Krista Donaldson | D-Rev
Fellows work to maximize the impact of their ideas through design. They work through a systematic process driven by the five elements of scalability: real impact, big bang for the buck, lasting behavior change, easy replication, and the right path to scale. Fellows participate in the program for two years, working through several design iterations.
THE IDEA: D-Rev
Design and deliver state-of-the-art products that change the lives of the poor: combine the best product design with the most effective ways to reach the people who need them most
HOW IT WORKS
- Understand problem that has been identified
- Rapidly assess needs and market + identify established local partners
- Undertake due diligence + rapidly prototype
- Test prototypes with users + iterate
- Design product and supporting commercialization
- Launch product through market
- Support marketing to accelerate adoption, as needed
- Scale up
- Measure impacts
THE PERSON: Krista Donaldson
Krista Donaldson is a design engineer who has long been obsessed with how technology can improve people’s lives.
Working in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, Krista saw that technological solutions to development problems were a small part of ensuring sustainable impact. She was also troubled by the perception that the best technologies for poor people were “low tech” or that clever solutions could be silver bullets. She returned to Silicon Valley to leverage the state-of-the-art technology R&D, market forces and a strong global network to create world-class products that improve lives of people living on less than $4 per day.
THE STORY
The 4 billion people who live on less than $4 per day engage in the market, purchasing products that bring them value. It is not viable however for for-profit enterprises to develop world-class products for bottom of the pyramid users. Working with a global network of partners, Design Revolution designs and delivers transformative products that enable people to lift themselves out of poverty. Krista applied the lessons she learned designing treadle pumps in Kenya and addressing reconstruction issues in Iraq to ensure that Design Revolution takes a user- and environment-centric approach to not just spur change, but also strengthen local economies and capacity. Design Revolution undertakes extensive due diligence – understanding user needs, the competitive landscape, the market and price points, and local infrastructures – in parallel with rapid prototyping to create world-class products that have measurable impact on at least one million people.
CONTACT
Website: www.d-rev.org
Email: kristadonaldson@d-rev.org
Phone: (+1) 650-485-2090