my name is qimmah saafir.
i distill + humanize
visual, spatial + intellectual
information to accentuate
clarity, beauty + meaning.
ideo.org
Financial Chatbot
delivery_
personality / tone / voice creation
narrative strategy
scriptwriting
task_
to create an engaging, trustworthy, informative yet non-condescending personality, followed by the accompanying tone + script for users to engage with / gain financial literacy.
year_
2018
Our clients were reaching out more than normal, because it helped them feel more comfortable about asking for help.
COACH, LSS FINANCIAL COUNSELING
about_
“47% of Americans don’t have $400 saved up in case of an emergency. But not nearly as many of them are seeking financial coaching.
Studies show that financial coaches can play a key role in people’s journey towards financial prosperity—but, coaches can’t be there every step of the way. Clients often leave with a list of what-can-feel-like-endless to-dos. Life happens. Their jobs, partners, and family take priority. It’s no surprise that nearly 50% of people who seek coaching drop off after their first appointment.
The IDEO.org team wanted to create a light-touch way for coaches to help clients push through their to-do list; because the reality is coaches don’t have time to call and check in after an appointment. The team knew there was no way to replace the coach-to-client relationship. The goal was to strengthen this connection, alleviate the inherent sense of loneliness (and shame) that comes with financial struggle, and break down complex plans into bite-size steps…
An interesting challenge in designing this chatbot was nailing down its personality. Our research showed that clients would be most receptive to getting financial advice from figures such as Michelle Obama or Oprah Winfrey. Besides being trustworthy and smart, these two icons felt relatable. Clients appreciated their early hardships and humble beginnings; they had achieved success with grit. Oprah and Michelle both strike the balance of being motivational but not preachy, intelligent but not judgmental. We called this balance the “O Effect.” The “O Effect” informed everything from the visual system to the script at different touch points.
Make
Space
delivery_
information distillation
narrative strategy
script writing
task_
to equip community members nationally with the facts, language, tone + strategy needed to spread awareness about covid-19 across all walks of life.
year_
2021
about_
“Makespace was created to empower community leaders to lead the creation and dissemination of vaccine messages for their communities. In a public health emergency, it’s easy to activate a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to messaging; but we recognize that communities want something that honors and reflects their realities. Makespace enables everyone to leverage existing materials and customize campaigns as they see fit.
This work was done in partnership with the CDC, the University of Minnesota’s National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants, and Migrants (NRC-RIM), and IDEO.org. We worked directly with community leaders across the U.S. to create these tools and materials for COVID-19 vaccine messaging.
Health Equity
delivery_
information distillation
narrative strategy
copy writing
task_
to work within a team assisting the health equity collective in creating the language + manifesto to adequately represent their mission and work.
year_
2021
about_
“In 2020, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation engaged IDEO.org in a multi-year program to cultivate a new paradigm for American healthcare founded on equitable care. By convening and supporting a multidisciplinary group of what is now over 100 health and equity leaders, a pivotal shift was set in motion. The Health Equity Collective has evolved into a beacon of innovation and collaboration, forging pathways toward a healthcare system that prioritizes the well-being and dignity of all communities.
This multi-year program was designed to:
Activate and amplify collective learnings and tools
Coalesce an unconventional mix of stakeholders across American healthcare, prioritizing the participation of underrepresented BIPOC communities.
Creatively facilitate an environment conducive to transformative rather than incremental change
Support changemakers in developing a bold shared vision
Accelerate the implementation of prototypes and pilots to dismantle systemic barriers
Comprising activists, academics, providers, and practitioners, the HEC represented a range of expertise, lived experiences, and perspectives. To build relationships and establish a foundation for collaboration and experimentation, our team cultivated a culture of trust, creativity, and bravery. We called upon spoken word poets and visual artists, from within and outside the collective to open members’ imaginations. We brought in activists working across the health equity landscape to spark inspiration. These spaces of play, creativity, and vulnerability—uncommon problem-solving approaches among many of the members—played a central role in setting the tone.
As the HEC emerged from its vision-building phase, it concentrated on defining its governance model and building on its external work through prototyping, piloting, and disseminating shared tools and knowledge.
Internally, a co-leadership team was formed to steer the path towards becoming a sustainable, autonomous body. The co-leads crafted a manifesto detailing their decentralized, non-hierarchical approach, articulated roles and responsibilities, and spearheaded the transition into an independent 501(c)(3).