Workshop | Sustain Day | Bath Digital Festival
Join us for a hands-on, story-led workshop exploring how to create digital products and services that truly make a difference – especially in complex, under-resourced, or low-trust environments.
As part of Sustain Day at Bath Digital Festival, UX designer and co-founder of Unwaste.io, Laura Smith, will share practical tools and techniques drawn from her work tackling global plastic waste. You'll hear the story behind a smartphone-based waste transaction service co-created with low-income waste pickers in Mozambique – and gain insights you can apply to any human-centred project.
You’ll learn about:
- understanding and mapping the needs of users, particularly those working in difficult and low-trust environments
- developing and testing low-cost, accessible smartphone technology that meets the needs of people with lower digital literacy or with basic smartphones
- building and iterating an end-to-end service, including online and offline elements, to create tangible social and environmental impact
- creating a low-cost, scalable tech stack that works in the real world
Whether you’re working in a startup, charity, enterprise, or academic setting, this session is for you if you care about designing for positive change.
Who’s it for?
This workshop is especially valuable for:
- Social innovators and tech-for-good entrepreneurs
- UX/UI designers and product developers
- Charity and NGO teams building digital tools
- Students and researchers in sustainability, design, or digital innovation
- Anyone interested in inclusive, real-world approaches to impact-driven design
