Kinora

A community of support from lived experience.

Overview

Kinora was created to transform how people living with disability discover, evaluate and connect with services funded through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Rather than building another provider directory, our vision was to combine community knowledge, lived experience and trusted providers into a single ecosystem that helped participants make more informed decisions and achieve better outcomes.

As a founding member of the startup, I helped shape the business from the ground up—working across strategy, product vision, customer experience, branding and design. From early discovery through to product delivery, I partnered closely with the General Manager to translate an ambitious vision into a differentiated digital platform that challenged traditional approaches to disability support.

Kinora's innovative approach was recognised nationally when it was named an AFR BOSS Most Innovative Company.

Business Objective

Create a new digital business that expanded My Plan Manager's value proposition beyond plan management by connecting participants with trusted providers, community knowledge and personalised recommendations. The goal was to establish a scalable platform that improved participant outcomes while creating a sustainable growth opportunity for the organisation.

Customer Challenge

Finding the right disability support provider was often confusing, time-consuming and overwhelming. Existing directories focused on listing services rather than helping participants understand which providers best matched their individual goals, circumstances and lived experiences. As a result, many participants struggled to maximise the value of their NDIS funding or access the support best suited to their needs.

Design Challenge

Design both the brand and product simultaneously while defining a new category of experience. The challenge was to balance the uncertainty of a startup with the complexity of the disability sector, creating an adaptable platform that seamlessly integrated community advice, trusted recommendations and marketplace functionality into a simple, accessible and inclusive experience.

Outcomes & Impact

Co-created the product vision and customer experience that differentiated Kinora from traditional provider directories.
Helped shape the business strategy, brand and product experience as a founding member of the startup team.
Applied Human-Centred Design to rapidly test ideas, refine the value proposition and evolve the platform through continuous customer learning.
Designed an experience that combined community insight, lived experience and provider discovery into a single, customer-centred ecosystem.
Contributed to Kinora's recognition as an AFR BOSS Most Innovative Company, acknowledging the platform's innovative approach to improving disability support outcomes.