused on conducting user research and answering questions on what parameters such as customer needs, population density & economic vibrancy are needed to make a location successful for Boda Pesa’s roving agent model.

We set out to better understand the conditions & criteria that might indicate which new regions are most ready for scaling the Boda Pesa model.

01 | Peri-urban location Research

We carried out research in 4 peri-urban regions allowing us to collect valuable insights and leaving us with additional questions that would be crucial for continued exploration.

02 | Barriers & Challenges

Some key barriers and challenges that users & agents encountered along their user journey centered around trust, safety, security & accessibility.

03 | Persona types

Across different regional contexts, we identified 3 different types of agents necessary for the sucess of Boda Pesa.

04 | Design Recommendations

We created a set of rubrics to guide PesaKit towards the types of agents and locations that would make Boda Pesa successful...

....and designed experiments that would help further investigate how to tackle key issues for agents and users of Boda Pesa centered around incentives, willingness to pay and safety & security concerns.

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Scaling
Artisan
Production
at LYNK

At LYNK, a social enterprise connecting informal sector workers to employment opportunities, the challenge was transforming highly customized furniture pieces into scalable products without losing artisanal value.

KEY METHODOLOGIES & TOOLS
DESIGN STRATEGY +
USER INTERVIEWS +
PRODUCT DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT

PROJECT
SCALING ARTISAN PRODUCTION

SECTOR
SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

ORGANISATION
LYNK

ROLE
DESIGN STRATEGY | PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT | VISUAL DESIGN UX/UI

DURATION
1 YEAR, 2 MONTHS

The existing model of bespoke furniture showcased craftsman skill but created bottlenecks in production, transportation, and inventory management

. The solution required balancing standardization with customization—maintaining personalization while enabling efficient production.

Evaluating skillsets

Through systematic evaluation of carpenter skillsets and customer demand patterns, distinct "furniture families" emerged that leveraged specific craftsman competencies. Collaborative design sessions with carpenters produced modular furniture systems that assembled through simple slotting mechanisms and flat-packed for efficient transport

Streamlining customer journey

Customers retained customization through mix-and-match components while production became predictable and scalable. Implementation included integrating furniture galleries into carpenter profiles, streamlining the customer journey and ultimately increasing sales through standardized yet customizable offerings that preserved the platform's artisanal identity.