From pilot to empowerment
The challenge
Every year, thousands of migrant workers in Aotearoa New Zealand face unfair treatment, wage theft, and unsafe conditions. Even worse, many don’t know their rights or lack a safe way to document exploitation, so they don’t know how to escape it. VERI-Mi (pronounced Very-Mee) was founded to change that, offering tools to help workers recognise exploitation and connect with legal support.
Our job was to help VERI-Mi create a platform that would be accessible and easy to use, no matter the native language or background of the user. Working alongside a lawyer, we took a co-design approach, with the goal to:
- Simplify complex legal information into plain English
- Provide safe and discreet tools for workers to record their work hours and evidence
- Build trust through a brand that feels human and culturally grounded
Support funding and advocacy efforts with clear communications and next steps.
Our solution
We streamlined their existing brand while retaining the cultural flower mark. A simplified colour palette, modernised typeface, and a new illustration system (no photography, at the client’s request) created a warm, consistent, and non-intimidating feel.
Then, using this new look, we designed and wrote the website and app in plain English, co-developing all content with a lawyer. The site made complex legal rights simple, clear, and actionable – key needs when it came to supporting migrants in this space.
Alongside the design process, the app was put to work. We created a prototype that we tested with migrant workers (including non-English speakers alongside a translator) to make sure the user experience and the language were hitting the mark.
The VERI-Mi app’s key features include:
- A discreet work diary (to clock in/clock out)
- Wage calculator to check if pay is correct
- Photo/file upload for evidence collection
- GPS tracking for worksite records
- Secure sharing of diary data with a lawyer
- A quick “Am I being exploited?” quiz, linking to website FAQs.
Once all testing and design was crafted, we built pitch decks to support VERI-Mi funding requests and community partnerships, ensuring the mission was backed with strong storytelling.
The impact
Pilot results showed that participants learned about rights, when to seek help, and how to collect evidence. They gained confidence to speak up or seek legal support, with some users continuing to use the app post-pilot and others referring it to their peers.
Client feedback
VERI-Mi
"A hub of beautiful creative minds and kind souls who have done so much to support our charity! Love Studio C’s commitment to delivering high quality work regardless of the challenges that come up. True professionals who are also such a pleasure to work with - and we’ve had so much positive feedback on their amazing design"
Dhilum Nightingale
