CASE STUDY

Dalili App for WFP

Empowering Syrian Refugees in Lebanon

Executive summary

The challenge: Syrian refugee families in Lebanon were receiving just $28 per person each month via reloadable Mastercard debit cards, yet lacked tools to make the most of it.
The strategic solution: We transformed the idea of a price-comparison app into a geo-optimized shopping tool that minimized travel, not just costs.
Key results: The app, later named Dalili, helped reduce transportation expenses by up to 20%, extended purchasing power, and was officially adopted by the World Food Programme.

Context & Strategic Challenge

In 2017, the World Food Programme (WFP) initiated a program to support Syrian refugees living in Lebanese camps. Each family member received 28 USD per month via a prepaid Mastercard, usable at selected local shops.

Initial hypothesis: A price-comparison app could help beneficiaries save money by identifying the cheapest prices across different stores.

Emerging problem: Early guerrilla testing using WhatsApp flyers showed that most users responded with emojis—not text—raising usability red flags.

Approach & Methodology

reframed the challenge, working on-field

We employed user-centered design, engaging our target audience directly for authentic insights and rapid iteration. Activities included on-site usability testing with local interpreters in refugee camps, and ice-breaking/task-based interviews. We continuously prototyped, using low- and high-fidelity Android-first designs with Material Design principles across two distinct user group loops. We also conducted Customer Journey Mapping with WFP for operational alignment and prioritized deep cultural and linguistic accessibility.

On-site usability testing in refugee camps (with local interpreters)

Low - and high-fidelity prototyping (Material Design, Android-first)

Ice-breaking and task-based interviews to understand user behaviors

Customer Journey Mapping workshops with the WFP team

Deep cultural and linguistic accessibility considerations

On-field Research

AS-IS Journey Map

Lean Prototyping & Testing

UX Recommendations

OUTCOMES & IMPACT

One of the most impactful projects I'VE ever led

App officially developed and launched by the World Food Programme under the name Dalili

Up to 20% savings by reducing transportation costs, not just item prices

Smartphone-first, accessible even with limited data plans

Shift from transactional UX to strategic empowerment

Key Learnings

Human-centered design isn’t just empathy—it’s economic leverage

Human-centered design offers economic leverage by addressing the needs of a target population, like Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Solutions crafted around human experience are effective, sustainable, and scalable, fostering self-sufficiency, economic participation, and societal resilience.

In low-literacy contexts, emojis and voice become functional UX languages

For communities with limited literacy, emojis and voice are highly functional UX languages, overcoming text-based UI barriers. Emojis offer a universal visual lexicon for quick understanding and navigation, transcending language and literacy. Voice interfaces provide an auditory alternative for interaction and information access. Integrating both creates an inclusive experience, empowering diverse users.

Co-design with affected communities leads to completely different solutions than assumed

Co-designing with affected communities creates effective, sustainable solutions by integrating diverse perspectives and lived experiences. This empathetic, iterative process empowers communities to define problems and refine ideas, fostering ownership, relevance, and adaptability. Solutions emerge organically from collective intelligence, leading to impactful and equitable results.

Strategic UX can transform humanitarian aid from survival support to agency-enabling systems

Strategic UX design can transform humanitarian aid from dependency-fostering immediate support to agency-enabling systems. This involves empowering individuals and communities with tools and information for self-reliance and sustainable futures, through intuitive, accessible, and culturally sensitive interfaces that promote participation and resilience.

“We weren’t designing to buy bigger TVs cheaper.
We were designing to stretch dignity across 28 dollars.”

Inspired?

Are you working on projects that involve vulnerable communities or high-impact public services?

Let’s talk about how strategic design can uncover better questions—and build truly useful tools.