ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the co-creative development of Quwa, a digital platform designed to support civil society organisations (CSOs) in making their work visible, sharing knowledge, connecting with others, and tracking impact. Rather than starting from a pre-defined solution, the technical partner Kunlabora invited participating organisations to shape the platform from the ground up—through a structured, yet flexible process of co-creation. Over several months, civil society practitioners, designers, and developers worked together in cycles of discovery, prototyping, and validation. Through workshops, visual exercises, and lightweight tools, CSO staff with no technical background were able to express their needs, test emerging concepts, and gradually see their input translated into working software. Trust and clarity were key conditions throughout. The result of this process is a Minimum Lovable Product: not a finished tool, but a usable first version rooted in real needs and shared ownership. Alongside technical features, the chapter discusses the cultural, relational, and organisational aspects of co-creation: what it takes to foster equal participation, how to deal with uncertainty, and how technology can adapt to human practice—not the other way around. This case provides a concrete, practical example of how co-creation can turn abstract digitalisation into a meaningful and empowering experience for CSOs.
