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Dalili App

Empowering Syrian Refugees
in Lebanon

🤙 Through emojis 😎

How emojis and icons helped us creating an app that helped Syrian refugees optimize their resources and increase their purchasing power by 20%

The Challenge for World Food Programme

Supporting Resilience

in lebanon

In 2017, the World Food Programme (WFP) aimed to enhance the living conditions of Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Refugees were provided with a daily allowance of 28 USD, preloaded onto Mastercard debit cards issued to heads of households, to purchase basic necessities.

Our task? To help them stretch their resources further and improve their quality of life.

WFP Logo
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Initial Hypothesis

A Simple Price Comparison Tool

But real-life challenges told a different story.

We initially assumed that creating an app to compare prices across different stores would be enough to maximize refugees’ purchasing power.

Validating Assumptions

Listening and Learning

Through interviews, usability testing, and conversations, we uncovered critical insights

Smartphone

Smartphones?

wireless data

Do they have data?

emoji

Can they read?

How do they shop?

What we did

to validate initial assumptions

Workshop verbatims

Cultural Mediator as Facilitator

Emoji for their mood

RTL Paper Prototyping

The challenge of RTL Prototyping

Benchmark testing

Benchmark Usability Testing

Workshop's in session

Beneficiary Debit
Cards Experience

Cluestering e AS-IS Mapping

AS-IS Mapping Opportunities

Prototyping To-Be Product

RTL Prototyping with Material Design

Usability Testing on Prototype

Prototype Usability Testing and Interviews

Usability Testing

Prototype Usability Testing and Interviews

Happy rewards

Happy faces after usability testing

Smartphone

Do they have smartphones?

They had mostly Android devices, they used that to communicate for their family members in other camps.

doubtful

Literacy?

Not all beneficiaries could read fluently, but they recognized icons and emojis, especially when their children showed them how audio messages worked.

Cibo

Shopping Habits

Many took taxis to compare prices between stores, often spending more on transportation than they saved on groceries.

The Discovery

It’s About More Than Just Prices

We realized the app needed to optimize not just price comparisons, but the balance between cost and convenience.

Refugees needed a tool to minimize trips, reduce taxi expenses, and make smarter purchasing decisions overall.

Designing for Impact

Here’s how we adapted the app to truly meet user needs:

Cultural Empathy

Cost Effectiveness

Rapid Prototyping

Hi-Fi at the end of the process

The result?

Real Impact, Real Stories

🔍 Insights Unlocked:

20% of purchasing power was affected by transportation costs.

Emojis became a bridge for communication, especially for non-literate users.

💡 Outcomes Delivered:

A tailored solution that saved time and money for refugees.

An app that truly empowered users by addressing their daily realities.

Do you like what you see?

I can help

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