bardinsight

India Trending 2012

2012-01-14T16:19:00.000+05:30

As2011 ended, the last week of the year was a good time to socialise a bit. As aninnovation strategist, I think it is a blessing to be living in a middle-classhousing society. I don’t need to travel too far for insights into consumerinnovation for India. It happens right in my house and also next door. My houseis located in one of the suburbs of Pune, which earlier used to be a satellitetown of Pune and today is probably in the heart of the city. Next to our gatedcommunity (somewhat dated building by now), there is a small slum settlement,which is a good source of support manpower – drivers, house-maids, cleaners,painters etc. Our house-help, who lives there is a constant source of updateson what is happening in the rural belt of the region; what is the prevailing politicalmood around during the local elections etc. Residents of our housing societyare an upwardly mobile crowd with both the spouses in a family gainfullyemployed. Since our building is close to a busy street, I can walk down topurchase daily consumables and at the same time visit a bank, gym or a sportsstadium - all at a walking distance. Thus I get a wide range of spectrum to catch the pulse of people.

Afellow resident happens to be a distributor of luxury eyewear in the state. I askedhim if there was any pointer to a ‘double-dip’ in his business. He said thatthe overall quantity being sold has literally doubled in the year gone by. Hiscompany is on a launching spree of exclusive stores and that is allowing it tooffer a wider range of eyewear which earlier was limited to only a few designs(sold through the shop-in-shop format). A data check suggests that the luxurysegment in India is anyway growing at 20% CAGR, which validates my neighbour’scorroboration. Even as 60% malls are underperforming in India, the categories, which are missing exclusive retailing experiences,still have sufficient retailing ground in terms of footfalls and revenues.

Anotherneighbour who is a manager in a manufacturing company drives a compact, entry-levelcar and has a grown-up son who is yet to start earning. He recently purchased an‘Enfield Bullet’ bike for him. Our conversation revealed to me how his son had beenpestering for a specific brand. Enfield is a revived retro-bike brand, doingvery well in India. He also told me how power bikes are a craze in his son’sfriend circle. I found out later that, another fellow resident who also drivesa compact Maruti Suzuki car had gone out of the way to purchase a ‘YamahaFazer’ bike for his son. In the Indian context, a USD 2000 bike is costly indulgence for an ordinary family (annual family income below USD 12,000). Motorcycle market is another promisingmarket of India, growing at over 17% annually.

Bikesor bicycles with gears are a new aspiration for kids in the five to 15 age group,but only second to gaming. It is amazing to see bicycle stores coming up in thecity selling kids’ bikes for upwards of Rs. 5000 going all the way up to fewthousand dollars (not rupees). A city kidwho is just seven, is able to specifically mention the brand he wants topurchase and also the accessories such assuspension, eighteen gears, pedal brakes etc.. ‘Gizmofication’ of their livesis being fuelled by TV shows like Power Ranger and easy availability of computer games. PSP, Wii, PS2, PS3etc. are now a part of common vocabulary. Walkman or iPod now no longer are theaspiration, and are probably becoming an accessory for the older generation. Myson who went to meet his friend (both study in the 6^th grade) wassurprised to see his friend constantly busy with extra tuitions, while hisfather, constantly playing on PS3. Electronic malls like Tata Retail’s Croma ,now stock many ‘oddgadgets’ apart from massagers which were earlier stuffed only with white goods andcomputers. Our own trend prediction ‘Hypershift’ calls for binding innovationto ‘activities’ rather than ‘single need’. For example, a chair is not to bedesigned only to ‘sit comfortably’ but for ‘muscle activity’ & ‘mindactivity’ instead. Combining gadgets that track and reward your muscle activitieswhile sitting, is one of the ideas many start-ups are working on, around theworld.

Mobility for working women in India 2011

LEDrevolution is happening around the world. As part of the on-going research atOnio, one of our teammates recently purchased an LED lamp, which took us bysurprise. It was a Chinese product, resembling an ordinary LED retrofit bulbwith a mode selector switch. During a power outage, this bulb can be shifted onbattery mode and can operate for 8 hours. Priced around Rs. 200 (USD <5) apiece,it is a boon for what can be done with LED lights in India. Another friend of minewho lives in an upmarket gated community in Pune, changed the common lightingof his residential complex, into LED-based lighting, saving nearly half theelectricity expense every month (nearly USD 6000 every year) besides of coursesaving natural resources. He said the ingenuous masterstroke was to retain theexisting lighting fixtures and just make them LED adaptable through extrafitments. This saved a lot of replacement cost.

Trendshave been usually understood in the ‘fashion design ‘parlance. Of late, I havestarted seeing business conferences around the world, including a session onTrends or Mega Trends, connecting them to business strategy. Onio has been organising‘Insight India’ conferences since 2006. As we usher in another new year, I amlooking forward to tie these tiny pearls of insights into a common thread of Megatrends,around the time when Pune Design Festival unfolds in Pune (tentatively around thefirst week of February 2012). Look out for Pune Design Festival – Trends toBusiness Strategy Workshop by Onio.

EMERGING INDIAN CONSUMER: A 'LEAP' YEAR AHEAD

2011-12-20T14:26:00.004+05:30

As another year yields to a new one, the race to grab the attention (and wallets) of emerging Indian consumers, heats up even more. Amidst the cynicism of double dip and optimism of robust Indian economy that is beating all projections to emerge as the third largest market in the world, the Indian consumer is at an inflexion point of consumerism.

The ‘optimist’ Indian consumer who was ‘celebrating’ in 2006 with mega-malls, buying super big homes, bigger bikes and watching cinema in style is sort of gasping for breath at the moment. It is time for the Indian consumer to pause and reset the direction before the next race commences.

(INSET: Mini-Vending on 2Wheels: India Needs More Platforms: Photo: Manoj Kothari)

In the year that saw ‘Jasmine’ in full bloom from the Middle East to India, mobile phone customer base that rose to 800 million and Internet connections to 12 million, consumer awareness and articulation has touched new highs. Sensex has been flirting around the 16000 mark and the government is routinely getting cornered on the issue of corruption. These developments have caught the public fancy. Single brand FDI is now allowed 100% even as 60% of malls in India lie vacant leading to fears of a supply-side glut in the orgainsed retail sector. This in turn has sparked fears of a retail bubble with profitability mirage thrown in for good measure. Car launches in the country are about to touch the figure of 50 a year, as a direct indicator of what this market means for the global carmakers. Legendary innovations that are being discussed as case studies in many colleges abroad like Tata Nano, the ultra low cost (ULC) car and chhotu-cool refrigerator of Godrej are not selling as they should have been. Maruti is still the king with several lakhs of Swift cars being booked well in advance with a huge waiting period, while India centric innovation by Toyota (Etios) is yet to catch consumer fancy. These signals are mixed. But I clearly see the Indian market entering its Phase-3 of the post-liberalisation consumption. Here are the phases-

PHASE-1: LINK & LEAP: After the Western companies discovered the size and hunger for new consumption post liberalisation, they rushed to dump their ready inventory into the Indian market, leveraging existing network of local companies and distributors. Several collaborations took shape of which very few survive today. Indian companies learnt the game of scale, while their foreign counterparts learnt the tricks of handling complexity of Indian market and they parted ways. FIAT & TATA JV survives till date but may not be for long!

PHASE-2: BAZAAR-AZAR: Second phase saw the rise of home-grown consumer companies that took advantage of increasing consumption and scaled up their operations in the times of less competition. King of Indian retail, Future Group led the trend leaving the early movers like Shopper Stop far behind. Some touch of Indian habits like open-grain retailing within air-conditioned Bazaar were some touches of localisation of the new formats. Launch of Tata Nano car falls in the same category. This phase made use of Western best-practices but most of the output in this phase resembled prototypes rather than finished products. Late entrants in online retail like Flipkart is one such example as well. It will be a while before Nano as an innovation, or Tata as a brand, catches the fancy of Indian consumers as Maruti did years ago. Several layers of operational perfection are long overdue. Mind you, it is not the lack of INNOVATION, but diligent attention to details thereof.

PHASE-3: BRAND BOULEVARD: After the BazaarIT phase, the next one is about springing up of small chains which will fill in the gaping holes, in the quality of delivery left by larger companies in BazaarIT phase. Innovation would be still at similar levels as in the previous phase but greater seamlessness would be evident in the consumer experience. More personalisation and a touch of more tolerant Indian hospitality will be visible across products and brands in this phase. One can already see that FabIndia as a brand is creating visual fatigue in its loyal customer base. Malls selling the same brands all over at the same price are now left with only location or food court as advantages. Brand Boulevard will open up opportunities and vistas for smaller, better-integrated and better-designed brands in such a scenario, either to collaborate with bigger ones or to establish independently. I anticipate this phase from now till the end of 2015.

PHASE-4: PERMA-NATION: Real power of Indian innovation will unfold only in the period 2015-2020. In this period, the biggies would have optimised their operational glitches and smaller players would have chalked out the expansion path. In both the cases, a mature Indian consumer would have driven home the point about judicious choices. Disruptive, frugal or just adjacent innovation; the consumer wouldn’t care less. What would matter is innovation which makes him/her more efficient, buoyant about life and provides a sense of permanence. More clues on Innovation for India which will blossom during this phase are in my TEDx talk- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUuIu2KvNCE

What is the future of Kirana Store or C-store or independent retail in India?

2011-09-21T07:38:00.002+05:30

There was this discussion that ensued after a short lecture by three professors from University of Delft, including Prof. Rodney Fitch (of Fitch Design fame, though he does not have anything to do with that company now). It was interesting to note his observations on how organised retail is taking shape in India, is maturing in assortment, presentation and in-store communication. He also presented some pictures of independent retailers in India, fast aligning to the best practices of organised retail. People present were practising designers, innovation strategists, retail consultants and some academicians.

First, Prof. Fitch accepted that the first impression of India is that of ‘chaos’ to an outsider. While a very dynamic business environment and young population hold a lot of promise, the infrastructure gap remains a big deterrent. He was also critical of the government controlling FDI in retail. He said that in the West, whenever governments interfered with the free economy, it had always been counter productive. The big guys would always find their way around if they wish to, but the small enterprises suffer.

While several people spoke on the possibilities, the mood and tone were very defensive. Participants almost took to jingoistic tones that kirana stores or small shop keeper shave survived hundreds of years and would go on for another hundred.

Suggestions like small stores will offer more value-added services, will take on more technology, will have regional language advantage, will have better product mix for higher RoI etc. were tabled. However, I think many of these are likely to be natural responses of <500 sq ft store owners to the large and organised retail. An entrepreneur is equipped with basic ‘fend off’ skills to survive.

However, an interesting point in the discussion would be what will be the inflexion point at which the per square foot earnings of a small store will not match the aspirational living cost of these owners? A cup of tea by the roadside costs Rs 5 today. The same cup of tea, at Café Coffee Day costs Rs. 75. But I haven’t seen a cup of tea being sold for Rs. 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45,50, 55etc. Currently there is a huge range of price points available for expansion for differentiated positioning of the retail business.

Earlier one could only fly full service airlines like JetAirways or a low fare airline like SpiceJet, if one had to look for economy class flying. Today, even SpiceJet has multiple price points and categories within the low-fare category. JetAirways has expanded into Jet Airways Konnect, JetLite, Jet Airways Konnect Premium etc. We need to realise that our economy which is in transition, is yet to reach thepeak of consumerism, which the West is done with. With rising spending in India we have many more greys in retail between to be or not to be questions on independent stores.

I was somewhat disappointed at the overall discussion hovering around the current situation and people not being able to project strong influences that will tweak the trends. Meta-abstracting was missing from the discussion. Formalism that builds models and helps in articulating the complex topics like this were missing from the speaker as well as the audience.

One important point Prof. Fitch made in the end, was about the emergence of small store chains. While he predicted this, we can already see how a Marwari Kirana owner or a sweetmeat owner multiplies his stores in a city. How he sources his manpower from his native village, gives them a semi-hostel like accommodation to keep costs low and slowly anoints one of them as the store manager is a study in itself. Many of these stores have already taken to modern packaging, acceptance of credit cards, glass and steel counters, more interactive ambiences and usage of loyalty programmes.

I have always wondered at the business of the quintessential mochi or the cobbler on Indian streets. To be or not to be? A slight stretch of logic can give the answer...but not on the blogJ.

LEARNING THE ART IN PARTS

2011-09-06T15:55:00.000+05:30

Last week I attended a lecture by Prof. James Wodhuysen, who is Professor of Forecasting and Innovation at De Montfort University, Leicester. Apart from other things, he spoke of how SOCIOLOGY has become a very important subject to study for connecting ‘FUTURE’ and ‘INNOVATION’. He also discussed about the need to focus on TECHNOLOGY and ENGINEERING, which has become a bit out of fashion today amongst designers.

We at Onio started engaging with SOCIOLOGY probably around 2005, when out of my own passion for futurology, Trend Research became a practice and we started working with a German automotive major, to help them structure their India entry strategy. Slowly, SOCIOLOGY, CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY, ETHNOGRAPHY, MEGATRENDS kind of words started dotting Onio’s terminology. While this was on, another team at Onio headed by Prakash, co-founder of Onio, remained focused on TECHNOLOGY application, core product design and design engineering. What made this holistic approach to innovation, gain ground? It was surely a combination of rich ingredients in the roots which made our minds open to receiving wider realms, that add up to new age of innovation. On teacher’s day , I thought of a few great influences that touched me, coloured me or sometimes changed my entire trajectory for good. Here is a fond remembrance-

Remembering Immanuel Suresh, my teacher at NID, an extraordinary observer of nature, human behaviour and more importantly an extraordinary human being, gave me the understanding to connect the seemingly unconnected. Prof. B. D. Mishra who taught me at IIT Mumbai (the multifaceted talented man who represented India in Asiad in athletics, trekked with Tenzing Norgay to Mount Everest and represented India in UN on Population and Development) who exposed me to a whole new world of Futurology. I still remember the book reading sessions discussing Future Shock, Small is Beautiful and One Straw Revolution at Nescafe Stall at IIT Mumbai during the course. Together these two gentlemen fired the spark in me of diligent inquiry into the future. Current practice of Trends, Design Research and Strategy at Onio actually emanated here.

I also feel grateful to my first Alma Mater, IIT Mumbai for exposing me to wider learning through humanities courses during the study. Indian Philosophy, Psychology, English Literature and Futurology were some of my favourite courses. I felt enriched. I gained more from these and the side learning of guitar classes, reading books on grandmasters of art and science in the giant library, and by conversing with talented peers, than what I learnt in the structured courses of mechanical engineering.

I must remember Professor Ram Jaiswal at Ajmer, who was generous enough to give me water-colour and portrait painting training with no obligation. It was truly a wonder to see a master at work. I still remember the pleasure of pencil gliding and seeing the face of the person sitting in front appearing on the paper. Sketching is meditation. Sketching is a renaissance art that I cherish. While I was never a good student of Engineering Drawing at IIT, I think I was a good student at NID when it came to perspective sketching.

Prof. J. A. Panchal, who taught simple things at NID- model-making- “If you know three things perfectly- How to cut, How to join and How to distort- you can make anything”- were his famous words, stuck in my mind. He is a perfectionist and taught me to be diligent.

NID, my second Alma Mater, taught me to respect the work I do. Every piece of paper I scribble on, every sketchy drawing I make, every word I say is ‘mine’ and it is no less than a ‘piece of art’. By building love and care in our own work, we slowly move towards perfection.

My schoolmate Chaman Singh Verma had beautiful handwriting. I always ended up trying to copy his way of handling the pen and did manage to move up a few notches.

Some teachers are so busy in everyday teaching that they have no time to reflect that they have transformed the lives of hundreds of students and students are indebted to them. Mr. A.K. Rehman, my maths teacher at St. Paul’s School at Ajmer, was one such man. In those times when IIT was not even heard of, in smaller towns like Ajmer, he was one man who prodded us to think of making IIT as a career goal. Once I was at IIT(Mumbai), my life and perspective changed forever.

Valentin Manolov, a physicist from Moscow University, whom I met in a train from Ajmer to Mumbai, transformed the way I looked at spirituality. Super qualified ISKCON volunteers (some of them were PhDs in various areas) who were a regular feature at IIT that time, discussing teachings of Gita, did fuel the fire that Valentin Manolov started. Osho, whose writings articulated some more hidden areas of human life and para-knowledge, in contemporary terms. I still read the anecdotes, poems and stories spread across the Osho literature.

Renaissance master, Leonardo Da Vinci, whose sketchbook, I copied end-to-end a few times. Michael Angelo, whose biography –‘The Agony and Ecstasy’ taught me that you don’t need to live an ‘extraordinary life’ to be the man that he was.

Sunil Handa, professor at IIM-A and erstwhile MD of Core Emballage when I interned at his company, was a real hard task-master and stickler for details. He did teach me that how a person who works passionately at the task at hand, ‘never falls ill’. Famous words –“50 percent of the time of your life must be spent in arranging it carefully, so that rest of the 50 percent can be enjoyed”.

Arup Dutta and Deepak Kamath, my wing-mates at Hostel-7 in IIT, were two walking encyclopaediae of knowledge from history to movies. From correcting my English accent to telling me the story plot of ‘The Good, The Bad, The Ugly’, these two gentlemen surely helped me evolve as I am today.Vinayak Kini, my ‘weirdo’ classmate at IIT, who successfully runs a big business in USA today, who could write much better poems than I did, who freaked out ten times more than I did and still managed better marks than I did.

Genevieve Flaven, my collaborator on Trends Research and head of Style Vision, France- a magnificent trend researcher and power thinker, I did learn a great deal from her- from trend thinking to event organisation.

Prakash, my business partner, who has been a good friend all this while,taught me to have more faith in people, to accommodate more ‘greys’ while dealing with tough situations and to have ‘leader leaves the last’ virtues.

My father- who still goes out for the morning walk at 5a.m. since the time I have come into this world. Be it any weather, guests at home or a return from a tiring journey- his morning walk has never stopped. I have never seen a more steadfast man than him. I have seen that how he retained the same persistence in publishing a journal ‘Economic Challenger’ for last ten years, despite several ‘challenging’ situations where it almost closed down.

Finally, Sonali, my wife, who helped me stretch my thinking from ‘timely’ to ‘perfect’ work and from ‘done’ to ‘the way it should be’.

