Pulse Active Savings

Pulse is a unique way for families in the developing world to create commitment savings for core household needs.

THE CHALLENGE

Judge if Pulse Active Savings can help urban slum dwellers access nutritious food on a more consistent basis. I was part of a multidisciplinary team of five that ran a six-weeks pilot projects in Ahmedabad, India.

The team coordinated with community outreach in the US, Italy, India and Canada on a special fundraising campaign with a goal of 10.000$ in a month.

MY ROLE:

  • User Research
  • Rapid Prototyping
  • Content Creator — Pulse official WordPress blog

Read my post on the OpenIDEO community:

The power of community – Women together for a change

THE DESIGN PROCESS

INSPIRATION – RESEARCH

During the inspiration phase, our goal was to get to know potential users in their environment through research methodologies while building trust with them.

TOOLS:
  • Onsite interviews with slum dwellers
  • Onsite interviews with local NGOs and local financial experts
  • Observation and report of women’s habits in their households
  • Google Docs & Power Point – Findings from the interviews
  • WordPress – Engage stakeholders through the Pulse blog

IDEATION

From the research findings:

  • we developed three prototypes for depositing money
  • we developed three prototype three prototypes for spending money

We presented the prototypes in front of 30+ women. Based on their input we simulated a user experience to have their feedback.

TOOLS:
  • Rapid Prototyping
  • Google Docs & PowerPoint
  • Skit
  • Visual Design

IMPLEMENTATION

We launched Pulse adapting the product to community feedbacks and needs. Pulse users saved on average INR 12 per day.

More about Pulse