Samira Matan

Samira is a user-centred design specialist who helps clients improve services by refocusing on the needs of the citizens and communities they serve.

Samira’s expertise lies in user centred design and user research in the international development sector, particularly in East and West Africa. Bringing an interdisciplinary background in sociocultural anthropology, health sciences, and design strategy, Samira has deep experience steering digital social impact projects and solving complex design challenges across a broad range of sectors, applying a human-centred and social and behavioural design lens to her work.

At Public Digital, Samira supports our work to help build digital capability within the Edo State Government in Nigeria. Working in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, our engagement aims to enable the delivery of improved services to the State’s citizens and residents, especially the underserved. Samira has played an instrumental role in facilitating and guiding a series of design sprints with the State’s civil and public servants, including coaching its digital champions and promoting user-centered activities such as user research and ideation.

She also leads our engagement with the eGov Foundation, where we are supporting the development of a product strategy for iFIX, a Public Finance Management (PFM) tool intended to enable the rapid exchange of fiscal data. Samira supports the Foundation, along with PD’s team, in the development of a strategic plan for iFIX’s domestic and international growth, with a consideration of the existing PFM ecosystem in India.

Prior to joining Public Digital, Samira led a design consultancy in Dakar, partnering with development organisations and governments to design interventions across social impact areas including health, vaccination, disability, and inclusion across East and West Africa. Elsewhere, she has worked as a user researcher with the Canadian Broadcast Corporation, as well as designing digital products for homelessness projects with Ample Labs.