Teenager-in-town

2011-07-21T12:36:00.001+05:30

Onio completed 14 years last week on 14^th July 2011. In the fast evolving economy bubbling with increasingly aware consumers, India-centric innovation is just about taking shape. I remember the very first years of Onio where we were struggling to find product design assignments and were actually forced to take on graphic-design assignments for sheer survival. Later, we almost became a dotcom supporting portal design company.

The beginning of design-led innovation renaissance in India started happening only in the last 5-6 years. It has happened not because home-grown companies developed a love for design and innovation but it is because the foreign companies started feeling the need to differentiate their products in the emerging economies. However, everyone is a winner in the scene that is unfolding now. Innovation frontiers are getting pushed for the better.

Keener and deeper understanding of emerging users is becoming a defacto method for new product development. Statistics, though being a backbone of any decision, has now found a competent partner in qualitative research methods. This rapidly changing scenario affected Onio in several ways.

ONE: Our team had to constantly remain under ‘hyper-learning mode’. I don’t understand how an established company in this field claim that they have a ‘process’ for innovation that is ‘tried and tested’ over decades. Knowledge gets obsolete faster than the computer chips! Our team had to struggle its way through the methods learnt at college which were antique at best, to grapple with emerging technologies, consumers, socio-cultural scenario, evolving clients, new tax regimes and often, far-off travel.

TWO: We realized that innovation is not a one-way process. It is not about hiring an agency, and ‘fill it, shut it, forget it’. It is about constantly working WITH the agency. Hence a good innovation project is about equally dependent capabilities of the ‘handler’ as much as the capabilities of the consulting team. Often we have seen mid-course corrections in the briefs. No word, even if coming from the head of the company, is sacrosanct, in a world dominated by consumer voice today. Working closely with all the stakeholders is the only reality.

THREE: There are no shortcuts on the hyper-busy route to innovation. Long experience, digital simulations, imported technology, media power, Chinese connections or an expat CEO- none can hasten the evolution of a winning idea. They can surely soften the impact of early failure but user insights, systems thinking and constant prototyping are some time-tested methods which take their own time.

FOUR: All it takes is ONE primed and energised mind to lead the light in the innovation projects. It may sound contradictory to co-creation, team work, collaboration etc. but it is not. In times of information hyper-flux, organised innovation is still a single-lead challenge only to be supported by other stakeholders. In order to cut the multiple options at a given point of time in the innovations process, real synthesis can only be precipitated by this one mind.

FIVE: Real innovation is only complete with beautiful looks. India, a country obsessed with ‘functionality’ and ‘value for money’ is often misread as a market that does not pay for ‘good looks’. Several failures of products like Renault’s Logan car and insights from several of our own researches prove that the Indian market gets over the initial flush of low price and decent functionality much faster than businesses think. Infact, ‘decent functionality with dashing looks’ (or DFDL) is my understanding for guiding the future innovations for ‘emerging markets’.

FINALLY: Fourteen years is all about a ‘new teenager in town’. In the world of modern design and innovation which has luminaries starting from Leonardo da Vinci, fourteen years are really nothing. Each day, new start-ups are being born out of new energy and confidence of emerging India. Everyday, new stories of ‘stay hungry, stay foolish’ are polishing new beautiful minds. Onio is a small flicker in the illumined new world of innovation. Innovation always makes some people live better lives, generates wealth for many and makes certain societies and countries stand up and be counted. Onio however, believes that it is time for a ‘balanced call now’. In the years to come, when the teenager takes a little walk around the town, hopefully he will mature into a fine human being who is compassionate, intelligent, courageous and forward looking.

(in pic: 14th Anniversary March of Onions)

Business design from the gut

2011-07-01T10:44:00.001+05:30

This was not for entrepreneurs going from A to B, but rather from B2B. A to B to Babes- Rajiv Bajaj’s brand formula for revival of Bajaj did seem to be the overall theme of the event called ‘Young Turks Conclave’. (Rajiv confessed that he secretly coined the word B2B for lifting Bajaj’s sagging image that time, to a desirable brand).

CNBC TV18 was celebrating 10 years of the programme ‘Young Turks Transformers’ (one of them did feature yours truly and Onio Design). Out of roughly 1000 people who featured on this programme, 250 turned up. The event was also graced by a rather eclectic mix of luminaries- Shiv Nadar- promoter of HCL Technologies, Narayana Murthy, Chairman Emeritus of Infosys, Malvinder Mohan Singh- Chairman of Fortis and Religare, Anurag Kashyap- film maker, Virendra-the Olympic Academy head and Jyotiraditya Scindia- the young politician. Taking advantage of the gathering Maserati and Ducati showcased the best from their stables being launched in India.

Well, after a long time, I felt educated in such a gathering. Shiv Nadar did send home the message that empires are built on the zenith of salesmanship. After all, a services company needs to have salesmen at the top. Malvinder and Jyotiraditya Scindia spoke verbose generalities of any foreign educated ‘born-with a-silver-spoon’ kind of profile. However Rajiv Bajaj was unusually pleasant. He started management-funda bashing and brought up a few key words which kept him oriented during the difficult times at Bajaj Auto and helped him prove his mettle. Presented below are some of the things which I picked up from Narayana Murthy’s and Rajiv Bajaj’s insightful discussions-

1. Adaptation: Darwin had already declared that it is not the most intelligent nor the strongest, but the species that is the most ADAPTABLE that survives. One of the most important learnings he shared behind this age-old axiom is that in order to remain adaptable, one needs to keep a modular back-up team. Rigid structures kill adaptability.

2. Alignment: ‘Brands manage themselves if defined clear and sharp’. It is easy to decipher the non-aligned energies if the brand focus is sharp.

3. Specialise & Sacrifice: This probably is the problem of all organically grown businesses. One day, they need to sit and take a call on what to retain and what to let go. Specialisation brings retention value, at the same time it also kills some part of the business which could have come your way. I can sense, why Rajiv is not keen on scooters. However, one should read between the lines that Bajaj may not remain the motorcycle brand but Pulsar may emerge as the motorcycle brand.

4. Respect: ‘Respect’ as the core value or the core goal of an enterprise can only emanate from the kinds of Mr. Narayana Murthy. He said, turnover and capitalisation based goals should give way to a goal like ‘respect’. If a company generates more wealth, employees get more wealth and get respect from the people around; they respect their seniors. If a company is seen doing something significant in the social responsibility domain then it generates respect in the society. Higher market capitalisation earns your respect in competitors and the government.

5. Courage: Mr. Murthy was talking of how he took a decision of setting up the office complex at ElectronicsCity, far away from Bangalore way back when the company’s turnover was Rs. 33crore and 20 crores were spent on this. He said, everyone, including the HR team was against the decision to go so far. His idea was simple- people get 8 hours of fresh air, better food, more space and hence better productivity. According to him it is NOW called a visionary step, but all it took was to have COURAGE to follow the instincts in the face of adverse opinions.

6. Simplify: ‘You must be able to speak the value offering in one simple sentence.’ If it takes too many lines and too many complex words to say, then you are really not focused. You brand message is fuzzy and soon you will be a commodity. Narayana Murthy’s advice on simplification of value offering was bang in line with Rajiv Bajaj’s advice on specialisation. Different wrappers, same chocolate...one coming from products company, other coming from a services company.

7. Will at a time: This one is what AnuragKashayp shared. How his fixation with CONTENT and not STAR POWER got him laurels, young fans, big offers but NO money. He shared how financers withdrew at the last moment from projects, putting unacceptable demands but he carried on using some borrowings from friends on day-to-day basis. Anurag was humble and spoke from the gut. He said, “After DevD’s success, I am being offered money to do DevD2 and DevD3, but that’s not I believe in.” Kudos to the strong beliefs and will power in the kinds of Anurag and Shekhar Kapurs of the world. They show us the way on how will power can transcend the establishment.

Lastly a confession from Narayana Murthy- it really feels scary sometimes, to give away a giant like Infosys into the next cadre’s hands, as Mr. Murthy confessed. He said that it was natural. Despite having seen success from so close and building up a structure that could take care of close to a lakh people working across the glo

Accessibility Deja-Vu

2011-06-28T14:54:00.002+05:30

“When you come near Hotel Mahableshwar, a large tilted building you would see on your right...a little ahead...”. I was interrupted “Manoj, we both are visually impaired, let me give the phone to our auto-rickshaw driver”. For the first time in my life, I realised that simple instruction to reach our office could have special needs.

Dr Homiyar walked in after some time, and the guard took him right up the staircase where I welcomed him and his companion into the conference room. Dr. Homiyar is a practicing physiotherapist at Ahmadabad and ACCESSIBILITY AND ACCESS TECHNOLOGY CONSULTANT at The Xavier’s Resource Centre for the Visually Challenged, Mumbai. Once settled Dr. Homiyar started talking of how digitalisation of gadgets is a bit inconsiderate for visually changed. Microwaves and Washing Machines don’t have features that can guide the visually challenged. Earlier, the specific knob shapes on the gadgets could give information on the job status, but since the invent of the touch screens, loaded with ‘fuzzy logic’ and multiple functionality, visually challenged are left with difficult situation. Only recently some gadgets did incorporate ‘speak’ options.

He did mention about the XVCRC (www.xvcrc.org) and the pioneering work it is doing in using technology to help visually challenged people lead a normal life. One of the things which we noticed was that neither him nor his companion was using the white stick, we usually see the blind men using. He happened to mention that there were people like him who are partially blind. His companion could see us somewhat but cannot put together the face in the brain. Partial blindness makes them look like normal people and they can go about doing things with little help. India alone has largest number of visually challenged people in the world, estimated to be nearly 2 Crore (20 million).

They also mentioned how ‘signs of pity’ and not ‘help’ upsets them. On an airport, they are offered ‘wheel-chair’ while they can perfectly walk up the staircase or escalator with little guidance.

Discussing about website: They said our website www.oniodesign.com is somewhat more ‘accessible’ than many others. How? He opened his laptop to show us the website. We started hearing different operation commands being spoken out by the software. Once the website opened, the software started speaking out different things wherever tab went. We did name each image on the website properly (alt tag). I was surprised to know that what is a good technique for Google search optimisation is also a good design thinking for accessibility. If the Image of the button ‘Contact Us’ has an alt-tag as ‘Contact-us’ then it will be SPOKEN by the speech software deployed on the machines, visually challenged people tends to use. But if the images are named as ‘button 23_c’, it garbles the entire website structure in their head.

I asked them if they faced any difficulty in walking up the two staircases while coming up. They said “ not much, though it would have been better if the railing could continue throughout, rather than pausing it at corners (architect probably saved some corner rounding of pipes in the railing). Also, if you could put a small rub-strip or matt-tile just before the stairs begin, we can sense the beginning of stairs.” That is an indication to the visually challenged that they must expect the staircase now. Change of tactile textures and shapes are such an important design element. But never did it occur to me in those deeper dimensions, till Dr. Homiyar articulated in the terms, designers and managers understand.

He talked of many other things, which I as a designer, was sensitized during studies at design school. However, things were left out in the hum-drum of ‘client briefs’. Now thinking back, forget about the Indian clients, even so called ‘mature economy’ clients also did really press on accessibility criterion at all; not even mentions. Constant mention from Dr. Homiyar was that visually challenged people just need a ‘little help’ from all, and especially from designers, who are creating products that hit the mass market. I was glad that I met him. I was sad that it had to take this long, and a personal visit by a visually challenged person himself, to open our eyes.

Design v/s Innovation, the emerging reality

2011-05-18T11:10:00.002+05:30

It has been simmering. But now, one can see the outward manifestation. While designers are promoting ‘design is about design thinking and visualising’, the business world is still not ready to comprehend the holistic nature of design thinking. Even those countries where the design profession has existed for a few generations are yet to take ‘design thinking’ to the board room, much less to talk of the emerging economies.

Fifteen years ago when Onio started as a garage start-up, we were understood as a company that will make things ‘look good’. Whether they would ‘work good’ also or not, was much of a concern for designers in those days. Making money would still be a call of the businessman and not of designer. So things were pretty simple and small. Briefs came from marketing, designers worked on it, took it to R&D for detailing and washed their handsoff the project.

Then we started getting involved in manufacturing viability studies for many of the product concepts we designed. In fact, the first product we designed for Godrej was ‘Home Security Door’, where we studied the manufacturing capabilities of the factory first before suggesting them ribbed-door panels that would take in adornments of other materials and thereby make the ‘locker like’ steel door, more homely. This stretched our engagement to months, bringing down the profits (being fixed cost model). But it did help propping up Onio as a company which could make things happen in real, against the backdrop of designers who just knew how to make things look good in computer renderings. Our engineering training was working to our advantage for a change.

However, this was not a lasting differentiator. Soon, there were many takers for this space. From engineering centred design companies like Tata Elxsi which were way bigger than us to in-house engineering teams to the prototyping agencies, they all completed the picture in a way, but also competed against each other. At this time Onio’s foray into trend research (which later on expanded into a full-fledged design research division) gave Onio an edge. Our understanding of the cultural nuances of India and the ability to conduct ethnographic research on varied topics like e-learning (for Microsoft) to brand strategy research across continents (for Secure Meters) to consumer products like refrigerators and washing machines (for Korean manufacturers), we have seen it all.

The practice today is well established and seamlessly gels with the industrial design team that takes the research ahead of insights to concepts and prototypes.Ethnography is now a done thing. Market research companies and other design companies today claim to conduct ethnographic research of some sorts. New trend of not restricting the research to one country and geography but thinking of global platforms for new products is now catching up.

Through it all, from design to design-research, I always felt a lack of vocabulary to explain the business world to what extent we could help them. People in the client teams also evolved in their profiles. From an R&D chief or design chief, to brand managers and category heads, the latest is product planning managers and innovation heads. Yes, ‘INNOVATION’ and not ‘DESIGN’ is the next vocabulary evolution.

From design industry’s standpoint, it is a non-move, but from industry standpoint it is a significant move. Tanishq, the Indian jewellery brand owned by Tatas has recently created a ‘Strategic Innovation’ department which is separate from the ‘design department’. DESIGN is now understood as being more about day-to-day new concepts which keep the yearly growth in place. ‘INNOVATION’ on the other hand is about looking ahead a few years and proposing alternative scenarios, insights and briefs which the design team can work upon.

Samsung is another global company to walk this route. They already have a design centre in India. But now a separate team looks into ‘innovation directions’. Most of the established auto companies have ‘advance design studios’ which work on concepts several years ahead of realisation. They conduct trend studies and look at emerging patterns of consumption. But now this ‘advance design’ thinking is coming to work for several other sectors who seem to have realised that there needs to be a semantic difference between day-to-day innovation and strategic innovation. Hence design has a sibling now - innovation. Purists are likely to laugh at it, but then there is ample business to be done.

Indian user's perspective on Tata Nano

2011-05-15T14:01:00.004+05:30

While we have been up-close to Nano even before it was launched, we got to drive it only yesterday. Internally, Onio had elaborate plans around customisation of the Nano car in several themes. We at one point were on the verge of jumping into this game.

I have been following the stories around Nano for long. Entire innovation story of the scooter carrying a family, need for different thinking on the packaging, supply chain innovation etc. has been in focus for quite some time. There was curiosity on the ‘khushiyonkichabi’, the key to happiness.

We drove the top-end version that comes with AC, central locking and fog lamps. Since it has a rear engine, it does not need power-steering. It was smooth without the power steering also. Front seat contouring, I must say has one of the best ergonomics for city driving, compared to many other cars which cost 10 times more than this.

Seats are simple with integrated headrest (lot of cost saving there), reasonably stiff and full lumbar support with sufficient thigh rest. High seating position anyway makes the ingress and egress comfortable. Starting the car is noisy. Engine sounds almost like an auto-rikshaw. Throughout the test drive, the engine sound gets a bit screened because of the fan and the street noise, yet not quite. The car is severely underpowered for the AC and ends up almost dragging with the AC on.

Without the AC also it seems to manage with some extra pressure on the accelerator. High head room does make it stand out from the compact Japanese proportions, which were never meant for the Indians. Small nifty steering and great AC (yes it really works in the May heat, better than some Skoda products), make a great swing combo.

Interior finish is average. The kind of styling thought that has gone on the outer styling, is almost absent inside. Side flaps showing out, seat racks barely welded together and rug ends visible all over, are some of the ‘stitched-up’ engineering works. Probably the designers were not involved in some stages of the engineering.

Lighter car that Nano is, along with frugally powered engine, it ends up giving you more than 20 km to a litre of petrol. And now when the petrol prices are headed northwards, (Rs. 68 a litre i.e. a Euro a litre, we are paying in dollars and euros for petrol, while still earning in rupees), it makes a great city vehicle to commute to and from the office.

Overall the car feels like a zingy, air conditioned, upgraded auto-rickshaw. When we are living amidst solidly built cars from Fiat, Skoda and Volkswagen, the feel of solidity is missing as everything appears thin and compromised.

External styling too, is meant to be ‘cute’ rather than ‘rugged and solid’ as an average Indian would like it. Too much inspiration from Smart Ka or Matiz or Zen Estilo or other contemporary metaphors, could be bad.

I won’tbe surprised if rural India is not impressed with the vehicle which appears to be more of a city entity.However, as a design thinker I am aware what it means to bring a breakthrough product. Tata Motors would have collected sufficient user feedback by now and must have already prepared the ver-2 of Nano. It does represent the enterprising and bubbling spirit of India that is raring to go global. I pray that the next version would deliver all that I mentioned beyond what regular auto columnists write and deliver a globetrotting product.

‘SENSATION DUMPING’ v/s INSPIRATION

2011-05-06T18:29:00.001+05:30

How do you generate ideas? A young engineer walked up to me today while working on one of the current assignments on LED luminaire design. Apparently, he got stuck after a few concepts. He was the one who had read many books on creativity including the Six Thinking Hats of Edwardde Bono. However, when I asked him, “didn’t this book teach you generating new ideas?” his answer was that reading the book was okay, but once it comes to application, it really is a different ball game.After listening to the tonality and earnestness in his plea, I articulated the following-

One of the problems we are facing in today’s generation is too much of ‘sensation info dumping’ i.e. too much of passive watching of TED talks, designer sites, YouTube videos filled with some gimmicks, reading too much of sensational news etc. It is like Coke which gives a tongue tingling sensation for a second and does no good to the body. Themind downloads tonnes of visual data that an average person goes through every day. But there is little time for churning and internalising.

