National SMS and USSD public polling platform.
U-Report is a free SMS and messaging-based platform used by UNICEF to help young people speak on social issues, access information, and influence decision-making. In Botswana, the assignment focused on adapting U-Report to the local context, setting up the RapidPro platform, and developing a strategy to take the platform to scale.
As part of the local startup implementation team, I supported Product Research & GTM work across user research, go-to-market alignment, field activations, and stakeholder reporting, helping translate youth participation goals into a launch that could work across mobile channels, partner networks, and community touchpoints.
Problem
How might UNICEF create a simple, accessible way for young people in Botswana to share feedback, respond to polls, and participate in national conversations through mobile channels?
Outcome
Launched U-Report Botswana as a national SMS and USSD engagement platform, onboarded 20,000+ users through mall and school activations, supported 30+ surveys, and helped turn youth feedback into stakeholder insights.
From research to launch
Phase 1: Research & user understanding
Conducted primary interviews and focus groups to understand potential users, participation barriers, and what would make young people more likely to use the platform. I also supported question design, facilitation, transcription, and reporting across discovery and post-launch usability research.
Phase 2: Product & GTM alignment
Translated research insights into product and go-to-market priorities, helping align platform flows, messaging, engineering needs, and launch strategy.
Phase 3: Field activation & reporting
Supported mall and school activations that drove registrations, collected in-person feedback, and helped translate campaign and survey insights into stakeholder reports and future poll themes.
Takeaway
This project taught me how powerful customer voice becomes when research moves beyond theory. Through interviews, focus groups, transcription, and survey analysis, I learned how to follow the data beyond surface answers and keep asking why. The biggest takeaway was learning to translate customer attitudes and participation barriers into product and go-to-market decisions that stakeholders could act on.
Live platform
U-Report Botswana remains publicly accessible, with opinion polls, results, and participation flows that show how the platform supports youth engagement beyond launch.
View platform