Kenya
Don is a product and design research leader passionate about designing for inclusion and elevating people’s everyday lives. With over 9 years of experience leading human-centered work across fintech, agriculture, public health, and education, Don brings a unique blend of strategy, empathy, and execution. At IDEO.org, he helped shape transformative programs for girls’ health, smallholder farming, and child education across multiple African countries. Following his transition into fintech, Don has led product strategy and innovation for B2B and consumer lending solutions—translating deep user insights into scalable financial products across Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, and Tanzania. In parallel, he founded 1700 Coffee, a storytelling venture dedicated to capturing the untold journeys of East African coffee—visiting farms, documenting producers’ stories, and connecting global consumers to the people and processes behind their cup. Don’s work converges at the intersection of human behavior, systems thinking, and cultural depth. Whether designing new products, crafting narratives, or shaping strategy with partners, he believes in building with people—not just for them. He is open to collaboration on bold, insight-driven ideas that blend design, innovation, and impact—especially in emerging markets.
As Product Research Lead at Ello, I spearhead research and strategy for a learning app designed for early learners in emerging markets. My role bridges design research, product development, and growth, ensuring the product is rooted in the realities of diverse users while meeting global learning standards.
1700 Coffee is a passion-driven project rooted in storytelling, transparency, and appreciation for coffee in Africa and beyond. As the founder, I’ve been building a platform that connects consumers to the origin, people, and process behind every cup. My work spans from farm visits to curated brews, all aimed at elevating the coffee experience. Key Responsibilities & Contributions: - Farm & Exporter Engagement: Visited multiple coffee farms and exporters across East Africa to engage directly with producers and better understand growing practices, challenges, and innovations at origin. - Producer Storytelling: Captured and shared intricate coffee journeys through photography, video, and narrative content to honor the labor and craft behind each bean. - Coffee Quality Understanding: Deepened my knowledge of what “good” looks like in specialty coffee—across varieties, processing methods, and cup profiles—and translated this into consumer-friendly language. - Brewing & Reviews: Brewed and reviewed coffees from Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Uganda, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Colombia, highlighting unique tasting notes, brand experiences, and preparation methods. - Consumer Education: Built content that demystifies specialty coffee and empowers consumers to better appreciate quality, origin stories, and ethical sourcing.
At Kuunda, I led research initiatives to drive product growth and expansion for our digital lending solutions across emerging markets. My work focused on understanding user needs, improving product-market fit, and scaling adoption in key markets. - Conducted in-depth research on existing lending products to identify growth opportunities and inform strategic market expansion. - Recommended and supported the implementation of tactical strategies in Uganda, Malawi, and Tanzania—leading to a 5-10% increase in new user adoption. - Led the growth strategy and execution for a key lending product in Tanzania, which will result in increased product adoption and customer acquisition for Q1 and Q2, 2025. - Used research-driven insights to inform product strategies and tailor acquisition efforts for diverse and underserved markets. - Developed and implemented a research operations strategy, enabling in-country teams to independently lead contextual research and systematically document learnings. - Established an accessible taxonomy and file system using industry best practices to streamline research documentation and knowledge sharing.
After a fulfilling chapter at IDEO.org, I took a brief but intentional career break to reflect on my journey and the impact I’ve made across health, agriculture, and education sectors. During this period, I: - Supported fundraising proposal development for major agricultural projects in Uganda, partnering with government agencies across five key value chains. - Founded 1700 Coffee, a personal passion project aimed at connecting East African coffee producers with global markets, while telling rich, authentic coffee stories from the region. - Transitioned into the fintech sector in Sub-saharan Africa, applying my design research and product strategy expertise to drive inclusive financial products across African markets. This time allowed me to recharge, realign, and build a new chapter rooted in purpose, innovation, and growth.