Just reflect how many times we felt a pressing question inside, which made us look up the Internet or ask someone else. Most of the time it is either a direct work-related search or ‘sensation dumping’ as articulated earlier. After we watch a new promo online, which has exquisite shape or feature, how many of us actually discuss it, or write about it, or try connecting it to other knowledge bits that we have stored in our mind? Mostly when we ask our designers to update themselves with the latest trends and happenings, they take it as a license to browse all the sensational stuff, without really a scholastic internalisation. There is synthesis and hence no genuine urge to question and seek more. Thus the whole exercise of updating may end up in superfluous information dumping which is of no real use while ideating.

For generating new ideas, it is important to see the entire situation from several independent points of view and then connecting the dots. We should draw from several seemingly unconnected domains, experiences, memories, businesses, products and messages. My advice for this creative phase is to imagine ourselves in a palace with multiple rooms. Each room hides a specialist’s workshop. We must work with each of them quickly to synthesise a new idea and get out. Don’t forget to close the door.

For example, thinking of a new idea for a bottle, one can start thinking about a famous monument like the Taj Mahal. Then you are inside one of the rooms within, with the sculptor who made it. He is thinking of marble, elegance, whites, ornamentation, memories, Arabic calligraphy etc. Once you generate some ideas around it, close this door and let it not disturb your thought train once you enter the next room, which could be that of a ‘space shuttle’.

This room would be all techno, loaded with ceramic layers, compacted structures, aluminium composites, nutrients in tubes, floating exercises, shoes with grippers etc. These two rooms build two totally different inspirations. The two sets of ideas thus generated should look invariably different. Idea of closing the ‘doors’ is to prevent ‘cross breeding’ at this stage. Once all such ideas are sketched or put on paper, it is time to look at them in one glance and try cross-breeding for the next round.

If this structure is not followed, the result is that people fall in love with one or two of their ideas and keep chewing the cud over that. They infact become obsessed with it over time and lose the objectivity in the critical initial stages. It is worst if the idea was the boss’ own.

Thus a training of multi-door thinking and cross-connecting can make anyone a ‘creative’ individual in daily as well as professional lives. It really does not require a professional degree to ‘think creatively’ and yet follow it up with conviction.

Raising the Design Bar, on Cars

2011-04-07T15:15:00.001+05:30

For the last few days, I have been clued on to entry level luxury cars. Trying to test drive the cars present in the Indian market has been an enriching experience. Some bare facts which are hard to ignore, come to the fore-

Marginal utility reduces after the entry level sedan. The basic features which are being packed in a Rs. 5 Lakh (USD 11000) car (Toyota Etios, Ford Ikon etc.) are great for a city ride. The extra real estate, safety features and comfort features which you get by paying thrice over or multiple times the price are really not worth it. As far as performance is concerned, do I really care, as an Indian consumer, in how many seconds the car will reach top speed? Speaking of safety features, all we get to hear is ABS and airbags. Thankfully, the base models in luxury segment have the air-con, power windows, music player, central locking and even ABS. But it comes to the upper model; one gets airbags, alloy wheels and fog lamps. One does not get air bags for all the seats. Only front passengers are protected. In a situation where usually a chauffeur is driving, imagine the 'safety money' being paid not for you, but for the chauffeur.

Sheet metal thickness does not really change for higher models. That changes only from manufacturer to manufacturer. Skoda uses thicker gauge sheet metal that Honda and Toyota (?). All said and done about the airbags, I think in the Indian situation, thicker sheet-metal for the cabin still has more utility and safety value.

Coming to ride quality, driving Skoda Laura or Superb does not really give you a smooth ride at the rear as Honda Civic can. I get to hear that German car makers believe in 'harder suspension' while Japanese believe in 'softer suspension'. Do I care what they believe in? I need a quality of ride that matches the thousands of dollars being spent over and above my current entry level sedan.

We worked with Volkswagen around five years ago on conducting ethnographic and trend research studies with respect to car users in India. I guess other companies were also conducting huge research on understanding Indian consumers at around the same time. However, it is sad to see that the rear seat features have not been designed for Indian users. Etios did turn both the air-con ducts in the centre to one side so that the rear seat gets better draft. Etios also introduced more leg-space for the rear seat users. However, such basic needs have not been met by any of the luxury car manufacturers, leave aside 'engaging the kids', 'food serving', laptop-station, car-health dash-board at the rear kind of features.

Let's look at another side of luxury evolution- While leather upholstery is sure shot 'luxury', what about 'seat belt height adjustment'. Is this luxury? This is a basic necessity. Why can't this be made mandatory? I really can’t understand if it takes a huge amount of product cost to provide extra compartment on the roof to keep goggles, bills etc. Extra glove space which Etios has managed to offer is really a luxury. The average Indian is not a business traveller. Average moneyed consumers in India travel with a lot of luggage, including food. More compartments are always welcome. Tata Aria has provided (I think) 6 overhead storage compartments. Great! Hopefully this need for more in-cabin storage will be understood by the luxury car segment, beyond the boot (which is empty 80% of the time).

Yesterday I happened to attend a guest lecture by Prof. Elmer Van Grondelle, head of advance automotive design, Delft University. Prof. Elmer's direct and insightful analysis of current auto-styling trends actually brought home the same point in styling as well. 'Poverty' of ideas and individual interpretation v/s best practices is what he talked about. He talked about the exchange of platforms, technologies, packaging between the car manufacturers which is leading to increasingly similar cars across segments and geographies. He also talked about 'stupid' inventions in luxury cars like 'rain sensor on the wind-shield', which starts the wiper automatically. Lines criss-crossing, unaware of the brand legacy, simplicity, optimisation of production process for the sake of earth...car design today is hitting blindly all around; something is not right in the way car design and planning is taking shape.

Another important point before leaving this discussion-

Interaction experience at dealerships: One of the dealers in Pune recently switched from Tata Motors to Volkswagen. I imagined a pleasant and efficient change in the people who earlier used to handle a local but powerful Tata brand. But surprisingly, it wasn’t to be! Car models are easier to change than the people's mind-set. By far, Toyota dealership presented the most comforting and personalized experience. India will catch-up fast in product design and brand promises, but design of service and living the promise in brand experience will be the harder task to deal with.

Innovation that India really needs- A Few Questions

2011-03-12T12:58:00.001+05:30

The world cries sustainability. India has just begun. The world consumes 400 kg process iron per person per year and 40 kg plastic per person per year. India consumes just 10% of both of these. Even China is far ahead in consumption. The world over, design companies, marketing companies and consumer R& D departments are focussed on bringing the GREEN agenda to consumption. Should that be the sole focus of new products in India?

The world's leading companies operating in India or planning to enter India are looking for Indian nuances of innovation. India has gone through the phases of 'closed economy'- only Indian products (Ambassador) to 'residual economy'- (Dumping in the Indian market, whatever is out-dated elsewhere), to 'At par Economy' (launch new products in India simultaneously-like A-Star of Suzuki), to 'India first Economy' (Toyota Etios). More and more companies are pouring millions of dollars to figureout the real needs of Indian consumers, beyond the apparent glamour of 'foreign brands'. ‘Indian usability and Indian aesthetics’, though still REFUTED by our very own Indian companies, are the terms doing the rounds in the marketing strategies of foreign companies focussed on India.

A simple case is that of the water purifier- Aqua Guard is now a household name. Kent introduced the RO system to Indian consumers. Unilever joined the water purification bandwagon with cheaper 'Pureit'. Tata found an age old formula which costs nothing (ashes of rise husk) to kill the bacteria in water and made 'Swach'. While technologies have come full circle, the consumers' task flow' or how people actually drink water, is still an untouched area. Not to talk about traditional beliefs and science of using 'copper' and 'tulsi' as additives for building bettera immune system. Aesthetics of the products is a different story altogether. Modular kitchen is now almost invariably filled with consumer durables and gadgets. Is there a place for Indian aesthetics here?

Infrastructure too, is changing at a fast pace now. Bridges to roads, to hospitals to modern offices to malls- India is changing, though at a more sedate pace than the way China changed so far. Korea did it many years back. USA did it almost half a century back. 'BEST PRACTICES' is the formula being applied everywhere in this sector. Since the West has done all this already, we just copy the formula of specifications, project management, even team constitution and the resulting aesthetics. Everything is being replicated to the last detail. Large residential complexes in cities give you a sense of déjà vu .You could be located anywhere else in the world. An oddity in the scheme of things is probably a 'temple' in the residential complex, which is surely not a 'best practice' from the West. However, some details are omitted - universal design- for the elderly, disabled and children. It costs extra money to provide anti-slip tiles in bathrooms, to build ramps all over, provide hand rails for support in the walkways, provide clear signages, build dedicated lanes for pedestrians and build emergency response systems for the aged. A society racing to out-do the West is caught in the half-baked recipe of its current generation. Do we need to talk of Indian aesthetics still?

Outsiders consider India to be exotic, full of mysteries, diverse and colourful. However, our research recently showed that the average Indian is moving towards pastels in colour preferences. Rural India is imagined to be the one consuming the ‘cheapest', 'low- tech' and 'jugaad' products. However, research is showing something else. 'Cheap copies' of branded products that retail giants pass of under their so-called private labels, is a short-lived phenomenon. Indian consumers are coming back to the ‘around-the-corner’ shops again; they have certainly not died out. McDonald’s and vada-pavstill co-exist, and the market is still growing for both of them. 'Standardised' v/s customised is also co-existing. Local FM radio jockeys now speak in three languages at a time- Hindi, English and a regional language. Indian companies are acquiring companies abroad, changing the identities and bringing ex-pat CEOs.Their identities are being designed by foreign design studios, to be consumed by Indian consumers and yet, the responses on the call centres they run have the same apathetic, optimised for efficiency replies. Indian government is taking a progressive stance on RTE (Right to Education) and making sure that education becomes inclusive, while also hob-knobbing with idea of caste based reservation in higher education and private jobs.

There is an innovation delirium the country is passing through. Japan was just hit by an earthquake and a lot was lost due to the tsunami that followed. I reality though, much was actually saved due to the high preparedness levels of that society as a whole. It is not technology alone. A SYSTEMS THINKING approach along with die-hard attitude for perfection are two panaceas to emerge wiser and saner in this 'fuzzy front end'. Those with half-baked recipes referred from the west, past or the immediate are likely to go groggy soon.

The Last Mile..

2011-01-06T20:48:00.000+05:30

Three stories of missing last mile in India today...

Expectations started building up as the driver drove me to Terminal 3. Wide approach road, huge landscaped garden in between, beautifully done traffic island and a huge parking facility already announced that it is going to be a world class airport experience. Though Bangalore, Mumbai and Hyderabad have already transformed themselves, this one is probably the best.

Check-in queue is long and the guy behind me always ends up knocking at my shoe. He seems to be in a hurry to go past, and this is not new in India. I had to turn around more than once to make him notice that there was an issue! Security check is not without arguments still. No strict rules prevail. There are negotiations and interpretations. In the West, no security officer really listens. India is warm. Modelling clay sample in my bag aroused suspicions. I had to return to the checking counter and get the handbag checked in.

Departure lounge is better than the one at Terminal 1, which also is quite state-of-the-art though. Treatment of islands is better. Passenger seating is now equipped with charging point on every cluster of seats. There are more clusters of individual working stations, where a single person can work on a laptop. Amidst the regular branded shops of pens, perfumes, cosmetics and electronics, what attracted my eyes was a Haldirams’ outlet, which resembles more of an accessory retail counter. I could literally see watches being sold there rather than sweets and humble namkeen. The Indian touch was present only on a poster at the entrance. Dilli chat arena was surely trying to speak a modern ‘Indian’ design language. Elements picked-up from images of the ubiquitous auto rickshaw to nukkad-lamppost and saturated colour palette with some informal font were trying to be as international as it was trying to be Indian.
I could not locate the GATES sign in the first glance. Once I spotted it, the large beige carpeted walkway did indicate a longish walk ahead to the aeroplane. There were indicators to ‘walkalator’. People did get confused on what it was meant to be. A large empty expanse of walking area without any visual break does remind me that I am probably in a European country where visual culture is all about visual stillness, empty grounds and a ‘little accent’. Inherently minimalist!

At gate 37B, I saw a man running and almost out of breath as the final call for boarding was already made. He was trying to explain the reason and the attendant was calmly swiping his boarding card as if telling him that this was nothing new for her! As the man was muttering something to include me in the conversation, he ran ahead of me into another long walk to the aerobridge. Half through the aerobridge and yet another security check; this man happily produced the boarding card. He was still gasping from his long run to this place. And lo and behold! He did not have a stamp on his hand-luggage card. He was sent back for scanning the luggage again…he argued… negotiated even.

In developed countries, once you clear the security check, there is no further check. The whole system has to be made so fool-proof that there is no need for repeating an activity. India has already built beautiful and international airports all around. However, certain flawed service flows prevail. I moved ahead for the final of the final check of my boarding card right at the gate. I could still hear the arguments at the other end of aerobridge.
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Delhi is now splattered with flyovers and ‘metro-pillars’. Metro train service is something that was a jewel in the crown for Kolkata, no so long ago. Now this honour is with Delhi also. Metro pillars are now become the landmarks for providing directions to guests. Far flung areas like Rohini are now suddenly become liveable and costly at the same time. Malls are springing around the metro stations. There is now a ‘ladies only’ coach in each train. Mumbai had such segregations since a long time. However, it is something new in Delhi.

I also got to know of 'ladies only' autorickshaws operating in Delhi. Lady passengers and lady drivers as well; an interesting development for the capital city which is also infamous as India's crime capital and reports frequent women-centric crimes.
“Have you travelled by the Metro to the city, with kids…. I mean in ladies compartment?”

I asked my sister who lives in Rohini and whose extended family has really claimed to have benefitted from the Metro connecting Rohini to city.
“Actually no”; she said with a pause.
“First you have to go out of the housing complex and look for a cycle-rickshaw (there are no autos there), to reach the Metro station. Then, once you alight from the fast and efficient ride of the Metro at CP or any other station, you again have to haggle with other autos /rickshaw to travel to the actual point.”

So for simple shopping in Karol Bagh area, she would still prefer to use her car point-to-point. City gets the Metro, but last mile connectivity is still to be travelled.
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Café-coffee-day is now a favourite meeting spot in cities. They are known to let you sit-in for hours together without really consuming anything significant. New age costly coffee and the happening ambience have seemingly made it a much sought-after café brand.
I entered the café on Janpath, which was suggested by the person I was meeting with. It is rather spacious with a huge ceiling. I settle in and greet the person who is waiting for me. I started talking and I realised that music is too loud to have a proper business conversation. I asked the staff to reduce the volume and they actually did it. However, there was a high pitch noise of the mixer from the kitchen counter and I really had nothing to say about it. I changed my seat. Next, I had to place an order. I could see the waiters conversing between themselves; giggling, and probably making some snide remarks about some other table, but none looking my side.
Finally we walked up to the counter and placed an order for a few things to eat in. We settled ourselves back at our table. Music was loud again. We were sort of helpless. Food arrived, but packed. It was meant to be consumed here, I protested in vain.
Well, everything about Café-coffee day is excellent, but for the last few steps to the consumer experience.

And India has 'miles to go before the leap’!

On corporate and product semiotics in India

2010-11-27T11:22:00.001+05:30

Semantics, in the field of branding is not new to Indian businesses. The science of ‘meaning’ has been around for quite some time as ad agencies, corporate communication departments and brand strategists across the world have pored over this subject. To a certain extent, even ‘services’ have been under the knife in implementing brand semantics. However, thinking of semantics for ‘products’ is a new phenomenon.

What makes an Apple product so distinctly Apple? What is the ‘Volvo-ness’ in Volvo vehicles? What is the common thread running through Tommy Hilfiger fashion-line and the accessories? One does encounter these questions every now and then in the design space. The good news is that more and more large Indian businesses are becoming aware of the implications of semantics first and then semiotics.

Semiotics is the broader umbrella in studying the science of meanings/indications/symbols within the products firstly as category signifiers and also as brand signifiers. If we look at the Raga series of watches from Titan - there is a women’s watch ‘category shape/symbol/code’ in the watch while there should also be a ‘Titan’ brand shape/symbol/code/visual elements present in the watch. I am saying ‘should be’ because most of the companies currently do not have a consistent thought on these subjects. In the tumultuous growth of the last decade, Indian companies never had the time to sit back and take notice of this ‘identity’ language for their products. As opportunities opened up, managers were busy cashing-in on them, year after year, chasing top-line strategies.

Thinking of brand semiotics is a matter of the restful mind, taking a keen look at things around like a diligent and caring grandmother weaving children’s woollens. At the turn of the first decade of the twenty-first century, we are at the threshold of ‘semiotics’ revolution in the country. Several home grown auto giants, consumer durables companies, lifestyle and accessory companies who Onio has worked with or has been in touch with, are looking for semiotic structuring.

They have seen their product portfolios growing into humongous proportions year after year, catering to different market segments, price points and several platforms too have fallen in place, but none communicating the ‘characteristic’ feel of that brand or company. Indian design is searching for an identity, for a change outside the academia now. Onio’s design research division OnioNxt works on semiotics under what we call the ‘design structuring paradigm’ which encompasses brand architecture as well.

Whilst thinkers are many, implementers somehow are rare. As usual, they hunt for a costly but ‘safe’ (as they put it), foreign consultant (who may or may not understand what India and Indian consumers are all about). These clients pay through their noses to get the top level ‘expert’ on to the company premises, who will do ‘the strategic consulting’ for the company at 33,000 feet and fly back at the same height!

It is left to the company’s managers to interpret the words of wisdom on to real situations. We were recently a part of one such meeting where we were called in to interpret the semiotic guidelines left behind by one such consultant. Company brand stands for optimism and legacy. Products, the company makes are worth a rainbow.

The meeting started close to one and half hour later although it was planned 3 weeks in advance. Meanwhile the junior, who was our contact point, explained to us how grand and spectacular the work has been done by the foreign consultant and Indian companies are nowhere close to it.
Chief of the division came in with a laptop open, and apologised for the delay but also added that he would have liked the junior to start off this session anyway. Other team members (who were mentioned in the email sent to us) were absent from the meeting (‘they are busy’, we were told). One gentleman who walked in - sleepy eyed - refused to share his visiting card, and after a lot of apparent discomfort rattled out his name. He slumped into the chair and dozed off in a few minutes.

