How do you turn a 64-page behaviour change toolkit into something that’s actually used? Start with smart design.
Designing clarity for complex change
The World Food Programme’s Refugee Self-Reliance Model (SRM) is ambitious – aiming to shift refugees in Uganda from reliance on aid to sustainable independence. But making that model accessible to frontline workers and community leaders? That’s where things often fall short.
In October 2024, I worked with WFP to lead the toolkit design for integrating Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) into the SRM. The challenge: translate complexity into clarity.
Core framework – What was created
The finished product is a practical SBC toolkit designed for everyone from WFP partners to Village Health Teams. My role in the toolkit design was to ensure the content could be easily understood, absorbed, and applied, regardless of literacy level or design experience.
Key features included:
- Audience-specific illustrations to guide understanding without reliance on text
- Clean, modular layouts that highlight essential information and reduce cognitive load
- User-friendly worksheets that encourage participation and reflection
The challenge – Where many toolkits go wrong
Too often, materials designed for development programmes are heavy on content but light on usability. They overwhelm with jargon, bury the big ideas, and assume a level of literacy or training that many users simply don’t have.
In short: great content, poor delivery. And poor delivery means the message doesn’t stick.
The solution – Making design do the heavy lifting
We treated layout not as decoration, but as infrastructure:
- Hierarchy and structure guide the reader step by step
- Visual cues like icons and colour blocks call out key messages
- Consistent templates support learning and reuse across contexts
Everything was designed with scalability and localisation in mind so the toolkit could be adapted without losing clarity.
Final thought – Simplicity is a design choice
Toolkit design isn’t about cramming in more content. It’s about helping people act on what matters. When the goal is sustainable change, clarity isn’t optional, it’s essential.