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Studying the Financial Agency of Low-income Women in Pakistan
Creating gender-inclusive digital finance by addressing women's barriers in cash-in/cash-out process.
The Challenge
Our goal was to create gender-inclusive digital financial services by understanding and addressing the barriers that women encounter in accessing such services. While achieving more empathetic and inclusive services is a multifaceted journey, our focus for this project was specifically on the cash-in and cash-out process within the mobile money ecosystem.
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We can't thank Ideate enough for their partnership and friendship throughout this project. We are so lucky to work with such incredible people! Our time in Pakistan has been amazing in every way, thanks to them. Can't wait to continue working together, and until we meet again!
The Work
To tackle this challenge, we adapted field tools from similar projects in other countries to suit our context in Pakistan. These tools were then deployed in peri-urban and rural areas, where we engaged with over 55 users and mobile money agents.
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Our research began with open-ended inquiries into financial behaviors, allowing us to gain deeper insights into the needs and challenges faced by women. Subsequently, we tested various concepts aimed at simplifying access to financial services, building upon our initial findings.
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The Outcome
We evaluated the potential impact of each concept by assessing how well it aligned with the lives of different users. Mobility maps were also developed to visualize where each concept could be implemented effectively. Furthermore, we assessed all opportunities through a gender lens, categorizing them as gender negative, gender neutral, or gender transformative.
Finally, we compiled our findings, including insights, opportunities, journey maps, and other artifacts, into a comprehensive report, which was presented to our partners for further action and consideration.
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Client
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Services Offered
Service Design Research & Strategy Business Innovation