At Quicksand, I worked as an Associate Design Researcher, a role that sits at the intersection of research, design, and strategy. My work focused on understanding how people experience systems — from humanitarian responses to organisational workflows — and translating those insights into meaningful design directions.

What Design Research Means to Me

As a design researcher, I try to understand how people actually live, navigate systems, make decisions, and experience the world. I use interviews, fieldwork, observations, and co-design sessions to uncover the needs, barriers, emotions, and power dynamics that shape real-life experiences. My goal is to move beyond assumptions, listen closely, and make complexity legible so that design decisions are informed, grounded.

What I Did

As a design researcher & service designer, my work begins with listening and understanding. I try to see how people actually live, work, and move through systems — whether it’s humanitarian aid, organisational processes, or service delivery contexts. Through interviews, observations, workshops, and participatory sessions, I uncover real human needs, pain-points, and systemic patterns.

Then, I use those insights to co-create solutions — not just objects, but services, workflows, and strategies. Service design means thinking through all touchpoints: users (people), institutions, policies, interactions. The goal is to make services and systems more humane, inclusive, and effective.

Key Work & Contributions

1. Designing for Feminist Humanitarian Futures
Collaborated with humanitarian experts and practitioners to explore how feminist approaches could reshape responses to crises and forced displacement.

• Conducted qualitative research and expert interviews

• Mapped systemic challenges and power dynamics

• Helped develop a Theory of Change that articulated pathways for more equitable, feminist-led humanitarian action
  This work supported the Women’s Refugee Commission in envisioning alternative futures for humanitarian practice.

2. Designing for Organisational Collaboration (Asian Development Bank)
Worked closely with internal teams to understand barriers to knowledge-sharing and cross-department collaboration.

• Led user interviews and mapped employee journeys

• Identified friction points across organizational workflows

• Co-created service improvements and collaboration models
  The outcomes informed ADB’s efforts to strengthen internal learning, communication, and cross-team cohesion.

These projects shaped my early interest in designing for social impact, organisational systems, and equitable futures, and formed the foundation for the research-driven design practice I continue today.