Delivering a practical, hands-on training in user-centered innovation

Since its inception in 2005, Financial Sector Deepening Trust (FSDT) in Tanzania has produced high-quality research on financial inclusion for private and public sector providers. FSDT felt there was an opportunity to help industry providers “translate” many of its research findings into actual financial products and business opportunities. They decided to create a new 3-day training program called “FinDisrupt” for its members and asked Digital Disruptions to design the agenda and lead the sessions.

Approach & Outcome

After designing the agenda in close collaboration with the FSDT team, Digital Disruptions identified the ideal participant profile. FSDT then invited over 30 participants from banks, microfinance institutions, mobile network operators, and fintech start-ups.

Over three days, Digital Disruptions provided training on various aspects of Design Thinking and Lean Start-Up. Taking a “learn by doing” approach, participants interviewed nearby villagers about their savings habits and received feedback on their subsequent prototypes. To emphasize the financial viability of their idea, the teams also sketched out business models for their new ideas and pitched them to their peers.  Participants felt that that the training was exciting and intense; crucially, it provided a hands-on way for them to learn essential concepts in taking both a human-centered and business approach when designing financial products.