Achieve social impact that scales

We are a design partner for the social sector. We help organizations design programs, services, and tools that work because they are human-centered.

Good intentions don’t always lead to good outcomes.

“We wanted to reduce teenage pregnancies, but after the campaign, teenage pregnancies increased instead.”

“We have a policy for reporting harassment, but our staff don’t use it and harassment is still ongoing.”

“We’ve conducted a whole week of training on play-based learning, but teachers are still lecturing at the chalkboard.”

“People aren’t coming unless we give them compensation. We can’t get people to care about gender-based violence.”

We’re here to change that.

An Ethiopian man demonstrates a childhood game on the ground with small stones and chalk

We partner with the social sector to design with, rather than for, people.

Because that’s when we see good, long-lasting outcomes.

Let’s work together

  • Are you solving a pressing problem that is affecting people’s lives or affecting your organization’s ability to have more impact?

    We can help you design a program, service, or tool that is desirable, effective, feasible, and scalable from the start.

    The result? Something that you can launch with confidence that will be innovative and groundbreaking too.

  • Is your impact lower than expected? Are you having challenges with participation, quality, usage, or unintended consequences?

    We can help you uncover areas to improve and re-invest the data to make tangible changes to the program or service.

    The result? The solution has a new life with proven impact and effectiveness, and is ready for the next step to scale.

  • Are you taking an existing program, service, or tool to a new place, a new group of people, or a new circumstance (eg. emergency or pandemic)?

    We can help you make sure the solution is molded to meet the different needs of people and complexities of the new context without losing its core components.

    The result? The solution is able to replicate the expected impact, and more.

  • Are ready to scale a program, service, or tool nationally or globally? Congrats!

    We can help you figure out how to adapt to the needs and preferences of a wider population and how to operationally and financially run the solution at scale without losing the quality of implementation.

    The result? The solution makes both wide and deep impact and begins to have a life on its own.

  • Are you a learning organization or individual who solves problems that affect people’s lives?

    We can help you gain skillsets and mindsets that will equip you to effectively solve problems while putting the people who are impacted at the center.

    The result? You unlock growth by becoming innovative and human-centered.

A Ugandan faith leader writes his feedback on a sticky not, attached to a wall of paper prototypes

What partnership looks like

1

We develop a strategy and a roadmap

2

We provide customized tools and support

3

You achieve your mission and are set up for more impact

We’ve helped our partners…

✓ Boost participant attendance and engagement

✓ Convert evidence and policy into behaviours

✓ Transform data into tangible ideas

✓ Improve implementation quality at scale

✓ Achieve proven, sustained impact

✓ Unlock funding for growth and scale

  • Justina introduced me to what human-centered design means and how powerful it can be. In each of the projects we worked on together, she helped us understand our users, and she translated our highly technical content into beautiful, engaging, and understandable formats that really worked. But it wasn’t just technical skill that was top notch - she brought her passion to the project, made the process feel empowering to everyone, and helped us gracefully navigate the challenges that we encountered along the way. Little Fish is my preferred design partner every time.

    Sara Rowbottom, International Rescue Committee

  • It’s like there was a scan to get what was most meaningful and needed for the generation.

    Christopher, Pastor & program participant

  • Justina is a supremely talented graphic designer and user-centered designer. She grasped effortlessly what the project needed and came up with fitting design proposals. Working with her was also fun, thanks to her enthusiasm and positive energy. I highly recommend Little Fish for any project that requires creative and user-centered design!

    Ilse Van Der Straeten, Protection Pathways

  • Your approach is the best because we are living with these children, we are staying with these teachers, and I think that if there is project the last beneficiary must own it. If the last beneficiary owns this project, the project can last for long. Many projects die at this school because the approach that people use is not like this one.

    Refugee settlement teacher & program participant

  • I have learnt that it's great to involve caregivers, teachers and other participants in the design process of activities to be tested. It brings sense of ownership and self confidence in them.

    Cathy Acam, International Rescue Committee

Ready to do great things?

Our latest thoughts and ideas

Featured
How can we make toolkits better?
How can we make toolkits better?

There is a good demand out there for better-designed organization toolkits. On some of the projects I encounter, clients request for support on making the toolkits more user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing. If I’m being truly honest, I often wonder, “Will anyone use this?”

Read More →
Does design really solve a problem?
Design tips
Does design really solve a problem?
Design tips

A colleague of mine was unclear about the value of conducting a little research and design for an existing intervention. “What is there to change?” she asked. “It looks and works great already.”

Read More →
Design tips
How can we do social impact better in 2024?
Design tips
How can we do social impact better in 2024?
Design tips

Are you looking make change as you make change? Here are our ins and outs for 2024 for more sustainable and empowering impact.

Read More →
Design tips