ENABLING FINANCIAL EDUCATION

First, the research phase.

Not always do we get friendly and eager clients, but this was a beautiful collaboration. Our journey with El Buen Socio began with a comprehensive understanding phase. First, reviewing their current work and challenges where a blueprint session came in really handy to understand their back-end pains and improvement opportunities. Later, interviews with leadership, experienced rural trainers, and of course, the target population in rural areas (which was a logistical challenge). An honest impression: we were mesmerized by the human quality of both administration staff and trainers, which made this a truly fulfilling project. 

In parallel, we ran a desk research on the population’s context and a benchmark exercise on rural learning techniques such as the ”From Farmer to Farmer" Training Methodology, which set the stage for an empathetic approach. 

Gathering all this data, we moved to the synthesizing process. Here we identified, for example,  that one of their most relevant barriers was that their beautifully designed program materials were developed in Adobe Suite so, since they are not designers, they weren’t able to update them! Another key discovery was that they are great at implementing in-person programs, but didn’t have the skills, knowledge, or tools to prepare an engaging digital training.   

The design phase.

Together, we set the goal of developing 6 artifacts that would enhance their capabilities to systematically develop and deliver current and new training programs and courses. Both in person and digital. 

In search of an easier and more engaging way of communicating the design journey and the use of the different tools we developed for them, we chose a methafore: Baking trainings. From ideating and determining the content to preparing for the delivery and the later follow-up.