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SELECTED WORKS #1
The Mastercard Aid Network
“Creating a brand new product line to support the distribution of humanitarian disaster relief aid in the Middle-East and Africa”
Objective
Dive deep into the needs of a new client segment to identify how Mastercard could meet them with an existing or new product. Then build the necessary software and processes required to support a new pilot and eventual commercial launch.
Solution
Created a new non-financial digital service that can be loaded on a chip card for NGOs and humanitarian organizations to easily facilitate the provision of basic human services such as food, shelter and healthcare. This, for humanitarian interventions in remote, often war-torn locations, to support impoverished communities and refugees.
Design Considerations
- Simplified UX for users with extremely low literacy and numeracy
- Solution must work in remote locations with no Wi-Fi or cellular connectivity
- NGO staff should be able to view program activity reports on the Web
- Solution deployable in 2 weeks, without the sponsorship of a local bank
Actions Taken
The table below includes the specific actions I personally took in the context of this key project.
Design Thinking
- Created product requirements by capturing insights from immersion sessions with internal & external stakeholders
- Worked with internal branding team to come up with brand identity, then liaised with external agency to create materials, including promo video.
Business
- Created product value proposition and business model canvas based on user needs
- Authored product participation T's & C's and obtained Legal and Regulatory approval.
- Presented to leadership to secure funding and approval for pilot and commercial launch
People
- Conducted Project Management duties throughout the product creation and pilot phase, then handed over to PMO office for larger commercial deployment.
- Trained and provided customer support to international NGO clients Save the Children, World Vision and IRC to disburse aid to >500K beneficiaries in the Middle-East, Africa and Asia
Technology
- Created technical requirements with input from the engineering and development teams
- Deployed and documented product’s operation & support model
Results
The Mastercard Aid Network product was piloted successfully in Yemen and the Philippines with key clients Save the Children, World Vision and International Rescue Committee, which then led to a commercial launch 6 months after the pilot. The product was the first solution offered by Mastercard to this segment. It was not a charity but a revenue-generating product line that aligned with the company’s ideal of “doing well by doing good”.
Recognition and Awards
- Change Agent of the Year at PayAwards 2016
- Made No. 7 on Fortune’s List of Companies Changing the World
- Best POS Innovation (Gold Winner) by PYMNTS.com
- ITU’s Telecom World Award for Disaster Recovery & Prevention.
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SELECTED WORKS #2
Commerce Pass
“Replatforming micro-commerce software for scale while delivering new valuable features for our clients”
Objective
Legacy micro-commerce payment card product Commerce Pass was piloted as an on-prem deployment with a client a few years ago. While this model was deemed acceptable for an initial pilot, the product was not scalable as initially created. A new approach was required where multiple "reliant applications" used a common platform infrastructure and all Web and backend components were moved to the cloud.
Solution
Create a new version of the back-end and Web components of the product on a new cloud instance, while also building new mobile and chip card applications that leverage a common platform infrastructure, which was developed in parallel by a different team.
Design Considerations
- Make it cloud-based to bring economies of scale and facilitate implementation for future clients;
- Leverage the company’s new chip card application and platform
- Deliver new functionality requested by key clients
Actions Taken
The table below includes the specific actions I personally took in the context of this key project.
Design Thinking
- Created product requirements document based on business needs – reviewed with architect and development lead
- Created mobile and Web application flows based on new proprietary card SDK (kernel & client library)
Business
- Created contract and statements of work (SOWs) as needed to commission work for tech partners
- Contributed technical assessments and cost/effort estimates for business justification
People
- Acted as liaison between core platform and vertical product teams, coordinating priorities and ensuring the necessary platform components (SDKs, APIs, back-end) were made available to reliant apps
Technology
- Created backlog of features and prioritized it based on input from sales, dev team and management
- Developed testing plan for first client, including test cases and logistics
- Conducted user acceptance testing for the new cloud-based product
- Authored product documentation, including client-facing implementation guides and internal manuals for operations and customer service.
Results
New versions of the mobile application and Web portals were released and made available to clients in early Q2 2022. Our top client was expected to adopt the new version of the product before end of 2022, with all new users being enrolled into the new system, and then migrate their existing client base over the next year.
The product now included new functionality facilitated via API specs and flows. This enabled our top client to reach a different segment of their target market. Developing the new product made it now possible to make deployments in all target markets that allow cloud processing, which allowed us to resume discussions with prospective clients.
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SELECTED WORKS #3
API Partnership Program
“Create a technology partnership program to scale platform adoption”
Objective
Third-party tech partners and clients are required to code to Mastercard's Community Pass platform API specifications to integrate their own reliant applications. I was tasked with identifying touching points with tech partners’ development teams and ensuring that we had the necessary interfaces and processes in place to service them.
Solution
Create a Partnership Program strategy and framework with its corresponding roadmap, including all the technology and processes required to support tech partners in the way they sign up to consume and eventually go live with our platform assets (APIs, SDKs). This included creating a new space for this program in Mastercard’s company-wide Developer Portal, the necessary documentation and test environments for tech partners to integrate with Mastercard, among other components.
Design Considerations
- Create a streamlined UX for several types of platform users, including development teams, product leads and other stakeholders
- Create and maintain a backlog of program components, prioritize them based on criticality and value to end users and deliver them gradually
- Leverage existing company assets and avoid duplication of any kind
Actions Taken
The table below includes the specific actions I personally took in the context of this key project.
Design Thinking
- Conducted desktop research and engaged with industry experts working at African technology hubs to identify best-in-class practices
- Conducted gap analysis based on then-current company capabilities to identify what had to be built
- Created product requirements document for the creation of the sandbox environment and kernel APK – reviewed with architect and development lead
Business
- Created a Partnership Program strategy and framework with all technology, people and processes required to support the program
- Presented strategy and roadmap for Executive Leadership approval
- Engaged with tech partner to assess their platform to be used to power an Innovation Hub in Africa
People
- Acted as liaison between core platform and vertical product teams, coordinating priorities and ensuring the necessary platform components (SDKs, APIs, back-end) were made available as needed
- Created processes and associated artifacts to classify, assess and prioritize tech partners
- Established collaboration framework with Mastercard’s startup acceleration program.
Technology
- Created backlog of features and prioritized it based on input from sales, dev team and management
Results
The Community Pass technical documentation is live on the Mastercard Developer Portal and available for tech partners to consume. Through that portal they can apply to be part of the Community Pass Partnership Program and, once they do, they can access the APK kernel and sandbox to start conducting their tests. The framework that I put together is the blueprint for implement additional developer tools for tech partner integration and also, more broadly, to proactively assess tech partner candidates that can be approached to scale the platform.
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