d.light is a Palo Alto-based social enterprise committed to replacing kerosene lanterns with clean, safe and bright solar-power solutions. 

IDEO.org worked with d.light to develop its next generation of solar-powered solutions to meet the needs of over one billion people who live without reliable electricity. At the time of approaching IDEO.org, d.light had already designed three portable solar lantern options that are available in 45 countries.

The IDEO.org team began the d.light project getting smart on the solar industry by interviewing various experts in the Bay Area and beyond. The team then built two functioning prototypes in IDEO's Palo Alto shop. With almost 200 pounds of prototypes and other solar gear in tow, the team conducted three weeks of field research to better understand consumer needs in Bihar state in India and Kisumu, a city in western Kenya. The team selected these two locations to cover a wide range of user types and contexts in which consumers might use d.light's solar power products. 

The IDEO.org design team returned to Palo Alto, where it spent the final four weeks of the project refining its solar system designs and prototypes based upon user feedback from the field. Because d.light is a for-profit social enterprise working in a highly competitive market, we're not able to share further details on the solar system that IDEO.org designed for d.light at this time. Check back soon for an update from IDEO.org and d.light.