We continued our presentation to the chief who was working on the laptop simultaneously and only occasionally lifted his eyes to look at the presentation and making some comments which were more out of his own experiences rather than commenting on what is really being presented. Sometime generic remarks on ‘how agencies work’ were sprinkled in the conversation (if at all). The meeting somehow ended with the slamming down of my laptop, as the ‘semiotics’ of that meeting were becoming unbearable for us.

We thanked them for inviting us for their time and invitation. Semiotics has started taking shape in India. So near, yet so far!

WHAT REALLY IS NEEDED TO MAKE A PRODUCT /BRAND WORK IN ASIA?

2010-10-21T10:58:00.000+05:30

A friend of mine, working for an MNC asked for some help in preparing a presentation on marketing strategy for Asia. He knows that at Onio we have been working on Innovation & Brand strategy consulting for many international companies entering India currently. He just happened to ask for this friendly help, sitting in his office in Singapore. His initial thought, which he sent to me were sketchy and mostly clichéd i.e. Asian’s like ‘foreign brands’, ‘foreign technology’ but ‘local messaging’, and ‘local customisation’ etc. etc.

This set me thinking, on how can I capture a succinct reply to this question from Onio’s stand point, driving into several thousands of interactions we have done in past with consumers and business leaders over last few years.

Here is my view-

3Ds of success in Asia : DESIGN & DISTRIBUTION & DIALOGING.
When the market is just about opening up for a category, distribution is a key. Without visibility of the sales and service counters nearby, no consumer puts any value to huge hoardings installed for him, nor does he care for any star endorsements in the million dollar ads. FIAT’s success in India started with correcting this D, through tie-up with Tatas. Tommy Hilfiger is riding on Titan watches. Nissan is riding on Mahindra’s network. Hyundayi is surely a pioneer for replicating Maruti’s network strength all on its own.

Other D is for good design. Good design takes care of not only the right aesthetics, as commonly understood, but also the right ergonomics, usage of right materials keeping in mind the local sensitivities, right surface finishes and graphics, right amount of technology (need not be latest) right packaging, right interactions with consumers etc. etc. When we say, localization- It is important to understand that what elements actually need to be localized and what should be left as it is, because consumers today, are almost becoming global consumers. Their aspirations are more and more global aspirations. Hence there is always a danger of OVER-INTERPRETATION’ of what local sensibilities mean. Conducting a DESIGN RESEARCH or ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH apart from conventional statistical research is a step in this direction. Understanding INSIGHTS beyond DATA and converting those, into a right PRODUCT is a game lesser understood that people would like to believe.

Third D is about dialoguing with consumers. No brand arrogance, no premium tag, no amount of ‘holier than thou’ attitude actually works in the middle stratas of the consumers. Brands like Mercedes also had to tweak their marketing strategies in India, in favour of the local dynamics. In spite of being in India for more than a decade when it came to launching the luxury buses, Mercedes realized that they will have to proactively persuade, facilitate loans, educate the buyers on ROI and take care of training to their employees. No one walks into a Mercedes showroom with a bag full of notes, just because it is what it is. Thus a dialogue with the prospective consumers/stakeholders is an important part which has to happen, top-down within the organisation.

Dialoguing is a bigger phenomenon than a few consumer interactions. It is a continuous engagement process. It has bigger cultural connotation within the organisation than only externally oriented mandate of listening to customers. For a multi-cultural organisation trying to make a dent in Asian market, it is important that there is a heavier emphasis on building a culture of learning to respect mutual cultural backgrounds. Every employee is a potential marketer for the company. Positive energy created by the employees goes a long way in enhancing the top line in not-so-visible ways. So apart from market focused 3Ds of success in Asia, a check on internal 3Ds is equally important.

Driving an Ambassador

2010-10-11T12:14:00.004+05:30

Amidst the growing aspirations for speed, fun and style I got to drive an Ambassador car yesterday. This was one of the top end models the company is producing. To tell you frankly, till two months back, I wasn’t aware that company is producing mind-boggling number of cars (1000 a month to be precise) still. I thought they had long closed the shop.

The ‘white elephant’, the first thought that came to my mind when I opened the door lock of the brand new car standing in our garage. The overall height was almost matching my own and the generous curvature of the roof dome enhanced the feeling its large presence. Door opens on pulling the handle towards you, rather than the nudge which most of the cars need (some don’t even need that).

Roof is solid iron. My current car is not even half as solid. If I thump it on top, I am sure my current car (Ford) is likely to get a dent. But here, this solid one piece deep-forged roof is tough enough to bear a few rolls of the car without blinking. I had heard people saying that Ambassador is solid but never got to to check that fact.

For most of the people in India, collapsible parts in the car or crush-zones or airbags have no or little meaning. They think that all these things are meant for the western countries where you drive at 80-100 km an hour on the city roads. Here in India, where traffic literally crawls, Ambassador’s solid construction inspires a better ‘sense of safety’ as no car can afford to harm it.

Anyways, when I took it out on road, I felt that I am sitting much higher than many other car drivers. Higher seating gives a sense of command and poise bordering road arrogance which only costly SUVs exude. Streamlined, foreign built, ground kissing cars which cost a fortune actually appear fragile and ‘char din ka chand’ to an Indian eye. I did manage to get some curious glances at the car. In city of Pune, where this car is almost extinct, a normal guy driving a brand new Ambassador is bit of an oddity.

I had imagined that since the shape has not changed for last 50 years, the pick-up and the rev of the car would be ancient at best. But, to my surprise, engine is powerful and pick-up was not something I should complain about, though the accelerator pedal seems to have issues. It almost behaved like the one on the truck.

Taking U-turn on the road was likely to be a test for the maneuverability of the car. And while doing that, I was thinking of my parking space at home, which requires me to slot the car in a tight spot in reverse. However, to my surprise both the tasks did not pose any greater challenge that my current car.

High head-room did give a feeling of great comfort. Anything that provides more breathing space and extra air-buffer is welcome in these polluted cities. While small car or no car does strike some chord in my head, yet come to think of it who wants to deny a luxury of little more space?
One of the thing strikes me is that for driving a larger vehicle don’t we expect certain heavier action anyways? Some things should rather be slower and not try to compete with the suave and nifty new age cars. Ford is known for its power steering which gives a realistic and not super-natural feel. Hyundai on the other hand, does vice-versa. I would rather expect something on the Ford side for this car. Race today is not towards the fastest, but towards to the most elegant as well. For this mid-aged elegance, I am sure there would be more younger suitors than I can imagine!

Trends in Retail: A Home coming Ahead

2010-10-10T08:00:00.003+05:30

Retailing in India has reached the pleatau of its first surge. In 2005 when the mall revolution had just begun, going to a mall was like a celebration. Cool air conditioned spaces provided a great respite to heat-weary consumers, who would take to mall with all their fmaily and friends as if going to a market on Diwali. Lots of song and dance, tasty treats and eyeful of foreign brands in aluminium clad malls was enough to keep them glued to the malls, whether they shopped or not. Big-Bazaar helped cracking the mall-code for the average middle-class as well. People thronged for the ’Sabse sasta din’ kind of innovative campaigns. Reliance and Big-Bazaar gang made the consumers habitual to seeing the end-tally discount on their bills. Luxury malls are trickling in, though slowed down a bit in the recent years.

Wall Mart, Carrefour are sitting on the fence and one never knows how big and wide would they open thier carpet. The question now lingers on is for the local retail chains who are trying to stand on their own feet despiten the heat from the biggies. Is there a redemption for them? Can the turn the tables on the biggies in innovative expeirennce, regionalised palettes, lower cost of operations and more personalised shopping? Can they prove to be more agile in responding to ever changing consumer of India, and keep pace with mega-trends? Here are some of my thoughts on these. They may or may not reflect Onio Design’s point of view on emerging retail scenario in India.

Let’s look at some of the mega-trends touching the retail sector:

EASY MY LIFE: Hectic pace of life and complex web of everyday activities tire the mind and body. Consumer are looking for guiding principle, humanised technology and pauses in the everyday paradigm. What was a USP once upon a time- more choices- is leading to a problem- choice fatigue today. Go to CENTRAL (of Future Group) and one can see how brands after brands are packed together in a claustrophobic space with little or no distance for yourself. If a consumer is looking a decent quality of shirt and not brand savvy, then rummaging through the ’brand stands’ could be quite a task. Even if he/she picked up a shirt from a certain brand stand, looking for a matching trouser in the other brands could be quite a fatigue, especially if it is a weekend and you happened to be there in the evening. Most of the stores and malls take references from the western designs who actually have no clue of what a crowd could be in one store in India.

So passive consumer guidance is the new direction. Studies have shown that Asian consumers don’t like the overactive salesmen. They just want the help ’around the corner’, not over the neck. How can the Indian origin departmental stores and malls, provide a consumption guide to the dazzled consumer? Can there be a sitting space for the tired consumer somewhere in the store?

HOME COMING: In the first wave of modernisation, Hotels were the trend setters. More and more people who traveled abroad, brought back the memories of the hotels and airport lounges they stayed in. Offices were set-up picking up elements of hotels and restaurants. As the youth, coming from middle class backgrounds, entered these hotel-offices, they carried the images to recreate the homes they lived in. And lo behold- homes look like offices or hotels. Malls and departmental store, built in this first wave resembled the airport shops/malls, with highly industrialized look and cold feel. Now there is a vaccuum of one feeling- HOME. FabIndia is read it well. Warm, woody, rich feel of comfort reminds us of a natural comfort and provides a good visual break from industrial kitsch. For departmental stores and malls, the next move could be a ’home coming’ with high standards of ergonomics and design. Expect more regional palettes to come at play with conjunction with security, lighting and other technologies.

FLUID BOUNDARIES: Ikea uses an interesting phenomenon in its stores. By the time a consumer has finished looking at kitchen products and moved to bedroom, there would be some bin or some rack in the bedroom product area which again brings some of the kitchen elements. Reason is simple. Human mind records the visuals but cannot take the buying decision immediately. Hence if a reminder is gently pushed in front of it, mind precipitates the descision. More so, Indian mind is like a mosaic compared to the western mind, which rather reacts like a canvass and one picture. In the mosaic, the Indian consumer is able to fit divergent ideas and images at a time. Visiting a store with strongly partitioned categories is actually an underutilisation of the Indian consumers’ decision capacities. On the trend side, we see the borders between different disciplines crashing. Probably there is some new mix of product categories, which is yet to be explored and a detailed ethnographic research can throw the answers in favor of smaller retailers, as they can manage the supply-chain and display more effectively.

PERSONALISATION: A megatrend, still not hit its peak, is a sure direction in retail. High end personal shoppers is not no more a freak phenomenon in India. It is time to make this accessible to all those who can afford a bit of luxury for some extra money spend. Long queues for billing is not so uncommon during the rush hours. Repeat purchases of the a particualr brand again is not very difficult to track when most stores have loyalty card programme in place. There is a lot of room for some extra consideration and guidance which costs literally nothing and provides much richer consumer experience.

SENSORIAL ENGAGEMENT: Speaking newspaper was a hit when recently Volkaswagen carried a one pager ad with a speaking chip built into it. Rsearch on Asian consumers has proved that ’experience’ is a puller from India to Indonesia. Consumers are not looking at ’brands’ alone. They are looking at the ’experience’ brand provides within a store. There is much more to a store than just aggregating the brand-stands and earning by square feet. The game is tilting towards discretionery consumer and not towards ’variety horders’. Sensorial engagement of the consumer is likely to be an important key int he hands of the next league of retailers.

It rains in July

2010-08-08T13:56:00.004+05:30

It is a scorching sun in April and May. Even though the corporate budgets are usually sanctioned by March every year, they start spending them only by the rainy season. Every year we look forward to the monsoon in Pune as it changes the entire landscape to a lush green countryside. People start talking of treks and outings. Amidst heavy traffic, messy roads, absence of the sun and a lot of work at hand, we forget which day of the week is it. Occasional walks out of the office for a hot vada-pav (Very Indian potato filled counterpart of hamburger), and a hot masala tea is usually rejuvenating, just like calls from old clients and contacts who suddenly start resurfacing around this time. Every year we run into a dilemma of increasing our manpower muscle for this period or rather stay lean for the drier times of the year.
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This year appears to be special. There is a lot of positive design news around the corner. India has got a ‘designed’ symbol for the rupee. It is a sign of India’s emerging status in the world economy. It is a great sign too that the symbol has been designed within the country and not farmed out to a fancy firm in UK or USA. Though personally I think this symbol may need revision soon. The usual ornamental/curvy nature of Indian aesthetics is missing from the current symbol along with visual solidity that I would like to imagine in a currency symbol. This entire exercise has brought Indian design and specially FONT design for Indian language in focus for sure. My friend Hashim P M (owner of Design Difference), a trained computer engineer-turned-communication designer-turned font designer would look forward to this new focus on the Indian economy.

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Onio completed 13 years on the 14th of July. I got married to Onio and to Sonali the same day. What is thirteen years for an upcoming company in an upcoming profession in an upcoming country? Sometimes it takes several generations to make a dent that the world can notice. No, I know of exceptions like Infosys. But that is an exception. In thirteen years we have seen two deep slowdowns and survived. We undertook several tangent steps in these years that creative services company would rather not take. One of them was of taking in an active partner along with taking in strategic investments and successfully managing the share buy-back after three years. An immense amount of personal and organisational learning happened which has really prepared us for bigger leaps in future.

Another one was successfully running a KPO in design visualisation services, which is usually scorned upon in the design community. However, Onio has learnt better structured and process oriented delivery apart from a lot of learning on communication management. Creative services and structured delivery normally don’t see eye-to-eye.

My efforts in breaching the logjam of ‘design being something that ‘designers’ do in design studio and strategic decisions are taken by managers’ seem to be bearing fruit. Trend Research was something that caught my fancy a few years ago as one of the tools to attract the corporate mind. Scenarios for future, was anyway a passion for me. However, futurology per se was something that corporate clients were not ready to pay for in these years. Hence trends were something more tangible, immediate and strategic visualisation that went ahead with has paid dividends. Our recent assignments with super large consumer product companies in strategic trend research, across Indian shores, have been an exhilarating experience for Onio team. With these assignments we seem to be entering a new phase of Design practice which is in some ways a pioneering step for us as a country.

Last week the mainstream business newspaper, The Economic Times carried a special feature article on Onio (www.oniodesign.com/news), as a leading company using Design Thinking for corporate business strategy. Our work on Secure Meters’ Brand Integration strategy, using Corporate Ethnography was celebrated on the masthead of the newspaper. This was surely a happy moment for me personally and for Onio. But beyond this, it was also a proud moment for the entire design community seeking recognition in the business circuit worldwide. Core77, the international design portal immediately snapped up this news and put this on their front page. Although, these are still tiny specs in recognition of the universe of creative thinking that a nation may need, yet my brand strategy mind says that more ‘touch points’ would always help take the cause ahead.

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A large manufacturing led consumer product Indian brand is trying to adopt Design as a differentiator. Conversations with the senior management, after they sat through our research methodology presentations were quite revealing. They constantly kept talking about Colour, Material and Finish rather than the product innovation overall. “Changing product has serious implications on our assembly line, our vendor base readiness and the commoditised pricing in this market”. This made me wonder on what could be the driver for their sudden love for CMF, when they claimed to be number one in market already?

“It is the brand at number five, market share wise; they have much brighter and attractive colour options compared to us. They are not at the top in market share but number one in mind share and we better worry about that”. Design, has to make a beginning somewhere.

Brand Crafting: How does a design strategy company fare better than a marketing/brand consultant

2010-06-29T11:18:00.004+05:30

My blog posts seem to emanate from some questions, to which I did not have an immediate answers. I found it better to think for a while and pen them down. This one is another chip in the same block. Yesterday, a leading newspaper approached us on elaborating the work we did for Secure Meters - Brand Transition Research and Re-branding. Onio has been working with Secure Meters for quite some time now, not on product design but rather on brand strategy.

Secure Meters is one of the leading home grown energy metering companies which has acquired companies across the world and is developing cutting-edge technologies on the energy metering front. Each of the acquired companies, though working in the same domain, had a different brand name and geographical reach. This posed a big challenge for brand-architecture and messaging over time.

Secure chose to work with Onio on brand integration thus showing remarkable corporate maturity and the ability to work with new methodologies in this area. With assistance from Onio, the group finally prepared a brand transition plan towards a single corporate brand across the globe. Onio used corporate ethnography as a tool and interviewed close to 40 stakeholders (including board members, senior management, workers, distributors & suppliers) across three countries in five locations worldwide.

So the first question this correspondent from the newspaper asked me was, “Why did Secure come to you and not go through the conventional model of involving a market research company / marketing consultant / ad agency in this work?

Onio had conducted brand strategy and research assignments earlier but not on this scale. I would try and articulate what I think Onio brought to the table for this work -

1. Focus on Empathic User Research: Gone are the days when a brand strategist would spin a word-web and spice it up with glossy graphics to create a brand definition. Today's brands whether corporate or consumer product brands; are deeply entrenched in the user space i.e. how does the user/stakeholder interact with the brand? And mind you, this stakeholder of today is tremendously aware and rational. So the ability of empathising with people across the hierarchy and the value-chain, to extract the concerns and projections, comes naturally to a design company. Use of ethnography and visual tools to enhance the interaction with the respondents and observational research are some anthropological practices which design companies like Onio have adopted early on.

2. NEED at the centre of brand innovation: Design companies are trained to think with the NEED first. Contextual inquiry into the NEED can be quite an entangling task. A simple word like 'need' has multiple dimensions in the mind of such a researcher. Matching the corporate needs to employee needs, market needs to social needs, aspirations to capabilities and verbal to understated… there is a long journey where the researcher needs to remain connected to the ground realities. This multi-dimensional facet in the need universe is a skill taught in design schools.

3. Textual to Visual World: Complex modelling of the brand universe of an emerging organisation can be a daunting task. Gives and takes between different companies, product brands, technologies, geographical reaches, operating divisions and possible directions of evolutions can become a maze of words that may only confuse the managing team. A clear visual illustration helps the team in a big way to see the emerging patterns.

4. Meta-crafting Abilities: This one particularly is my passion and forte. Brand Research and Strategy is a game of 'fact-finding' and 'meta-crafting'. Design companies are used to the detailed information collection and extraction of meta-facts out of it. Though meta-crafting for product innovation assignments could be very different from a brand design assignment, the skill set is similar.

