Designing For Good, My New Job At Kiva

Last week I began a daily commute to the Mission to work as Senior Visual and Interaction Designer at Kiva.org. A little over five years ago I learned about Kiva, a micro lending website, and have been using the site ever since. The website allows a person – usually based in the developed world – to lend money to an entrepreneur in the developing world. Kiva’s mission always struck me as the embodiment of the egalitarian promise the Internet’s creators always envisioned. So when an opportunity to join the company as their first full time designer came up, I jumped at the chance.

In my new role I will be responsible for both the aesthetic and functional aspects of Kiva’s site. That roughly means I’ll spend my days worrying about things like font size, page layout, and the hex code for different shades of green, while always focusing on the goal of making a simple and pleasing experience while you browse Kiva.org.

Only a week into the job and I’ve already got a long list of features and designs I can’t wait to tackle. But you don’t have to wait for my work to start appearing to visit the site. Head over to Kiva.org to learn how to make a loan that you’ll earn back in a few months. It’s easy, and you’ll be helping a person make a better life for themselves.