Perspectives: Designing Digital Financial Services for Smallholder Families: Lessons from Zimbabwe, Senegal, Rwanda, and Cambodia

This publication begins with a brief overview of the human-centered design (HCD) methodology, before outlining a set of recommendations for financial service providers (FSPs) to consider when developing new DFS offerings for smallholders. These recommendations, supported by field insights, are organized around four key design principles: • Design around Smallholder Needs and Aspirations; • Design to Drive Adoption; • Design for Continuous Engagement; and • Design for Customer Growth. Following the recommendations, this publication closes by identifying next steps in the design process, opportunities for further research, and potential challenges to bringing innovative DFS to market.