5. Ability to be a gentle sounding board: This one is something not so straight forward. It is more of human quality than a corporate skill. Onio discovered it long back that mid-sized, owner-driven enterprises look for a consultant who can be a good sounding board rather than a 'holier-than-thou' domain expert. Many of these enterprises have been built on individual insights, business acumen and years of sustained hard work. Hence articulation of even the pain areas needs to be done with care, because it may nudge some of the stakeholders the wrong way. It is a tact combined with clarity of insight and articulation.

Customer Needs v/s Industry Needs v/s Country Needs

2010-06-28T10:49:00.000+05:30

Interview with Shri Dashrath Patel published in a Gujarati daily 'Sandesh' on June 25th 2010. Translated into
English by NID alumnus Mookesh Patel.

NID has failed in realizing its established goal. Students focus on 'styling' at design institutions.

"National Institute of Design (NID) is in the process of celebrating 50 years of its establishment in the field of design education.
While numerous events are being planned for this purpose, institute founding member and Padma Shree Shree Dashrath Patel saddened by the progress and direction of the advancement of the Institution believes that the intention for the establishment of NID has not been realized and that there is a need for an earnest review of its structure and system on the eve of 50th year celebration.

Dashrath Patel in his special interview with 'Sandesh' regarding the aim for establishment and the current status of NID said: â€The Government of India decided to found this exceptional premier design educational institution in country based on Germany renowned 'Bauhaus' and 'Ulm' design schools that emphasized the principal of need for any design object. The intention for such decision was to provide the Indian population with design services that realized extremely useful tools and objects during the early years of progress and development of independent India. Understanding the context of 'need' within our country during the process of design was the basic expectation of all educated and trained designers at this institution. From 1963 until 1972, institute focused and worked on conceptual development and implementation that addressed country urgent needs such as school furniture, smokeless Chulah, public toilets, hospital trolleys, etc. However, since then the NID direction has altered. NID has missed the opportunity to realize its initial goal.

In reply to the question 'What is the importance of design?'
he said: In most design process, the emphasis is on public 'need', public economic status, increased and effective deliverance, reasonable price, infrastructural sustenance, adoptive production methods, etc. The design and production of products that follow this design process helps the growth and development of the country and its people. However, we have failed to understand its importance. Due to the open market strategy since 1991, India experienced an incredible effect of globalization and the design arena degraded. Fresh design graduates misplaced their priorities and emphasized 'product styling'and the 'look' and
the trend still continues."

My comments follow, explaining the situation on ground as a practicing design thinker.

Dasharath Bhai is right in his observation that designer coming out of design institute today are more inclined and probably 'sold' to the idea of scintillating styling jobs. Number of jobs being offered today in the design school campuses are far too lucrative for newbie designer to even think of starting independent practice or much less to start an enterprise with his/her own idea. Industry, on the other side is in a transition phase as of now. 15 years back when I started my career in design, 'collaboration' with foreign partner was the name of the game for Indian industry. From technology to new product ideas to brand definition, everything came in a packet from the collaborator, which the local partner had to just 'run' it for them. Many are still doing it. There was no need for a designer that time. I felt as if I am joining a redundant profession. Many of my seniors form design school, working for the industry had found themselves growing in the allied streams (i.e. marketing, or product planning etc.) rather than as a designer within the company. Graphic design was still an evergreen field, with a stiff competition from ad-industry. Interaction or digital design was not born that time. Retail Design was absent too.

But when I look at a scenario that started evolving in last 5 years, I can see that there is a growing need for local design talent. Surprisingly, that need is stronger not from the local industry, but from the local design centers of the foreign companies, who have realized that local insights ARE going to play a role in future. Local industry is still keen on foreign label/designers rather than experimenting with home grown talent. Now what are these foreign company owned local design centers up to? They are focusing on 'customisation' of the global product platform and not necessarily building a product from ground up for local market (exceptions are always there..we are working with one such large global company on evolving a local platform for BoP refrigerator). So the focus is on styling and a bit on local usability. That probably explains the 'pull' from the industry what Dasharth Bhai was alluding to.

There is another link in the chain- the consumer. What is happening to the Indian consumer?

Over the last decade, one can see that India is going up on the consumerism curve where the west is already on the maturity and saturation mode. They are talking of 'sustainability' and 'conscious consumption'. While the Indian consumer is just about learning to walk the corridors of 'choice'. 'New wrapper and old wine', is still an enticer for the consumer here which does not hold water any more in the western world. Foreign labels are still a sign of quality and value. We were in for a surprise when in a recent design research at Onio, some of the car owners who were attracted to buy a 'German' car model recently launched in India, even justified the slow-pick as an engineering feature of a 'solidly built car'. While consumer is slowly maturing to understand that 'real value' behind the glossy styling and offers, there is a long way to go. Some SMEs and home grown companies have caught on to this mature consumer and shown the bravdo of working with local design companies and creating a world class product that stand above the category. Onio's work with Amara Raja group for Tribal Italia home inverter is one such example.

Now the last angle- What is NID or any design institute doing in such a flux of scenario in industry, consumer and design? Well and education institute providing a profession centric education is likely to have a rub-off from the market demands. Though the foundation and values of the institute would have to be carefully guarded, but they can not avoid the ripple effect from the industry. I think this transition period is likely to last for 5 years more before a stronger voice of 'what's the Indian content in it' becomes a resonating voice form consumers, Industry and hence the design education institutes alike.

Aligning Engineering Industry to Customer’s voice

2010-06-25T08:47:00.001+05:30

Got a call from an ex-colleague (currently heading an engineering service provider company), that they are looking for someone for QFD training. Quality function deployment of QFD as it is popularly called, is a method of capturing voice-of-customer in a structured manner which I learnt almost 16 years back. After that first learning seminar, I actually never heard this being mentioned in any forum or company I interacted with. After I quit the engineering company, I studied Industrial design and founded Onio. In the product design paradigm, for the last 13 years (since Onio came into being), none ever mentioned QFD to me. I really don’t know if there are evolved methods that have come up after that to ‘structure’ the customers’ voice.

Anyways, first I reacted in surprise that someone is asking for this training. Then I recalled how Onio has travelled through the journey of product innovation and actually built a complete new practice OnioNxt on the newer methods of capturing customers’ voice. Ethnography, bodystorming, trend research etc. are some of the methods Onio has been using with very complex innovation assignments. Somehow, the engineering world is totally unaware of this entire gamut. Spoken needs, are a passé now. And there are more greys in the unspoken needs of the customer, which no single method can detect.

In one of assignments where we were helping an auto-major with trend research in India, there were two more companies involved along with us. One of them specialized in ethnography, who were doing ‘ride-alongs’ in the country while the other company provided the unavoidable market data. Our role was to present the trends in the country and take the client team to witness those trends in different parts of the country (called Trend Tours). This was the first time (five years back) we realized that there is a confluence of market research, ethnography and trend research to evolve a bigger picture of what customer wants. A customer who knows that due to the continuous sitting, his back hurts and hence he wants a better car seat, will never verbalise that the upholstery that he wants is actually more organic and ‘feel light’ in experience. Office and the everyday stress of living is forcing ‘feel light’ mood and interiors in cars but this is an observation that can only happen through ethnography as a tool. No customer will be able to verbalise, the connect. Once we know the overall ‘mood direction’ for the interior, it is easy to design control panel, storage units, dash-board and the upholstery to enhance the ‘feel light’ mood. While these anthropology techniques of studying man-product interaction have already gained ground in FMCG companies, it is yet to get a foot in the door of engineering/manufacturing oriented organizations. Not to talk of how Onio is using ethnography for corporate brand research……

One of the reason why these methods have not been able to cut ice with many organizations is due to lack of quantifiable output; Which in any case is the very nature of the method (qualitative). If a researcher mentions an insight, which may be result of a deep research or through a deep meditation, the longer and more tortuous journey is to convince other people/management, that the insight is valid. I was talking to a young marketing manager in a large consumer durable company while talking about communication in retail stores. They were facing a problem of ineffectiveness of the current store/product graphics. Only quantifiable route to this problem was ‘eye-ball tracking’ which was a costly method. While we know that many such issues can be tackled by simple Heuristics Analysis (by first principle of good graphic design/ or through laws of visual clustering like Gestalt Laws) i.e. any visual content on the right hand upper corner of a product would have first visual priority. Now this gentleman says “prove it”…. This proving business knows know end. It does require certain amount of organizational maturity into the science of insights to even start respecting the insights as a method of study.

What is India to me?

2010-06-10T13:54:00.001+05:30

What is India to me?
Was the question from the research team from a global major in sports goods, while they are evaluating India. “Please answer in 2-3 words or sentences, as spontaneously as you can…”. I had nothing to say that moment. How can you ask a fish, what is water? Being in the profession of Design Research, constantly articulating India, the diverse culture, historical influences, modern influences, meaning and impact of this diversity on product innovation, brand positioning and messaging, understanding the rich-poor, urban-rural, caste-cosmo divide for so many years…actually caught me unawares and I had too much to say which cannot be three words or three sentences….

They gave me an example what others have said…”Home”….such an ‘un-insightful’ remark…But this does become insightful if you compare with some comments from a country like Columbia; because of the internal strife, many people actually rather not be born in that country (some of my friends from Columbia, living in Europe, don’t want to ever go back..).

Yes, India is home. Is that all encompassing experience for me? Or there are more dimensions?

I am reminded of one of the quotes- ”India surprises you with its size, density and diversity - but if you enjoy delving into new cultures and thrive on sensual overload, then it is one of the most intricate and rewarding dramas unfolding on earth.” That probably would be second sentence that would come from me, after ‘home’.

‘Rising’ is the rather clichéd but I would like to use this word, as a wordsmith. Rising from the ashes..rising from the slumber of several centuries….rising from the colonial past…rising on the front of liberal economy…rising on the self-confidence of average citizen…For me RISING is a multi-dimensional verb and not the noun of adjective connected to India. It shows work-in-progress towards better future. And this is what I am going through and going to see in near future.

Three done….three million more to go….

Design think on South East Asia -1

2010-03-29T13:44:00.000+05:30

How to get a native Indonesian design who could work with us on the design research project was the task ahead of me. I tried my Google skills sitting in Pune but did not succeed. Hardly any results with ‘Industrial Design’ or ‘Design college’. All I ended up was ‘Jakarta Design Center’ but it proved out to be more of a mall-architectural display. I did post a note on a Indian online design network and lo behold! In three days I started getting several replies/portfolios. However, to my surprise these portfolios were of the Indonesians, currently living or studying in Netherlands. Later I found out that several Indonesians like studying in Netherlands (probably at least some advantage of being a colony of the Netherlands). I met one of the local designers who in turn got to know about my posting through a Dutch friend of his. He mentioned candidly that is it difficult to survive in Indonesia as a product designer. One of his classmate is thinking of joining work as a cop. Companies want a lot of work and pay close to nothing. As it is Indonesia has a fertile land with 400 volcanoes on 1700 islands that make up the country. But in the name of industrial export they largely have Japanese companies that have set up factories here and exporting them from here. Furniture industry also emanates from wood being in abundance. However, the growth has been modest 6-8% in last few years compared to 11% in India. Service industry, as in software seems to be non-existent. Though tourism is one of the great revenue earner, with Bali being an international destination.

With this background, I could immediately connect to the young designer in front of me when he said that being a product designer is tough in Indonesia. There was a sense of déjà vu almost as something that we as a design company have passed through. Way back in 1997 till recently (till 2005) it was really difficult for us to maintain a design office purely through product design revenues. While I see the trend, changing and more and more Indian companies getting ready to explore design and innovation avenues along with Indian designers. Companies would pay to designers, if they see the returns. As the Indian consumer gets choosy after tasting the western goods delivered to him/her for several years now, there is a question mark now on the new direction in the market. This lead to emergence of a new practice or rather a deliverance for a company like us in terms of ‘design research’ and ‘trend research’. From Microsoft to Volkswagen, Samsung, LG and a few more, enriched us through new methods of design research and we brought them well-studied cross-domain, cross-cultural Indian insights. Our articulation of India and its culture, from an outsider’s point of view was highly appreciated in many forums. My personal interest in ‘Cultural Anthropology’ came handy in preparing proposals, evolving new ways of presenting Indian insights and bringing together diverse ways of representations into a single understandable formats. Clients loved the way we simplified India for them yet take the project to a level where market research companies can’t take- visual concepts- period.

So I actually narrated our small journey to the young design in front of me and told him that probably te Indonesian market is 5 years behind India. If he connected with us on this international project then, it won’t be very long when more companies would line-up in front of him with similar design research request. I also reminded him that the fluent English he speaks is such a relief to us and would sure be an asset in any international project he plans to take up. While I was saying this, the several visuals of Indonesian culture flashed across my mind that I saw in the National Museam. Several different ethnic tribes with distinct identity, rituals, traditions dating back to thousands of years and then several hundred years of dark colonial rule that sapped out the sense of identity from the locals. Currently, Indonesia is struggling to gain the sense of identity pretty much the same way as India is. But the current state is of ‘catch-up’ with the ‘hunger’ of several centuries. Design is a higher realm and society would take time to come to question the sense of identity in design. Suddenly it also occurred to me that how much more energy we, as a design company has to spend in getting each project and educating the clients on what we can deliver and how will he benefit. Probably, had we taken a bolder step and set-up an office in one of the developed countries, 10 years back, we would have been way more efficient for several reasons.

More to come...

Software - hard learning

2010-02-03T22:19:00.001+05:30

I have always believed that software industry is few miles ahead of other sizable service industries in terms of structuring and delivery. They have another advantage- of being at the forefront of the technology as well. Everytime I interact with a software company as a client, I get things to learn. The eternal student inside me feels happy taking up strategy assignments with these companies. Here are the leanings from a recent one-

1. MOST OF SOFTWARE COMPANIES ARE TURNING PLATFORM AGNOSTIC
There was a time where being married to Microsoft or Oracle or similar ones, would make you a specialist. Over a period companies have realized that everyone has options and it makes sense to support them.

2. SAS- Software as a service is the next game
Products don’t exist any more; there are only services. In physical realm, it is increasingly becoming true and software industry sure is leading the way.

3. CLOUD COMPUTING AND VIRTUAL MACHINES
Concept of optimization of resources through virtual structuring and leveraging the power of distributed intelligence is another learning for other domains, what this industry is able to do with the concept of cloud computing.

4. NLP – Natural Language Processing
It was mentioned to me in a strange example. How ‘Soccer Mom and Soccer Dad’ in USA need to plan their schedule better using intelligence of NLP-programmes which pick-up sentences off the emails like ‘take Jack to the class same time next week’, and automatically update the calendar with appointment, after understanding the meaning of ‘next week, same time’.

5. HYBRID OPERATOR
‘Let me hand it over to my manager’- this could be possibly the machine-speak. Single person manages 4-5 calls at a given point of time in a high-tech call center, by intelligently responding
to the inquiries through pre-drafted ‘voice snippets’. Wow, there is more space between ‘human’ and ‘digital’.

6. iPod apps is passé, Facebook apps is in vogue
When it comes to eye-balls, new levers are emerging. Social networking sites, offer multitudes of avenues to engage the onlookers into a meaningful sale.

7. WATERFALL v/s AGILE MODE OF WORKING
Chopping the large deliverables into smaller concurrent pieces make the programme handlable in smaller team lots. Linear ‘waterfall’ models are outdated now. Manufacturing industry had a name for it ‘concurrent engineering’.
8. DRIP in EMAILs
Email based promotions have reached a new level of understanding as far as automated mailers is concerned. Drip irrigation is closest I can think of, in capturing the essence.

Well, this is something which was my learning with one client in one hour. This is a common place knowledge for an ‘techy’. For me, these are nuggets of knowledge paradigms, which when applied to other domains, can bring transformations. I am at my job…watch out!!

Year End Insights 2009

2009-12-12T14:28:00.003+05:30

It’s been long, since I last visited this space. Many things have happened including the swing back of the economy and renewed interest of the companies in the innovation business.

I changed my mobile phone from Sony P1i to Samsung Jet (only to find that Samsung is still miles away in usability and product maturity, from Sony, as far as mobile phones are concerned). With P1i as a phone (I don’t know why Sony discontinued this wonderful platform), and Sony Vaio Tx series laptop, I am an ardent fan of Sony over Nokia, Apple or Samsung.

Insight India 2009 was held in Delhi, with all fanfare, allaying my fears that people may not participate as the economy was still just warming up. NIFT (National Institute of Fashion Technology) was a surprise partner to this event, strengthening the connect of TRENDS in Fashion to use of Trend Research in Business Strategy. From jewelry brands like Trendsmith, to consumer electronics brands like Whirlpool, LG and luxury accessory brands like Tanishque were present in the event.

I spoke at a conference in Delhi on Italian Fashion industry and India connect, only to find that the ‘cluster approach’ is still very much a phenomenon restricted to crafts, and just about walking up to fashion industry. While we were talking power of cluster-visibility for Pune Design Foundation, it was rather ahead of time. No wonders that Pune Design Foundation has to give way to ‘India Design Foundation’.

We successfully worked on the brand integration strategy for an Indian mid-size conglomerte with interests in Europe and India. While corporate ethnography was a new learning, another realisation (new to me) was that you cann;t GIVE a strategy. You can only HELP it take shape like a MIDWIFE. Great stories around it.

My trips to malls have become less frequent. One of the malls, ‘Central’ which in the beginning had a promising experience of retail in India, appears quite ‘tiring’ to me now. Highly compacted space, with people falling over each other (who says its recession?) and repetition of product categories become visually overwhelming. Do customers come thinking ‘brands’ in mind in India? It is true when we talk of refrigerator or washing machine or camcorder. But while buying shirt or a shoe, there are dime a dozen brands in mass range. As a consumer I want a good quality shirt and I don’t care which brand is it. So while walking through the men’s apparel section if I see blazers hung at 20 places (because they belong to different brands), I get lost. Why can’t they put all the blazers at one place? The time to rethink better navigation has come in Indian retail. One of our 2010-11 trend, Drive Easy, also points to this.

