Good morning, innovators and changemakers
The Don Norman Design Award (DNDA) Summit 2024 brought together the world's most innovative changemakers to celebrate humanity-centered designLed by Don Norman, the renowned author of over 20 books, including Design of Everyday Things and Design for a Better World, and widely regarded as the father of user experience design, these awards honor initiatives that exemplify the principles of humanity-centered design (HCD+).
We are humbled and proud to share that Code for Pakistan received three Special Recognition awards for its projects that harness the power of design to address real-world civic challenges that face our communities.
Award-Winning Projects
🏆 FloodLight
An open-source platform powered by community-contributed data, FloodLight became a lifeline during the catastrophic 2022 floods in Pakistan. By enabling faster, informed decision-making and efficient aid distribution, FloodLight enabled rapid coordination of relief efforts and showcased the power of collaborative data sharing.
🏆 KP Women's Civic Digital Internship
This 6-month remote program equips women from remote areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) with technical and soft skills, promotes civic engagement through hands-on projects, and offers employment support. Breaking barriers to work opportunities, the program enables women to learn and work from home, creating pathways to empowerment.
🏆 Pharmacy Licensing Digitization
Streamlining the pharmacy licensing process in KP, this project reduced approval times for pharmacy licenses from two months to just eight days. Over 15,000 records were digitized, creating a transparent system that enables real-time license verification and flags non-compliant pharmacies. Today, more than 21,000 pharmacies operate with verified licenses, ensuring safer access to medicines and strengthening public trust in government services.
Reflections from DNDA 2024
The summit was a reminder of why design matters. From empowering marginalized communities to improving everyday systems, each of the projects highlighted at DNDA demonstrated the transformative potential of design thinking rooted in empathy and equity.
Key insights we took away:
💡 "The way to scale is not to get larger, but to multiply." — Don Norman
💡 "If you want to step into someone else's shoes, first you have to take off your own." — Sonalini Mirchandani
💡 "Trust is complex. The way we show up in a community makes all the difference." — Rao Machiraju
The summit spotlighted inspiring projects such as teaching technology to people with disabilities in Ghana, establishing community kitchens in Brazilian favelas, and redesigning local food economies in Hong Kong. Each initiative underscored the resilience and impact of community-driven design in tackling global challenges.
Code for Pakistan at DNDA
The DNDA Summit, attended by an 80% international audience, celebrated impactful projects addressing real-world challenges through humanity-centered design. Code for Pakistan's work was recognized alongside initiatives from global organizations like the Aga Khan Foundation and many others.
Sheba Najmi, Founder and Executive Director of Code for Pakistan, delivered a keynote address and participated in a panel discussion on designing for societal good. Her message — "Our approach starts with people, not problems" — resonated deeply with the audience, reflecting the guiding principle of Code for Pakistan's work.
"These awards bestowed upon Code for Pakistan represent the collective effort of communities, government partners, and our team. It's truly an honor of a lifetime for our work to be recognized by Don Norman, whose principles of humanity-centered design shape everything we do." --- Sheba Najmi
Looking Ahead
The DNDA Summit has inspired us to continue pushing boundaries and shaping the future through key initiatives:
Scaling with Impact: Expanding our reach by fostering collaboration and building partnerships that amplify meaningful outcomes.
Investing in Leadership Development: Empowering communities by investing in leadership capacity. This includes providing resources, mentorship, and opportunities to cultivate local leaders who can drive sustainable change.
Advancing HCD+: Moving beyond traditional user-focused design, HCD+ integrates community-driven, systemic, and sustainable approaches. This expanded framework emphasizes co-creation, ethical practices, and designing for long-term, scalable impact.
Be Part of the Journey
Want to learn more about our work or join us in creating solutions that matter? 👉 Explore our initiatives to get involved.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone at the DNDA Summit, including the incredible speakers and panelists. Your insights and leadership are transforming the way we envision design's role in building a better world.
Warmly,
The Code for Pakistan Team
