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AN INNOVATION CONSULTANCY FOR THE DEVELOPING WORLD
We combine expertise in Design Thinking and Human-Centred Design with robust academic credentials in development theory.
Based in LDCs since 2010, Margin specializes in designing for complex environments and low-resource settings. Our proven innovation methods build interventions that last.
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EXPERIENCE
- Agriculture - Agroforestry - Agro-input supply
- Antenatal care - Child nutrition - Clean water access
- Cocoa - Commercial Forestry - Conservation agriculture
- Cotton - Disability and inclusion - Education
- Energy access - Equity and justice - Farmer Cooperatives
- Farm services - Fish farming - Hand hygiene
- Homestead food production - Horticulture
- Infant nutrition - Land tenure - Low-tech irrigation
- Maize - Maternal nutrition - mHealth - Patient-centred care
- Pesticide management - Plastic waste - Rural entrepreneurship
- Sanitation marketing - Sanitation waste management
- School meals - Sexual reproductive health
- Smallholder marketing - Tea growing - Vocational training
DESIGN SPRINT
USER INSIGHT RESEARCH
INNOVATION PROJECT
INNOVATION CAPACITY
WHO WE ARE
We are a team of seasoned experts in Design and strategic innovation for marginalized populations. Each Designer and Strategist brings at least a decade of experience in strategic innovation and design, along with robust credentials working with vulnerable communities in complex settings. We are a woman-led organization that celebrates diversity in all of its forms.
MARIKO TAKEUCHI
Mariko has 19 years of experience designing programmes, services, products, and systems for NGOs, corporations, development agencies, governments, donors, and universities. She has worked across Africa and Asia on topics spanning agriculture, education, employment, energy, finance, gender, health, livelihoods, markets, SRH, sustainability, and WASH. She holds a MSc. Poverty Alleviation, Policy & Practice.
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Head of Design & CEO
MARIKO
Aylin is a social designer with a passion for generating insights and crafting solutions. She leverages her academic studies in Social Design to tackle systemic social problems
linked to equity, power, and privilege. With expertise in research, strategy development, and service design, Aylin has worked with a range of public and private organizations.
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AYLIN
AYLIN DURMAZ
Director of Impact Amplification + Ecosystem Strengthening
DUNCAN STEVENS
Duncan, is a South African research, UX and design professional with 15 years experience and training in industrial design, visual design and UX. As a co-founder of an open-source bio-design collective, he has led several contextually specific projects in South Africa for marginalised communities and research organisations. Duncan currently lives and works in Cape Town.
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DUNCAN
Director
ESG/Corporate Impact
Gabriel has years of start-up experience in the agri-tech and Software as a Service (SaaS) space. He has worked in East Africa and Asia, designing and testing solutions that deliver services to smallholder farmers and is an expert in utilising design tools to conceptualise, prototype, and implement business ideas, products, and services.
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GABRIEL
GABRIEL BRUECKNER
ESG Lead
& Designer
YANNA VOGIAZOU
Yanna brings 14+ years of design research & HCD experience, drawing from tech start-ups, academic research, innovation labs in multinationals, and INGOs. She has consulted a range of clients, including Rainforest Alliance, IRC and MSF on climate change resilience, agriculture, healthcare, conservation and behavior change projects. She holds a PhD in human-computer interaction from the Open University, UK.
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Design Lead
YANNA
ABDUL SEMAKULA
As former co-founder of a web agency serving over 1,500 SME customers in UAE and Europe, Abdul has consulted on web/software projects for government, INGOs, and corporations in Uganda. After questioning his role in the digital space, he has spent the last 4 years working in social innovation and is focused on applying design and systems thinking for social and environmental initiatives.
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ABDUL
Innovation &
Learning Manager
ZAHRA KASSAM
Zahra has 15 years of experience in innovation strategy and design. She has worked with INGOs, the private sector, foundations, academic institutions, development agencies and social entrepreneurs. She has worked in South-East Asia and across Africa on various sectors such as Public Health, Food Security, Climate Change and Education.
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ZAHRA
Designer
GUNES KOCABAG
Gunes is an anthropologist/designer with 14 years of global experience designing human-centred solutions and capacity building in complex stakeholder environments. She has worked with companies, governments, funders, and I/NGOs in humanitarian and development spaces on topics covering healthcare, disability, GBV, financial inclusion, entrepreneurship, HR, climate adaptation among others.
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GUNES
Research/Design Lead
Tulika Jain grew up in India and has first-hand experience working with youth from underprivileged communities in the areas of life skills, sexual health, and digital literacy. She has over 5 years of experience in design strategy, research, and data analysis across global Not-for-Profit, financial services, startups, and social enterprises in Australia, Canada, and India.
TULIKA
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TULIKA JAIN
Design &
Operations Associate
Madeleine is a designer and implementer with 12 years of experience designing, deploying, and evaluating health communications, products, and services that meet the needs of diverse audiences in Africa and Asia. She has worked with governments, companies, INGOs, and funders on various health topics including SRHR, HIV/AIDS, VMMC, Menstrual Health, and infant and child health.
MADELEINE
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MADELEINE MOORE
Design Lead &
Strategic Advisor
Nick is a community-centered design director and innovation strategist. His 10+ years of design experience spans across healthcare, banking, social impact, behavioral health, education, social service, insurance, as well as tech sectors. He has worked alongside corporations, INGO’s, non-profits, government, startups, foundations, and academic institutions.
NICK
NICK CHAN
Inclusive
Innovation Strategist
PRITHIKA MOHAN
Prithika brings in experience from behavioral science, product and industrial design, spanning Silicon Valley start-ups to universities, businesses and philanthropic organizations in the Global South. She utilizes systems-design, behaviourally-informed theories and intersectional approaches to design product, programs & strategies, focusing on gender, health & climate.
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PRITHIKA
Co-Director of Development
& Director of Operations
Bizhou is an architect turned researcher with over a decade of experience working on design, cultural insights, and innovation projects with multinational corporations and development organizations. She has worked on four continents with an extensive focus on Asia on topics spanning from spaces, sustainability, food behaviors, and clean cooking.
BIZHOU
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BIZHOU WANG
ESG & Cultural Lead
WHAT CLIENTS SAY
"Highly recommend to anybody thinking about exploring HCD methodology in their work - particularly in a development context."