I want to get a side-rail-drain fitted in the bathroom (Insight- People are getting exposed to high end interior hardware). It has been a while and can’t get the right person to do it. The plumber or a mason next door does not have the skill or quality to do such things and the guy who knows it, is actually busy attending to the bigger projects at hand (Insight- potential market opportunity). So the retrofitting, refurbishing and minor repairs at homes are one potential area where a branded service can enter. Mr. Biyani, after ‘Chamosa’, this could be a good idea for India.

More updates to follow...

COPORATE ETHNOGRAPHY: My Experiences

2009-08-30T07:22:00.003+05:30

We have been working on Design Research field for almost 4 years now. What started as my personal interest in Trend Research resulted in a full-fledged practice of Design Research that encompasses Ethnography, User/Usability Research, Product Analysis, Brand Research, Competition Mapping, Brand Messaging, Strategic Scenarios and Design/Brand Directions. Coming from the womb of a Product Design company, we did have more assignments from the companies that dealt in Automobiles, Consumer Durables, Accessories etc. Microsoft was a different case altogether, where we worked on viability studies for e-learning in the current schooling system in India. But our recent foray into Corporate Ethnography was fully focused on Brand Research and Change Management.

It was about studying the effects of acquisition and product brand name and company name change for a few companies in Western Europe, which were acquired by an Indian business group. This group primarily deals in engineering products.

While rules of ethnography don’t change, but it does have some tweaks when it comes to applying to such situations. We choose the ‘attic’ way of Ethnography- i.e. open ended conversations (the applied ethnographic method is ‘fly on the wall’ or –‘amic’). Here the interviewer has a rough scenario of questions in mind but does not put them out like a laundry list. However the interactions can become quite ‘straight jacketed’ if enough care is not taken to unroll the perspective. Means people need to feel the comfort of being ‘heard’. Here are my observations and tips-

While this is ‘open ended’ discussion method- if it only ends up being a discussion, respondents start losing interest in about 25-30 minutes of talking. Some, who are quite verbal, can go on for hours but I am talking of the average respondents across the hierarchy.
The fact that they are mandated by senior management to interact with the research team, puts them on a slightly ‘defiant’ or at least ‘reserved’ mode। It takes intitial 10 minutes to dawn on the perspective of the research.

We did create some PERSPECTIVE BUILDER tools, which were essentially some pictures pasted on foam board, to create the SCENARIOS for the future for the business। Basic skills of STORY TELLING in corporate paradigm go a long way in building rapport with the respondents.

REFER TO THE LAST DISCUSSION: As we move on with the interactions through the day, we build-on the conversations referring to what the last few people have said (without naming them)। So the direction and quality of responses start improving after a first few interactions that are not so precise or structured.

EYE-2-EYE contact is tiring after a point। Hence we had another set of ETHNOGRAPHIC tool to evolve the ‘brand values’ from these discussions. Eye to eye contact is no broken and people become busy responding to the placards on the table bearing different ‘brand values’. This brings a PAUSE for SYNTHESIS in the discussion. Here the interviewing team’s as well as the respondant’s mind is synthesizing the overall discussion. Hence we did get some very important feedbacks after this stage.

LOCATION: On the hindsight, we had better off keeping the interview location in as neutral place rather than conducting them in the conference rooms in the offices। Even within the office, instead of calling the respondents to the conference rooms where our team is sitting, it was better to GO DOWN TO THE respondent’s cabin or seat. This gives them psychological comfort of being the BOSS.

EXTERNAL INPUTS: As a part of the brand research we also met scores of dealers, distributors and channel partners for the company’s products। And we think that those interactions are the most precious inputs for the brand’s current position in the market. The TRADE usually has a pretty good idea of what everyone else (competitors) are doing in product planning and promotion. More than the end user or end customers, I value these inputs more.

In many of the interactions, the discussions get clouded by some underlying HR issues, which could be person or department specific। Only way out of that is to genuinely listen, but no need to respond on that. We even marked the issues to the top management later.

Like HR issues, there are many side learnings of this exercise as there is someone to ‘deeply listen’ to the employees। We realized that there were GEMs hidden in the organizational hierarchy.

One of things helped us synthesize thoughts is some car journeys with some of the employees. That was primarily to go and meet the dealers/partners etc. But these journeys provided us with rich insights on work culture of the company. People become companions in a journey and discussion are far more natural than they every can be.

Why SMEs have not yet woken up to Innovation?

2009-07-31T05:44:00.002+05:30

There has been a continuous rant by the government, chambers of commerce, design and innovation thinkers and the SME consultants alike- INNOVATE. The voice has only grown louder in the troubled times. Yet, we don’t see much activity on the SME front as far as innovation goes. Medium scale enterprises are still okay, but the down below- the small and the micro enterprises have not even blinked at the call of innovation to emerge as winner in these times. They are still trying the old ways of ‘optimisation’, ‘collaborations’ and trying the get a safe bet in the game.

Recently we were talking to a small manufacturer of home-plastic products. He has a factory where he has a few injection moulding machines capable of making the small plastic tumblers as well as big buckets of 100 lt size. He is doing decent amount of business (i.e. 30 Cr). He had never employed a designer till now.

The man who owns the company is the CEO and also the chief designer, who sits with his engineers and some reference products (could be some foreign products or some competition products picked up from the market) and gets the design which he thinks is the winner. This one man team accomplishes much for his size as of now. When we bring a portfolio of a design company of our size to him, he is at first scared of the big brands we have worked with. It straight away implies to him that our services are costly and he won’t be able to afford us. He verbalizes as much. However, on convincing him that no, we are talking to him with a different model of engagement in mind, we get a hearing. He wants to do great products and has collected a lot of insights. We understand his next product plan and give him a quote that barely takes care of one man’s salary for a month+ a small royalty amount. He does not bite the bullet. Later we came to know that he actually went with a CAD company (posing as a design studio). ‘Design’ is a confused definition for him, like many others.

This is small instance which is replicated in many ways during our conversations with the small manufacturing companies. There was a time when one could establish a direct relation between the ad-spend and the ROI i.e. sale of the product went up by a few times the very next week the ad is launched on TV/Newspaper combo. Of late, this correlation ceases to exist. But incase of product design and new product development, the correlation never occoured at the first place. Never was a time where people knew that if they spend x percentage of their turnover in product innovation then the top line is to grow by y percent. The rougest of the calculation is also not a common knowledge. It is a privy of the few for-runners and ‘test by fire’ companies who have gone big by doing it first. For the rest, any R& D effort is an affront cost which needs to be optimized (or a t times, just done away with the best alternative solution available). This is a startling but true realization that occurred to me after spending more than a decade in Design and Innovation consulting industry in India. I have seen by now two cycles of economy boom and sink. I have seen the buzzing alleys of MIDC (the industrial area in Pune), with flurry of material handling trucks. I have also seen, the same places silent and desolate. Every time, I thought that the industry is learning a tough lesson and investing in innovation is the only way they will go ahead. But I was wrong. Indian mind would shy away from taking any cathartic steps. It will always rely on time tested and the frugal advice. Innovation does no figure there.

There is a news that government of India has set up an auto-cluster facility in Pune. The common facility center for this cluster would now also house a design consulting office. Nearly Rs. 500 Million would be spent on design education and facilitation for SMEs connected to this auto cluster. This is one of the very first impetus to Design inclusion in the SME space though government intervention. This kind of efforts will go a long way in making the ROI (Returns on Innovation) to the industries.

to be continued...

A quick checklist for companies looking at Umbrella Branding/ Single Brand/ Brand Integration Strategy

2009-07-11T15:20:00.001+05:30

1. House of Brands v/s A Branded House: choose the approach
Most consumer product conglomerates, such as Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, and Colgate-Palmolive, use the “house of brands” strategy. In other words, the product has the main brand name: Listerine, Head & Shoulders, Tylenol, and so forth. Very few consumers could accurately say which brand is owned by which company.’

On the contrary companies like Samsung and Sony still put their name on everything, but iPod and Zune are the dominant brands, leaving Apple and Microsoft to a lower-level brand. This is because people can only associate one brand with a product. A ‘branded house’ approach suits the companies where product life is expected to be longer. The ‘reliability over a time’ becomes the guiding principle for brand value.

2. B2B umbrella brand promotion in consumer space creates inexplicable demand pullAccenture sells nothing to consumers. But its ‘Performance Delivered’ campaign, backed by the advertising presence of Tiger Woods, has created a positive awareness of the brand among hundreds of thousands of people who may be working for the enterprises to which Accenture consults (or is seeking to consult). And the motivational value of inviting top customers, prospects and employees to golf events involving Tiger cannot be underestimated.
Intel is the ultimate ingredient brand. Zero sales to end consumers yet Intel built a consumer demand pull for its chips that required every PC manufacturer to incorporate them and to advertise Intel Inside on their products and in their ads.

3. Brand is an idea, Branding is a mindset
While assimilating an umbrella brand, it is important to step aside for a while from the existing brand portfolio. In the B2B enterprises, the brand portfolio is usually consisting of the existing company names/legal entities. While consolidating or creating a new umbrella brand, one can choose to create/architect a totally new name which makes lot of future sense but has little connection to the existing entity names. Equally important is to create a ‘brand thinking’ mindset in the company and the stakeholder, who may be too used to thinking ‘products’, ‘technologies’ and ‘business verticals’.

4. Create a unique character, written down and passionately curetted
Al and Laura Ries, in their book The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding, say that successful brands associate a ‘target concept’ (or a core character) with their brand, and that sub brands and super brands are recipes for disaster. Witness the lack of success with brands that try to be everything to everyone: Yahoo, GM, Ford, and to a lesser extent Hyundai, Yamaha, and Mitsubishi have not established a dominant foothold in their spaces because consumers have not associated a ‘key concept’ to their brand.

Samsung believes that their brand has four essential values- First one is technology value because they are a manufacturing company. The second is the product value. The third is marketing value and the fourth one is reputation value.

5. Architect the brand to be driven by Customer Centric World (and not Technology)
Organise your portfolio in a customer-centric way — for instance, ensure that the portfolio strategy drives your R&D strategy rather than allowing R&D to determine how your company goes to market. Both AT&T and IBM saw strong business growth as a result of this shift in mentality. Vertical wise split helps internal organization but not the brand penetration and recall.

6. Create clarity of offerings through architecture
Make sure that your product/service offering is clear to both your customers and your employees. If they are not able to understand what you are offering, it is a signal that the current architecture is not working. Organic expansion of enterprises usually results into an obfuscated and overlapping view of the business offerings, which needs an overhaul at the time of rebranding.

7. Differentiate and Cater to both- Product Buyers v/s Solution Buyers
· “Product Buyers” look for specific product sets and sophisticated components and thus require a wide variety of distinct products.
• “Solutions buyers” are less expert and seek holistic business solutions that are all-inclusive and off-the shelf.
Future is about dynamic companies who can sense the consumer needs faster and can bring solutions to the table, the fastest. A brand stitched around this core thought will generate internal energy to be more efficient through the value chain.

8. With Single brand, the measurement indices related to ROI on marketing becomes more tangible
Typical engineer’s mind usually distastes the grand marketing strategies and expenditures thereof. They understand the language of ‘selling’ much better. In a growing B2B enterprise, unifying the brand brings better indices of measurement of ROI on marketing spends and consumer satisfaction thereof.

9. Use the slow-down to promote the renewed brand
Samsung invested in product innovation way back in 1997 when Asian Crisis was on. Samsung also took up the Olympic Sponsorship when the company was almost bankrupt. All this paid off.

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Author: Manoj Kothari, Founder Director and Principal Strategist at Onio Design Pvt. Ltd., Pune, India

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Lessons from slow-down and Trends for Innovation 2010-2011

2009-07-10T14:28:00.000+05:30

IMF projects India as the next boom place as the recession seems to be closing shop now on. While the new government in India is upbeat and heading for 9% growth, IMF has been moderate in the response and pegs it at 5.4%. The new budget just presented, focuses decidedly on infrastructure development and boosting rural economy. 55% of India’s FMCG consumption is in rural areas and 60% of population lives in the rural areas. Whatever strength Indian economy has shown till now is thanks to the robust banking system and the unwavering rural economy. There are some lessons hidden in the entire episode of slow-down that we are passing by. As a trend reader, it would be worth a look for deciding the future course of strategy for any organisation keen on India.

1. What worked till now, will not work!
Time for applying the formula is over. Swings in the economy, has never been so frantic and severe in pitch earlier. All that is learnt through case-studies is going to be useless. Time for mindless collaborations, copycat proliferations, riding on established brands and taking the consumer for granted is over. It is going to be the time of entrepreneurs and cautious adventurers. Being ‘visionary’and ‘pragmatic’ are not mutually exclusive anymore.

2. What is costly, will have to have a damn good reason for it!
Brand alone will not sell a product. Superficial motifs and bloated ego mongering products and services will have to come to terms with a wiser world. It started becoming clear even before the recession set in, when companies were looking for ‘real differentiators’ through design rather than from a propped up branding campaign. But signals now are loud and clear in the favour of the same.

3. There is wisdom in ancient wisdom!
Grandma says, “Simple Living, High thinking” is the best policy. We never heard. India was never ‘styling friendly’ as a culture. We believed in ‘inner substance’ all the way. ‘Life beyond material life’ has always been the motto. Somewhere in the whole consumerism zeal, we started losing that. Slow down will act as a corrective booster and will bring back this thought big time.

4. Small living
Another rejoinder to the wisdom from the ancient- Small Living is all about Ver 2.0 of bottom of the pyramid. The sachet revolution really brought forth the power of numbers in India. Propelled by the new economic reality, from Nano cars to Nano housing, a lot more is going to go small. New luxury would be ‘Compact , Efficient and Earth-friendly’, and not ‘Big, Indulging and Phantasmagoric’.

5. Only naked electric wire is untouchable!
As the government pushes more and more reforms, mobility and communication for all, borders of mind will be overpowered by the borderless mind. Brackets that worked in the yesteryears, in terms of caste, regionalism and insipid culture, will be replaced by rationale and inclusivity.

6. Longevity, the new virtue!
Use, Use, Reuse is the new mantra that will supersede the hollow calls of ‘sustainability’. Recycling consumes a lot of energy. Reuse is easy. It is immediate. It puts creative energies to use. It saves money. What else could a consumer want? Companies need to make products that last long…very long. Warranty has to go, Guarantee has to come in.

7. Don’t design for ‘avatars’, it is the ‘attitude’ back in vouge
Booming economy and downloadable ‘skins’ made consumers believe that they are a part of the global ‘personality orgy’. It is time to give it a break at look at the basic ‘attitudes’; the DNA of individual consumers. ‘Sporty’ is for sportsmen, and ‘feminine’ is for females. Don’t mix the things that don’t.

8. DIY (DO IT YOURSELF) is equally for India
It eluded India till now. IKEA back-tracked for different reasons, one of them could have been also a possible impression that ‘Indians don’t like to do things themselves’. It is time now. Time to wash own utensils and iron the clothes. Superfluous luxury has to give way to healthy practices of self-help. Host of products and services are waiting to tap this arena.

9. Twittering gives way to Meeting
Social Networks were good for a pass time and as a date with the new technology. Inside became outside in the years of Social Networking; almost a voyeuristic utopia.
Is this phenomenon only going to head straight in the same alley, or take a turn? Well, more rationale is going to dawn in the conversations and probably the “Meetups” would help getting ‘real’ about networking. Blog and not Tweets, evolving into a natural community, would be one of the great tools for the next version of social networking.

10. Culture Farming
Cocooning is a global phenomenon. Too much exposure, tires. People recede into ‘familiar’ or ‘loneliness’. A society pushed into modernity and consumption too fast, has its backlash coming. People want to hold on to something in the torrent. Culture and traditions would be rediscovered. Forgotten rituals would be back with a modernist zing. However, this time the cocooning would give way to full-fledged organized farming of ‘culture’. They are selling tickets online to the next event of ‘Karwa-chouth’ Workshop for First timers; any takers?

2009-06-26T13:09:00.000+05:30

What’s in a Trend?

Fashion Industry made the word ‘Trend’ popular apart from the share market. ‘Trend Forecasting’ is almost synonymous with ‘Seasons’ as you rightly pointed out. Designers and Architects being aware of the ‘international trends’ is another side of the story, which again is another name for ‘imitation’, in the current reality where consumer knows what is ‘in’.

Onio uses trends in the wider socio-economic perspective where ‘trends’ are not seasonal changes, but they are the responses of the society to the changing scenarios (they are also called 'mega-trends') i.e. when consumers are bombarded with mindless products and options, initially they like it, then slowly the ‘option fatigue’ sets in. This results in a trend for ‘simplified product forms’ and ‘products& experiences with easy navigation’. With this kind of pattern reading, Onio expects a ‘trend’ to last for a few years and not change every season.

Yet, there may be micro-loops of ‘fads’ which can change with any major event i.e. a big brand launching a particular colour. Even these micro-loops still follow the ‘mega-trend’ that we just talked about. For example, ‘Remixing’ is a trend that Onio has talked two years back, and named it as ‘Twin World’. Since people have more options, they want to mix and match. Indian food with Thai food, Indian traditions with modernity, past with present….and you see a whole lot of ‘retro-movies’ that have hit the Bollywood. This trend is at peak in clothing, but it will slowly come down to consumer goods, furniture and architecture (in that order).

IndianNess

In the entire rigmarole of trends, international look, forecasts etc. there is an underlying argument of ‘Indian-ness’ or ‘Indian Needs’. At Onio, we follow our own proprietary methodology for applying trends on the target consumers, called ‘Intentiability’. This process first identifies consumer segments based on their level of ‘root connect’ or connect with ‘Indian-ness’ and then looks at relative sensitivity to the prevailing trends. Higher the ‘root connect’ of a consumer segment, lower will be their sensitivity to ‘upcoming trends’. For example, we identified a group called ‘Desi-Dynamos’ primarily consisting of factory managers, politicians, senior level bureaucrats, and rural big-wigs. These people show high level of awareness yet when it comes to choosing furniture, they go by a) More solid looks, thicker materials b) Touch of glitter c) established brands and prevalent styles d) no drastic changes in shapes e) more ornamental and saturated palette rather than European pastels. Even if they follow the European pastels, it would be only if suggested by a high-end architect. They do not have a mind of their own. It is the mind of the community.

So trends alone mean nothing in the Indian scenario, unless the target segment is mapped for a) sensitivity to the trend b) their connect to the ‘roots’, as an attitude. This applies to almost all emerging countries (BRICs). While mapping a trend, it does not exclude the elements of ‘good design’. If a trend is suggesting use of ‘slim handles’ does not mean that uncomfortable handles would get a preference.

