Design

I led an exploratory study with Think of Us to examine institutional placements in the US foster care system, using interviews and cultural probes to center young people’s lived experiences. This research aimed to influence policy design, contributing to a Supreme Court amicus brief, a Senate investigation, and the passing of national legislation.

As senior researcher, I helped conduct field research on Myanmar’s sesame ecosystem, commissioned by social enterprise Proximity Designs. Our team studied sesame farming, processing, distribution, and export to identify unmet smallholder needs and inform the design of farmer-centered agronomy, financing, and other products and services.

I conducted evaluative research on education tools and trainings used by the International Rescue Committee in its Lebanon’s refugee displacement response. As a consultant, I led usability assessment with teachers and field staff to strengthen the design and implementation of IRC’s Healing Classrooms and inform education-in-emergencies programs.

I evaluated the customer experience and product offerings of Haiti’s largest microfinance institution. As lead design researcher, I conducted field interviews, reviewed internal materials, and facilitated team workshops, in both French and English. The research aimed to identify opportunities to guide service improvements and the design of new offerings.

As part of a Population Services International reproductive health project in Niger, I led design research, prototyping, and service design activities engaging young people, healthcare providers, and community leaders. This led to the creation, piloting, and implementation of Sarari, a program increasing community support for birth spacing and family planning.

I led a design team partnering with non-profit Democracy Works to improve the first-time voter experience for youth in the US. Using a hybrid exploratory, evaluative, and comparative research approach, our team uncovered drivers of youth participation and trust. These insights led to design iterations for Democracy Works’s flagship product TurboVote.

As part of a project with the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana, I produced youth-centered design prototypes that were field-tested with adolescent girls in Accra. The project led to the design of Girl Boss, an outreach and support program helping adolescent girls access accurate reproductive health information and safe abortion services.

I helped envision Sahel Shake, a reimagined Android OS experience for women in resource-constrained contexts. Initially the winner of the GSMA mWomen Design Challenge, the concept was later tested by telecommunications provider Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison in Indonesia, and adapted to the Indonesian context before being implemented.

As design manager for Mahali Lab in Jordan, I developed processes to tackle long-term refugee displacement through co-creation and idea incubation. I facilitated large-scale community consultations in Arabic, framed areas of focus, and trained Lab participants, ultimately supporting affected communities in identifying and implementing solutions while building local capacity.

I supported the International Domestic Workers Federation’s sustainability team, facilitating its exploration of revenue generation strategies for its affiliates and the global domestic worker movement. For two years, I facilitated convenings, conducted a global affiliate survey in English, French, and Spanish, and served as an extended member of their team.

As a consultant with USAID-funded consortium Breakthrough ACTION, I designed and facilitated participatory workshops in French with health care providers, community relays, and representatives of Guinea’s health system at the prefectural level, with the aim of establishing avenues for collaboration and communication between community health actors.

I co-facilitated a hands-on training for young activists from Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia, helping them apply design-inspired approaches to projects at the intersection of LGBTQIA and Roma communities. Through hands-on sessions simultaneously translated and held in Croatia, I guided the cohort of fellows in developing their projects.