Plan International
B2B • 2018
Public Sector
Progressive Web App • MVP Pilot
An open-source global solution for civil registration
An estimated 1.1 billion people globally lack official proof of identity, with 40% of them being children. Without ID, these people are often denied access to essential services and face greater risks, such as trafficking and abuse.
Plan International (NGO) identified inadequate civil registration as a key issue contributing to these humanitarian problems and sought a scalable solution.
Early stage sketches of the user experience made during our first trip to Bangladesh.
Approach and impact
In 2018, I joined a global team from Plan International and Futurice to design and build an open-source Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) system, OpenCRVS, aimed at addressing these challenges. Over six months, we focused on delivering an MVP for a pilot in Bangladesh.
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Human-centered design was crucial to our approach, ensuring the product could scale to different countries. I collaborated closely with a Design Lead and a research team in Bangladesh to understand local civil registration processes.
We worked with developers to create a design system with high accessibility standards, ensuring both the design and code laid the groundwork for a globally inclusive product.
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We did two trips to Bangladesh – on the first one we ran workshops with government officials and local stakeholders, gaining valuable insights and securing their buy-in. During our second trip, we tested a working prototype in a remote area, allowing health workers to register births. In-person usability testing enabled us to iterate quickly, refining both the user experience and the design system.
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By the end of 2018, we had built an end-to-end platform where health workers could register a birth via mobile. This success helped Plan secure government support for piloting OpenCRVS in rural Bangladesh and later on in other developing countries.
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For the full case study, feel free to reach out at isa.jokela.gomes@gmail.com
Health workers using our first prototype to register a birth in a rural area.
Above – Main steps in the user journey of a mobile health worker registering a birth.
Below - A snapshot of the design system with AAA accessibility standards.
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