Onio’s Views on Trends

Trends deal with Future view, which takes a lot of effort to explain to the management.
We believe trends do three things for the innovation strategy-
1. Clues:
If the organisation wants to find some new leads to toe on the innovation frontier, Trends can point to some available niche. Niche emerge due to changing life-style. A trend-spotter’s eye catches it fastest.

2. Connections:
They throw up connections in the parallel fields where similar events are expected/happening. This helps the strategy articulation to the top management.

3. Conviction:
If certain direction has already been taken on innovation front, Trend study can substantiate the direction.

Thus Onio works on products, services and brand innovation through the first filter of trends, supported by user needs, technology changes and market statistics. We call this model MUST (Market, User, Society and Technology) as the four pillars of innovation in the current reality.

Onio considers ‘Trend thinking’ as a tool for business managers to think beyond the constraints and make invisible connection to leap ahead of the market.

2009-05-06T14:34:00.000+05:30

After I posted this, I came across comments of Faith Popcorn on the same issue-" In the next decade, the spirituality will become much more integral to daily life as companies and employers begin scheduling meditation or "spirituality breaks" for employees to pray or otherwise connect with a higher power. Noting that more Americans attend religious services than all sporting events combined, she adds: "Pick-your-own religions will become the new status quo. For example, people may combine Jewish ritual with Catholic sacraments and Zen principles."

2009-05-06T11:22:00.000+05:30

I am sensing BUFFET-SPIRITUALITY is the next trend!
On one side the religious lines are hardening, and on the other levels of society, but the time for personality based preachings is over. Human intellect is seeking multiple answers in multiple hues. People are picking up the rght elements from Zen Buddhism, Indian mysticism, Yoga, Arabic Sufism, and more moderate virtues of other religions. People are designing their own religion. A buffett of spirituality, that matches their inner needs. Some of the comments I received on this trend are-
"New thought and new age thinking is definitely more accepted and mainstream now than ever before. I can't speak outside of my own experience with Christianity. Traditional mainstream churches are struggling with membership, Attendance is dwindling in the Catholic and Episcopal churches and I suspect in other denominations as well. Very few people attend under the age of 70. Young people want more discussion and less dogma. More entertainment and less ritual. Oprah and The Secret were the tipping point in the West. Even those who call themselves Christians are dabbling in Buddhism, Kabala and Sufi philosophy.Look at the success of Deepak Chopra! I think that is a very good thing and there's no going back. I think recent global events have made people more aware of the damage done by rigid beliefs. They reject the rigidity but still seek spiritual guidance and comfort."
Marilyn Ellis Owner, Lighthouse Organizers LLC, Harbor Light Coaching

"I concur. I was born and raised a Roman Catholic, but as I matured and educated myself, I found Catholicism wasn't meeting all of my needs; I needed to take a little from Zen Buddhism and mysticism. I think people have been partaking in this form of Buffet Spirituality for longer that we think. I also think it makes sense, due to Globalization... :"
Stephanie Benney Account Executive, PrintSmartz

"I've noticed that a lot of the publicity around positivity as a religious mindset - tuning into the power of the universe, to make your immediate dreams a reality has died down since the fall. In this economic climate, there's real opportunity for religions that give people hope and comfort of the eternal."
Patricia Smith Brand Development & Communications Strategist

"Speaking from a background in the psychology of religion, I disagree. Nothing new or future about that. The "shopping-mall of religions" is a hallmark of modernity, dating back at least to the advent of bourgeois culture. Open-ended media, the self-help shelves, consultancy-culture and increasing available resources (e.g. time, travel funds, etc.) may influence the spread of spiritual ideas and short-term interest, but religion needs to compete with science, therapy, entertainment and other (more current) offers on the open market of ideas and need-fulfillment. If anything, the recent fear of religious conflict probably puts a lid on new spiritual practice these days - and I don't anticipate a reverse pendulum-swing around the corner. "
Andreas Lieberoth project developer and freelancer

What would be te core values of a global product brand emanting from India?

2009-05-04T12:49:00.001+05:30

I posted a question on two online groups I subscribe to- “What do you think would be the essence/qualities/values of a global product brand emanating from India?”

I provided the following explanation from my side, to guide the answers-

There is not a single product brand that emanates from India and world knows it. Tata (Nano, Titan, Jaguar...) has a promise but long way to go. With rich heritage, bright business minds and hard working generation India stands a chance to create one. What values should this product brand be built on?

Question was posted at my IIT alumni network and similar other groups where one can expect certain maturity of the understanding of the paradigm we are talking of. Answers ranged from highly IT centered view of the World (full of ‘Service economy’ jargon) to more mature ways of dealing with ‘Brand India’ before we talk of ‘Product brand’ from India. However, most seemed way disconnected from 'Branding' phenomenon. That is the reality of India.

Here are some interesting exeprts-
“The capability of the brand to win the value equation with its strategic consumer target against world class competition” - Devarun Ghosh at Procter & Gamble

"Brand has many levels of understanding. Brand personality can be a combination of communication, credibility, brand attributes that simulate with the product as well as the geography coming from. Personality of BMW (neo-professional, young achiever, pacy lifestyle) is different than personality of 'Force India' (honest, challenging and hardworking). As it was said brand 'IIT' probably the best ever brand India has ever created. What could be the personality? Intelligent, young, aspiring to go to the top, emerging from the crowd through sheer hard word! Brand emanating from India should have capture the essence of 'India' though depending on the product / market segment etc. I would propsoe to have a personality combining: - Intelligent - Dare to dream - Hard working - Young, challenging - Quailty assured".
Sudip Mazumder Experienced Program Manager

"Innovation. Yesterday's competitive edge becomes tomorrow's standards. Around the world, 'Quality' of products is taken for granted so no one can brag about the quality of their products anymore. It is a given in consumer's mind. The best business minds and hard working generation in India lacks Creativity and Innovation that can sustain its economy in Global Arena. It is always not about low cost. If cost alone matters, China will be the winner. Almost, all the products imported in US from China are 'Commodity' items, quality or continued support of which is least expected. For e.g., when a consumer in US walks into a store and picks up something with label 'Made in China', the characteristics "Quality" doesn't even spark in his/her mind. With so many software giants (most of them are the largest in the world) being in India, the situation is that we don't have even a single s/w product that India can boast of. Everything is focused simply on services and not the products. The businessmen in India at large are still short-term focused, without a long-term strategy. Tata's Nano caught the world's attention simply due to its size and prize.I am sure that Europeans, Japanese, and Americans wouldn't come forward to accept Nano in their markets. I am sorry to say this, but the truth is that in the Western world largely in EU and American continent, the image of India is still "slumdog", poor quality, unethical behaviors, snake charmers, swamijis, poor life standards, untidy, .... you can name everything. I have lived in US for 22 years now and have my kids starting the second generation. But this is the reality. The whole image of the country must be given a facelift. Only then its products will even be considered for acceptance into the Global Brand."
Muthu Chinnadurai Senior Business Systems Executive

"Manoj, let's start with what's a global brand.. It is something people around the world relates to and associates with a specific service or product, correct? When you think about it, India holds it's own in many spheres of human activity.. what immediately comes to mind is travel - India has a brand recognition in that space with Taj Mahal, the Himalayas, and the beaches of Goa and Kerala. Take food, Indian curry and tandoori is a recognizable brand the world over.. I am not sure if any single firm has capitalized on these globally recognizable 'India' brands.. and then there are certain other areas in industry, like IT or back-office operations and call centers, where Indian companies like TCS & Infosys have built up powerful brands, and these firms are so successful in building that brand that people here tend to think every Indian here in the US works in the IT industry! So is the case with call centers, though on latenight TV shows here, the hosts talk with an Indian accent when they refer to call centers! (not always in a good way though).. And in education, IITs & IIMs are globally recognized Indian brands.. These are some of the successes..there are many more like these, I would imagine. And then there are globally recognized images of India which are very negative.. poor basic infrastructure, corrupt government machinery, the vast division between rich & poor in India, and the red-tape everywhere..etc etc.. that doesn't do any good for 'brand India' globally. What India has failed to produce however - and I think this is what you are trying to address, though the usage of 'brand' got me to start off with broad strokes - are a globally recognized brand in engineering or consumer products.. and, i believe this has to do with quality of what Indian firms produce! Right from market analysis through product design, companies seem to focus on making something that meets 'some' of the customer needs, at the cheapest cost, getting them the highest margin, inevitably ending up with sub-standard products.. quality in production I believe is better, though here again, quality is applied with a focus on reducing cost, with an eye on improving profits, rather than making quality products. So Indian firms end up with products that could only be marketed in developing or under-developed economies like India, where customers are willing to trade-in quality for price. An Indian firm could successfully build a product that could become a global brand, if they design and build quality products for the global market.. it could be in any industry, and doing it in india will be no different from doing it in the USA, Germany, Japan or Brazil.. it just need companies to go back to the fundamentals of product development and quality management. There are no short-cuts to get there!"
Baiju Krishnan VP at Citigroup

My final note:

Baiju did capture the sort of background summary of what I am asking. All the discussion on 'brand India' is about that. However as Baiju indicated, I am asking a more pointed question- About Product Brands. I am a bit biased on product brand because that's what people see selling in the shopping streets when we visit other countries. A high end software, sitting inside a giant reactor, made by India is not visible to people. So I am talking about the product which people/consumers can touch and feel everyday.People think of Volkswagen as a well engineered car brand. Sony got the miniaturisation and thoughtfulness of Japan right. Newer entrant Muji, built a brand on good design and no-frill attitude that pervade japanese culture and Zen paradigm. Ferrari exahults the flamboyance of Italians. Harley is about great American Adventure and Exploration. On the other hand, let's take a humble example- a ball pen/gel pen - BIC is BIC..the legend. In India, we might easily have at least 100 manufacturer making gel/ball pens. They would be producing close to 5 million pens a day-all world-class. Technology is no different. Take Another example, Titan Watch- the king of Indian watch market. Look at VIP bags...almost as good looking bags as Samsonite but not quite TUMI. So even if we leave the services, out of our discussion and just focus on daya-to-day physical products, what is that value that people would like to remember/relish about an Indian brand? It won't be surely 'Low Cost'- this is a short term phenomenon til our labour becoe costly. 5000 years of history and all the bright and shining mind can not make a brand on 'quality', 'price' or 'engineering'...these are primitive differentiators. Let me sya what I have in mind...some pointers that you can add on- Longevity: Western countries make products that become useless soon. Indians never like to throw things. Married-for-ever is the institution that we revere. Can we use this micro phenomenon to build a design principle that says- make a product that should RENEW itself over a period or find a REUSE after its jobs is over. We know how housewives store all the free glass jars for containing dals and other condiments in the kitchen. Can we use this one a bigger scale i.e. Design a vehicle that would only require minor upgrades and minimal invasion to become new. Can we decidedly use tougher coatings on the body that it would remain scratch proof. Can we build things as a part of new brand character, that may be a bit costly but remain SOLID and REUSABLE to the core? We are talking of sustainability in the way that West does not understand and it comes to us naturally. Being a developing and deprived society for the time being, should not guide the brand character that would last for 100 years next.... Does it make sense? Can we find more such values that are core to the India but worthy of being taken up as a brand character for emerging Indian product brands?

Manoj Kothari

Product Innovation in India: A round-up 2009

2009-03-18T12:40:00.000+05:30

Two years back a small software service company approached us for a rather unusual demand -They had made an enterprise recruitment software for SMEs in India. It was rather odd for us to see a company, which only talked of outsourcing and partnership on their website, suddenly waking up to India centered products. Being a design company, we often come across entrepreneurs and startups, who have ideas in the consumer products (physical products) domain, but we had never encountered a software company seeking UI design help for a local customer base. This was, to me a beginning of a new beginning of the software industry in India.

Looking at the other side of the spectrum, our team frequents the MIDC area (Industrial Zone) in Pune and meets with several small and medium manufacturing companies who are either supplier to the large auto companies (like Tata, Bajaj, Mercedez etc.) or they take up small jobs for large companies (i.e. machining, mould making etc.). Five years back they were seething in deep recession and the situation was grave. Apart from the industrial scenario at that time, the Chinese products had also given them a hard bashing. By and by we saw them rising up to the economic boom and fighting it out with Chinese prices and quality levels. Today some of them are talking to us in a rather unusual tone. “Economic ups and down will come and go, we need to charter our course. Being a supplier to large companies is no more the aspiration, we want to create our own products now”. A steel furniture manufacturer who has been exporting beach-furniture as well as supplying furniture elements and components to large companies like Godrej regrets the fact that the innovation he brings to the table of these large companies does not elevate his position or business in the eyes of the clients. These are the rumblings of the things to come.

Another small manufacturing company based in Pune’s industrial belt deals in making plasticware for homes. They make close to a million buckets a year, apart from some activity in the B2B space where they make small components in plastic for large companies. The owner has been driving new product ideas on his own till now. His business didn’t seem to have been affected by the slowdown. The essential commodities never take the big hit, we learnt from him. He is rather planning to use this little bit of slackness in the market, to diversify his product range. He, for the first time, has thought of hiring the services of a professional company to help in product innovation. He mentioned how buckets were just seen as buckets till yesterday. Today, people would prefer to buy a ‘set’ (a tumbler, bucket, soap-case and stool, all in plastic) in a matching color scheme, for their bathrooms. Now, he is forced not to think in terms of ‘items’ or ‘specific products’ alone. Systems thinking, is now a forced learning.

Let’s look at another scenario, that of Individual inventors. This is almost unheard of in India. If we Google the word ‘Inventor’/’Innovator’, thousands of results will hit the screen, but they are mostly from USA. The land of innovation, USA has probably more Inventors’ Associations than the inventors in India who eventually own the IPR for their invention. We were working on a design, of a safe paraffin stove for the South African market, which if tumbles by mistake, won’t spill the kerosene/paraffin and therefore won’t catch fire. Africa is known to have hundreds of deaths due to the unsafe design of these stoves. People, who live in thatched huts, some times leave their stove on during the night, for warmth. As we finished the work on this innovation, we came to know that there are more than 18 different innovations, which are registered on kerosene stoves, by individual inventors across India. The National Innovation Foundation, which collated these innovations was mesmerized with the content of these innovations, which ranged from improving the efficiency of the stove to using dual fuel in the stove. This segment of product innovation is the most potent one, but highly under-exploited.

Problems on the upper end of the market are quite different. Companies that woke up to design and planned innovation a decade back are in a different stratosphere of maturity. By now they have well established processes of insight collection and several thousand documents of market research piles up every year for their design teams to use. The new range of design and the launch is a big planned fanfare which is now a yearly activity. They already know that copying, western designs does not fetch them customer attention in India, anymore. Today, the Indian consumer wants to articulate his own needs, and wants them to be answered smartly. These companies are still struggling to find an ‘identity’. Over the years they have mastered the art of new product development and marketing. However, ‘design language’ is the higher question that is haunting them. VIP, Titan, Onida, TI cycles, Bajaj etc. are some of these big consumer product giants of the Indian market that are now raising the right questions of the brand identity of their products. Semantics is now, a known term in these design studios.

Asian Paints is a good example, which stands out in terms of establishing a full process of trend forecasting for the upcoming year. While Trend Forecasting is not new to India and has been used in the fashion industry amply, a non-fashion industry taking it up seriously in fully indigenized ways is definitely commendable. The Fashion Industry has been under severe influences of the designs showcased in Paris and other trade fairs like Premier Vision. However, the time has come, when Indian textile and clothing manufacturers are finally looking at an ‘Indian interpretation’ of these trends. This is a first step towards becoming comfortable with home-grown trend reports and projections.

One of the large Indian automobile manufacturer wants us to work on the Color, Material and Finishes for the next range of luxury vehicles. India started styling its own vehicles almost a decade back and this was well received by the consumers. But it is only recently, that serious thought has being given to the area of CMF (Color, Material and Finish), not only for the upcoming range but also for projections on the next upgrade i.e. three years hence of an existing product. These decisions previously rested with marketing or foreign design and styling consulting companies. But we can now say that the Indian automotive industry too, is fast maturing.

For me, who saw a lot of rants around the Chinese onslaught of consumer products, the growth of the service economy and two rounds of recession, dating with foreign brands, technologies, collaborations and even consultants; it is heartening to know that India is moving up the value-chain of innovation. It may not be pacing up but inching up for sure.

Innovation in the slow times!

2009-01-16T11:44:00.000+05:30

It has been almost six months since I wrote on this blog. World changed at an accelarated pace in the mean while. India boom seems to have hit a road block or at least a bump. Banks after banks and comapnies afte companies in USA are lining up for bankruptcy. USA is doling out the steroids like a Hollywood movie, which may only last till the movie lasts...India is bearing the brunt of its economy having strong links to USA economy. Whatever was left, out friends at Satyam have blown it off. It was clear the 2009 is going to be tough, but now it appears that it will be tougher.

On the other hand, how is Innovation industry seeing this all? Will companies stop the expenditure on all that belongs to future (including heavy R&D and Design) or will they use this time to gain some muscles through research and innovation? Will they outsource more or will they do it all inhouse to retain the jobs? The two sides of the story are all doing the equal rounds.

Time and again our clients are asking a question, as if it adds to our readiness and capability -"have you guys been affected by the slowdown?"
Well our answers is "No....so far so good".

The fact is barring afew projects which were to come from USA, the project pipeline is as thick as it had been. There is client who is planning to invest several million dollars in land acquisition in the next few months, another one is planning a complete new range of kitchenware lauch in India, another one is gearing up for new age toys for children etc etc. They are not talking of cutting costs. They are not talking of slow-down language. Another client DRDO (Indian DefenceResearch) is totally slowdown proof. A client of ours makes energy meters and this market is again has minimal effect of world situation. Megaprojects which have several years as timeline, companies that work in energy, food, essential commodities and basic services are not slowing down. Hero Honda the motor bike making company from India has shown GROWTH in this year (amazing...), which proves the point that all those companies who were livin by the ad expenditures are nose-diving now, while companies who live by the shear quality of their products andservices are here to stay put.

There are lessons to be learn for the next cycle. Up up and higher is not the way World goes , all the time. Innovation companies need to keep a good mix of clients who are riding the waves along with the clients who are staple-cruisers. Post-dotcom times, this is a reminder to all of us.

