We partnered with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to transform a comprehensive Lessons Learned Report into actionable and transferable knowledge products. The agency delivered a multi-year programme across several countries in the Middle East and Africa, aimed at improving access to education, social protection, and decent work for forcibly displaced people and their host communities.
Turning documented experiences into actionable knowledge
This work took place in the context of the PROSPECTS partnership with 4 other UN organisations (UNICEF, UNHCR, IFC, and the World Bank). As the programme entered its final phase, interim results were published in the Lessons Learned Report. Our role was to translate this wealth of documented experiences and lessons into actionable and transferable online knowledge products.
Our objective was to convert the contents of the report into digital and user-friendly formats accessible to a wide range of stakeholders working in similar contexts and geographies. The key challenge was distilling complex, multi-country lessons into tools, guidelines, and formats that are both engaging and transferable. The outcome called for a careful balance between analytical depth and creative design, grounded in real-world experience while remaining flexible, engaging, and accessible.
Adaptable formats that can be applied across different country settings
A collaborative and iterative design process
The project unfolded in several stages, beginning with a detailed review of the original report and the development of early concepts for the digital knowledge products. These ideas were translated into prototype building blocks, which were further refined in co-creation workshops with key stakeholders from the 8 country teams involved (Egypt, Ethiopia, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Sudan and Uganda).
Together with the teams, we co-created typical user archetypes and scenarios of use, and tested the prototype building blocks to validate our assumptions. The feedback gathered during these sessions shaped the structure, content and visual language of the final learning portal. This collaborative and iterative approach ensured that the knowledge products are closely aligned with the actual needs, workflows and expectations of their intended users.
Delivering practical and user-centred knowledge products
The final outcome is an interactive Learning Portal featuring lessons, practical guidelines and case studies. The content is dynamically accessible and complemented by links to other existing training modules and supporting materials developed across the wider programme.
Together, these elements form a suite of knowledge products designed to support not only ILO and its project partners, but also policymakers and local practitioners in applying the lessons from the PROSPECTS programme in meaningful and context-sensitive ways.
Explore the Learning Portal: https://prospectslearnings.ilo.org/