#TechForGood Series, Innovation and inclusive Human-centered design

In this week’s #Techforgood series, Sarah McRae, a great enthusiast of #FinTech and inclusive technologies, shares with us her experience, learnings, and insights from her work in different contexts. Sarah is an Innovation professor at Parsons School of Design - The New School in Paris and team lead for digital solutions for the pyramid base.

Read our interview with valuable insights on tech for good digital products, her experience in Madagascar with the first 100% digital nano loan, and savings - backed by algorithms and using USSD technology and mobile money in the country! Living through the transition from analog to digital. Her field knowledge building products with the user at the heart of the digital solutions, the need for a balance between data and human interaction to get the complete picture of a digital product, and how the democratization of access to education can completely change the lives of millions living in vulnerable conditions!  

#WomeninTech #inclusivegrowth #Tech4Good #FinTech #innovation

“Keeping the user at the center is a constant mental exercise. When you're managing a tech product or a tech-based project, you have a lot of stakeholders and voices to consider. (…) As much as I am someone who loves to explore how we can use these new innovations, be it blockchain, AI, crypto, etc., I need to keep myself in check and ensure that using this technology is a response to the needs signaled by the users, and not being pushed for other reasons. Tech should be at the service of innovation, not its driver.” Sarah McRae

 N:      Thank you, Sarah, for taking the time to speak with me this afternoon! Let's start with how you started in this world of technology and inclusive growth?

S:       Thanks for the invitation, Nelly! My relationship with the tech sector, and more importantly, tech for good, began when I lived in Ottawa, Canada. I was working for a tech incubator leading sales and training founders. I soon found out sales were not my passion, but business model design and training others really got my heart racing.

However, my big jump into tech for good happened in 2015 when I had the opportunity to move to Madagascar to work for a microfinance bank, the Premiere Agence de Microfinance. When I first arrived in Madagascar, fintech was non-existent in the microfinance sector. I was fortunate enough to join a team that had the mission to create the first 100% digital nano loan and savings - backed by algorithms and using USSD technology and mobile money. As this technology was entirely new to the sector, we worked a lot with the central bank telecoms and updated our system to ensure it was possible and secure. It may have been a new product and delivery channel for our bank. Still, it led to a complete transformation of not just the organization but also the Malagasy microfinance sector.

From Madagascar, I moved on to Paris, where I worked for several years on migrant-led innovation in Europe with PLACE Network. Through immersive workshops, online curriculums, and co-created university programs, our overarching goal was to demonstrate the opportunity for innovation and growth that newcomers bring to host societies. My angle within the organization was on talent for the tech sector and building resilient talent for the future of work.

I now balance my time between multiple tech for good projects that tackle data democracy (with Fundación Capital) and financial inclusion (with FinFun) and teaching innovation at Parsons University here in Paris.

As I said, it hasn’t been the most linear process, but there is a common thread. Be it through a tech product, a program, or a classroom setting, my passion is to create tools, ecosystems, and opportunities for economic empowerment so that everyone can, in their turn, innovate for a better world.

N:      You seem to have a passion for making the shift from analog to digital! What have you seen happen that inspired you? What kind of things have you seen on the ground that you said, "Wow, this could really change lives"?

S:       It is more what happens in the absence of digital tools that has really stuck with me. Taking an example from the microfinance sector, with an entirely analog loan process, especially in remote rural areas, accessing a loan takes an entire day of someone's time - if not more.

For someone to have to take a day off work to travel to the bank (meaning they lose an entire day of income), to then wait through a lengthy process, and have the risk of losing documentation because it's all analog - it puts already vulnerable users more at risk because you're essentially asking them to lose money in order to access financial products and services. How can you expect someone to say, "OK, yeah, I see value in putting my money into a bank and taking loans and having financial services”? How can you really expect someone to say, "I see value in doing that" if they have to lose time and money in order to make that happen?

My experience in Madagascar really stuck with me and left me with a value system I apply to all projects I manage - be it for fintech, EdTech, or worktech. The service provider’s responsibility is to make a compelling offer for their users, not for users to adapt to ineffective processes.

N:      Much is said about this human-centered design and putting the user at the center; I sense that placing the user at the center is fundamental to building trust. And I'm wondering, how do you go about this? What kind of methodologies do you use to learn and put the user at the center?

S:       Keeping the user at the center is a constant mental exercise. When you're managing a tech product or a tech-based project, you have a lot of stakeholders and voices to consider. You have your users, colleagues, and investors, but you also take much inspiration from your network.

The most important is the first - the user. And keeping the user at the center means you must balance the other voices. Let me explain. When you're within an organization, your product has likely been pre-emptively designed through either a product roadmap, a project proposal, or was influenced through executive decisions. If the product vision was created before direct interaction with the end-users, there is a real risk; it does not directly respond to their needs, making the product weaker over time. Don’t get me wrong; this pre-design stage is essential to give the product a vision and to have buy-in on all levels. Still, the flexibility to pivot according to users’ needs must be built early on into the product development process

There is often a strong desire to experiment with and include new innovative technology when developing a new product in the tech world. As much as I am someone who loves to explore how we can use these new innovations, be it blockchain, AI, crypto, etc., I need to keep myself in check and ensure that using this technology is a response to the needs signaled by the users, and not being pushed for other reasons. Tech should be at the service of innovation, not its driver.

N:      How do you get those signals? How do you actually get that feedback from the user?

S:       You need a mix between data and honest interactions with your users. Data is fantastic. Today, we are able to learn a wealth of insights about our users that we were not able to know prior to this incredible access to data points and data analytics. However, one thing that is difficult with data is that you don't get the whole story. You miss out on serendipitous moments and random discoveries that, from my point of view, are only possible through in-person interaction and not through a query-based data analysis. This type of interaction can really be a game-changer for your product.

In short, you need a balance of both. Data is essential for finding trends and understanding your users from a macro level. Still, real human interaction - be it through focus groups, observation, prototyping, etc. - is essential for making a more personal and human experience with your product.

N:      This is super useful. And to finish off Sarah, what are you excited about in the tech-for-good sector, and what would you recommend for all technologists out there who are looking for ways in which technology can be put at the service of those most vulnerable in the world?

S:       Good question; there is a lot I am excited about. Over the past year, I have been thrilled to see the push to make EdTech more human-centered, something that was dearly missing at the beginning of and before the pandemic. The democratization of access to education and technical skill training is huge, and it's happening in many ways. You have people who can access full university degrees while living in a precarious situation. As long as they have access to the internet, these are no longer lost years - learners of all ages are caring. There is still much to be done, but it is a sector that gives me much hope.

On the other hand, something I would like to see pushed forward in the world of technology is the conversation around algorithms and making people aware of the role algorithms play in their lives. Especially with younger generations who have only known newsfeeds, not newspapers, and people with limited digital literacy levels. And I think it's essential for people to understand the algorithms behind the content they see, the content they consume, and how that impacts their ideas.

Thank you, Sarah!

If you want to continue the conversation with Sarah, you can find her at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-mcrae-59525756/ 🚀