All ye who Innovate

2009-01-16T11:41:00.000+05:30

"He who innovates, will have enemies in all those who are well off under the existing order of things, and will find only lukewarm supporters in those who might be better off under the new"
-Niccollo Machiaveli

Young Designers of India: Time to Act

2008-07-01T08:44:00.000+05:30

Nothing succeeds like success. Talking alone, goes only as far. Economy is bubbling and the new breed of Indian designers is ready to take on the world…just like the last generation. Not only in India but across the world, designers have been talking of changing the world for almost a century. India is on a threshold of change; a tectonic change. It is just about time to stop conferencing, stop talking, stop musing and get going with piercing speed into doing own bit. All this while when economy was waking-up, there was time to philosophize and surmise. Now even if we can implement 10% of what has already been thought, India can prosper and world can benefit.

Everyone knows there are bigger problems in India of illiteracy, water, power etc. etc. Designers should forget about them. Yes, no point yelling for grand purposes if they are not within your reach immediately. Having grand ideas and miniscule power in hand can only make a day-dreamer out of you. Finally one needs a Shahjahan to have the power and money to patronize a grand idea of Tajmahal. Alone the architects and the artists could have achieved zilch. Wait for that turn, keep the hopes alive, converse about the ideas in close forums but in open, just act.

Business today are looking at design finesse; the finesse of skills. Skills that can match the skills gotten by the grand daddies of the design world. Nobody is looking at how many awards you have won, or how many forums you have spoken in…India still needs a person who knows how to draw well; how to visualize the futuristic and pragmatic products; how to articulate the nuances of the consumer sentiments; how to interweave the local concerns with the business needs; and how to convert the wonderful looking digital renderings into a tangible and sensible product through good engineering.

All this will add up to some world class brands from India. Do we know a single brand that speaks globally today? There have been some overtures off late. There lies the next challenge for Indian designers to align with the businesses that have global vision rather than living in the small dungeon playing with narcissistic muses. Every designer should be aware of the ‘sustainability’ concerns, but does not mean that every designer India produces should only cater to ‘craft sector’? Who will build the luxury brands? Who will create the new aesthetics? Who will generate enough money that philanthropy will have a chance? There will be designers and there will be people who create wealth.

Designers should stop talking to fellow designers. Yes, start talking to the world. All the conferences that revolve around good rounds of ‘you scratch my back, I scratch yours’, would do no good to design tycoons in making. They were good in the years when there was no shoulder to cry on. It is time to gird up our loins, take a knapsack the romp the areas still untrodden.

All these will happen, but no alone. For this, you don’t need to create another forum for designers. I am talking about finding the right patrons; who see value in the design thinking; who see value in a great mind. That is a reality of design world and will remain. Align with the organization that has vision of going beyond the obvious market statistics and that has the eye for details while the working on the mega ideas. Such organizations or individuals are the torch bearers of change in India that will be. Talk to them, try to look out for them, eulogies them, enrich their brand equity, strengthen them in the way you can. That will surely be a step in the right direction, unless you have a will and power to be one of them. Till then, stay quiet and work hard. Smoke less and save energy. You will need it tomorrow.

Leading by scenarios: Learning from the kids

2008-03-08T13:58:00.001+05:30

I came across this exercise conducted by Sonali, a friend of mine who caringly teaches kids under 10, where majority of them are from rural background. Kids were told to write a story/essay on their village and then draw it out. Results were surprising. Story-telling, could be so telling...I knew but this was illuminating... Look at how vivid and clear imagery do kids carry, of their village-

Now look at the second one. This kid is from a village called Vashi, which actually has been gobbled up by the expanding city of Mumbai and one can see the multi-storey apearing in the picture. There is a train station in which three trains are standing.

These two images below, show how a village by the highway appears to a kid. Kid could see the jungle thick with trees beyond the village, and a highway divides the jungle and the village. Along the highway there are many restaurants....(you can see the chairs and the table)..even the milestones and direction boards are visible here.

This kid shows a temple which has lots of stairs to climb, as an important element of the village. One can see another temple in the background. Roads are more clearly marked and houses are relegated to side elements here.

This kid draws out her village as the one full of houses...no trees, only jungle of buildings ...one can see a church in the side. Houses are also multi-storied and not huts. There are no clearly demarketed roads like in the earlier cases. It appears to be more of a case of a 'slum' or some ghetto areas of city depicted rather thn a village.

What clicked in my mind is that the way child can be so illustrative about his/her imagery if once queued with words, the same way designers can pick-up better concepts, they can conceptualise better if brief is told as a scenario, rather than what many of us are familiar with.

I am sure some of the best leaders in the world also rule through 'scenarios' rather than 'instructions'.

Vision Monologues on Packaging and Innovation in India

2008-03-07T12:47:00.000+05:30

PACKAGING

Packaging is no more what it used to be. Nice wrappers are a passé. Beautiful ‘experience’ is the new world of packaging. ‘Out of Box experience’ is what is being talked from ‘Apple’ to ‘Nike’ to ‘Chyavanprash’ alike. That is the new economy in India.
From plastics to multicoated papers to corrugated sheets to natural materials, packaging is redefining itself. Finishes and printing technology that is available to all, however high-tech they be, become a no brainer very soon. With increasing access to this wide variety of quality packaging, consumer’s attention span is reducing and they seek fresher experience with every purchase.

Another important tweak in the game is the structural packaging that never went out of the fashion, yet new demands are being generated everyday because of changing lifestyle. Gifting becoming a big trend in India, will see the need for better small packaging soon. Postal department will soon see an overhaul of the packaging options in the lines of western countries. Retail revolution will bring along packaging for stuff that is never sold in the western markets and would need totally Indian thought i.e. semi cooked chapattis.

While ‘experience’ is defining the front end, ‘sustainability’ is on the tail-end now which could soon catch-up as a buzz word in the cluttered market. Indian consumers could soon be looking for ‘recyclables’ stamp as more of a necessity than a fashion statement. Indian culture is used to REUSE. This could become a great differentiator for a packaging company, if applied with a focused vision.

INNOVATION TODAY

When whole of India is talking volume and scale, one must gear up for the next challenge beyond volume delivery. Well the answer is ‘Innovation’ which actually is a no brainer today. But most of the time, innovation is sporadic, personal opinion based rather than based on sensing from the ground; very very ‘current situation based’ rather than futuristic; too much controlled by current technology rather then based on ‘insights and the need of the user’. This is usually the scenario in companies that have grown organically or have a traditional management set-ups. Have you ever wondered, when the bathrooms are becoming smaller day by day in the apartment system and they all are rectanglular/square, why the buckets, tubs, mugs etc, should still be circular? Just to save the mould cost?

‘Design Thinking’ is about infusing the thought of COMPREHENSIVE & CREATIVE thinking at every part and every level of organization (not just product design). From Design to Dealer, and from Plant to Product, every link in the chain should resonate with making things better. GOOD LOOKS of the brand, product, packaging etc. are just the very first manifestations of it.

Very recent example is Tata’s Nano car….it is not just the product design innovation…the innovation has happened across value-chain…from component design to supply-chain, to retailing plan…all have been creatively put-together to leverage the scale and economy. Pantaloon (Future Group) has trained several levels of top management in ‘Design Management’ in a pioneering effort. They really believe that Design Thinking alone can give them insulation against poaching and foreign brand invasion.

The Design Thinking is what Onio takes ahead in all its interactions and offerings, deeply grounded in ‘strategy’ based on ‘sensing insights’.

We believe that Indian brands can do wonders if they learn how to seed the future with insights into fast evolving social patterns and combined it with systematic innovation/design-thinking.

Alchemy of Innovation: Design Thinking At Onio

2008-03-07T12:44:00.000+05:30

Innovation is a complex phenomenon today, immersed in the deep web of market dynamics, individual preferences, regulations, technology, user contexts, cultural nuances, brand legacy and several other interacting factors. Designers and engineers who are fresh from college are severely trailing behind the preparedness needed for innovating in such a paradigm. Here is an elaboration of some criticalities as we experienced in last one decade of managing an innovation hub-

PRAGMATISM OVER PERFECTION:
Endless iterations, trying to accommodate every point of view (from boss to client to user) can sap out the essence of good idea. A pragmatic call on where to put the foot down; how to retain the essence of initial conception; how to articulate the process by which the concept has evolved so that super-boss does not wipe-out the work in a sweeping sentence etc. are some of the key learning that need to be inculcated in the new force that joins the team.

POLISH SEEKERS
We have seen that clearly there are two kinds of people, those who constantly upgrade their own knowledge base, skills and those who don’t. The first kind would always find ways and means to browse through the latest update in their field, be it a good looking design idea or a good piece of graphic They are the ones who would insist on subscribing to a new journal and would fret if that does not happen. They would have a personal network of friends who refer them tips and leads about what’s cool. They would have their strong opinion on the things around them and will express it through blog as well. This creed is the real life line of an innovation center. Other kind are usually driven by what is right- Boss could be right or the client could be right. They always put customer first, and rightly they won laurels for completing assignments on time. So a right balance has to be struck between these populace in the team.

DOCUMENTATION NIGHTMARES
Innovators, as a creed, hate documentation. This is one last useless piece of activity that always pushes them to an internal revolt. However, this is a step that no innovation center can afford to ignore from day one. The process that went by, new learning that took place, team that played a key role, new materials that were explored, finishes that work on particular surface and not on the other, how the client reacted to particular line of ideas, and what strategy worked in terms of presentation …..last but not the least, getting the final story together that would come handy selling similar assignment to the next client. These are the things that an innovation center should take up with an alert priority but usually not possible due to looming project.

DESIGN COMPETITIONS
Innovation ideas with a free-flow, open the flood gates of thinking through the design competitions. They are a good way to rejuvenate and synergize the sluggish teams. They can do what a great people manager can not, for an innovation team.

THINKERS & TINKERS
Structured and forward thinking is not everybody’s business. Some are naturally gifted for this, while others in the innovation team are more hands-on people. They revel in perfecting a hand skill and find all the ‘thinking part quite boring. Library and the workshop both have their own place in the innovation team. Inspirations and sense of achievement both would differ for these to kinds and should be treated differently.

RAPID-PROTOTYPING
There is a technical term of this kind. However, here I am referring to ‘ability to quickly give a physical/tangible shape to ideas’. Prototyping could be done on a paper through sketches or it can be done in a fabrication workshop or it can be done in a stereo-litho machine. Scenarios and prototyping is one big capability any innovation team requires. This, combined with story-telling capabilities become the power-drive for the innovation center. Nurturing the ‘prototyping’ capabilities is one of the key goals of managing innovation.

SENSING SENSE
Over the period we have realized that ‘design’ per se is a commodity i.e. once told what needs to be done, there are several qualified teams who can do that in a clinical precision. But today, WHAT TO INNOVATE is a bigger question then HOW. Ethnography, cultural trend reading, social psychology, user trip etc. are some of the key ingredients of a new age innovation team which give a highly gilded edge to the innovation team.

Perfection and Speed

2008-02-23T14:26:00.000+05:30

I read it somewhere long time back, but I reconfirm it-
" A common trap for design thinking is searching for perfect designs—the belief that there is a single right answer to a given problem, and a designer should be able to realize it given enough time. In many cases, the best possible design (if there is such a thing) isn't worth more than a good one, especially if it takes twice as much time to find it. "

However this quote does not discount the role of 'attention to details', only limits it in a pragmatic way. This combination is becoming rarer and rarer.

Learning to Liberate

2008-01-27T12:05:00.000+05:30

Basics of creativity are still the same. Young kids at Akanksha Foundation (working on making education a pleasant experience amongst less previleged kids at Pune) could learn the deft knife movements on car papers to create these beautiful paper bags. Sonali, the volunteer teacher at this center just showed them this once and kids could pick up the skill in no time. It was amazing to see then the body of work around Japan, kids could generate and learn. No amount of class roon teaching, not even digital lessons would have helped this unless they immersed themselves in creating charts and props and interactive games on Japan.

In a path breaking step, this foundation wrote to schools around the world to join this initiative make kids of their school to become pen pals of Akanksha kids. It was amazine to see schools world over responding with zest to this call. Soon the letters were flowing across the borders. It was not emails, mind you, but hand written real emotion filled letters. I think there are some basics which are not going to go away. Teaching and learning- education over all, has some basic goals- as Krishnamurthy says- "to liberate". Unless education liberates the mind, there is no education. When we were conducting design research on an education portal for a world software giant recently, we found that how Indian kids are passively busy with tuition classes, hobby classes (forced by parents), TV watching and home-works....there is not time for PLAY..no time for SYNTHESIS....Parents are busy, so are kids. Every one wants to be the topper of the class and at the same time, speak smartly in the gatherings....Race to the top begins early in the childhood, leading to very very fragile nervous system by the time child grows up to become the citizen of the country. Education system in India needs an overhaul. Overhaul towards a more open, playful, interactive and real experience based learning. When will schools learn this. When will parents learn this?

Organised Micro-Innovation is the Key to New India

2008-01-26T10:52:00.000+05:30

Micro-Innovation is not new. Several organisations are already in place trying to tap the rural innovation, individual innovation etc. etc. I am talking about institutionalised micro-innovation. Something like creating a super-computer using the networked millions of home-computer.
To be expanded....

Rejoinder to Tata Nano

2008-01-25T14:04:00.000+05:30

'पैसा आने से अमीरी नही आती, अमीरी की आदत डालनी पड़ती है"(Luxury is a habit, not a perk)- I heard this dialogue in a soap opera. India is yet to get used to the new found wealth. When I drive the car, I am not only careful about the way I drive, but I am also account for other's hap hazard driving (usually two wheelers). This creed of two wheeler owners who go criss-cross on road, will start driving cars on day (Nano) and soon they would understand the problems they used to create. I think it would be a win-win situation :).

Lighter note aside, I am dead serious about certain public best practices falling in place once a SYSTEM of good infrastructure falls in place. Vashi railway station in New Bombay is an example of this. It was one of the path breaking step in Station Building as far as India is concerned. People had not seen sparkling granite flooring in station buildings 10 years back. everyone was sarcastic about the concept "hmm...what about the paan-spitters, that plague India) ". Well, this station survived the paan-eaters. People behaved. It is no more about 'India is like this only'...it is just wealth, well applied... my dear.

Tata Nano

2008-01-25T05:54:00.000+05:30

One can call this a phenomenon of the year. The amount of media coverage and raging debates it has generated is unparalleled in the recent times. World is just about to understand the term '1 lakh'. I wont be surprised if it is inlcuded in the dictionary in the coming years like 'bazaar' and 'pyjama'.

Autorishaw drivers see the silver lining in it. It is an achievable dream. They can afford to buy it and replace the old rickety contraption they were cursed with, which saves them neither from hot and sultry climate and nor from rain. 8 million 2 wheeler buyers in India (one can assume that out of them at least 4 million would be just bike owners -without any 4 wheeler ownership), who dream of one day owning a car, can make this dream come true. I used to wonder and pity Indian traffic policemen, who themselves have never driven a car, usually make money on 2 wheeler owners. They rarely stop a car to check the papers and license. Probably there is some colonial remanents in that interaction which stops them from questioning the car drivers. I guess, Nano is going to level that off.

Auto-rickshaw should be called an inspiration for Nano. As a design student I have seen a million attempts on redesigning Autorikshaw for modern Indian cities. But none saw the light of the day. One wonders was Bajaj, the owner and maker of legendary autorikshaws, sleeping all this while on this gold mine? They could have easily made variants of this three wheeler that would be styled nicely enought to entice a family car-aspirant. Monopoly is the mother of lethargy in the orgnisation. Modern times where competition only survives on high adrenalin of innovation, such legands are doomed to go the Darwin's way.

There have been several voices of Indian roads choking to death with 8 million Nano on roads in next few years. When a rich man buys a hummer that guzzles the gallons on road, or keeps 4 cars for a family of three, is it not an atrocity on road? I think every one should have a fair chance of polluting and enjoying life :). As a reader of Trends I can assure that a counter trend would alreayd set in by the time Nano reaches its peak i.e. return to two wheelers. Those who want a bet, get in touch.

Last but not the least, I read reviews and reviews of this car. No designer was named for this styling/innovation. Mr. Ratan Tata was the sole designer and visionary. Styling/Industrial Design must have played a role here for sure, but it was rather puny in front of other innovations in supply-chain, engine design, engineering materials and distributions strategy it seems to have pulled off. 'Design myopia' can never get a better panecea than this. This is the begining of India thinking in design on a broader level. Indian sensibilitites in design relate to 'Indian usability' more than 'Indian aesthetics' (at least as of now).

That all for now!! I am awaiting an Indian luxury brand with as much curiosity!!

Manoj Kothari's Impressions from World Design Congress - Connecting 07

2007-11-01T12:16:00.000+05:30

I just came back from ‘Design Event of the Life time’ – as described by Bill Moggridge of IDEO. During 4 days of non-stop design discussions from 17th to 20th October, close to 2000 people from several walks of design and the world, huddled together in the busy precincts of Hotel Fairmont and surrounding areas in the bay area of San-Francisco. From founder of Frog Design Helmut Hesslinger to current CEO of IDEO, Tim Brown, futurist thinkers like Paul Saffo and Bruce Sterling, upcoming American designer Yves Behar and other usual suspects like Philips’s chief designer Stephano Marzano etc. all spoke at length on design and future of design. One could see a sizable Indian gathering with Dr. Koshy, Pradyumna Vyas, Uday Dandavate from Sonic Rim, Mookesh Patel, Surya Vanka, Poonam and Geetha from Srishti, Unmesh Kulkarni from Philips, myself and several Indian students who are studying in USA. Dr. Koshy, Manoj Kothari, Hari Nair and Unmesh were amongst the speakers (who were in the list of whopping 142 sessions which split the audience in 8 parallel sessions).My expectations were grand. I expected grand new dimensions of design, new articulations of the philosophy and new dimensions of practice across the world would be discussed. I was largely disappointed. Though it was enthralling to listen to some of the speakers like Sir Ken Robinson on creativity. He spoke withoutany Power Point for 45 minutes and people gave a standing ovation. It was refreshing to hear new point of view of Bio Mimicry (learn from the nature) to bring new concepts i.e. CO2 is not poison. It is poison if we do not learn from mollusks who convert CO2 dissolved in water into Calcium Carbonate shells. etc.IDEO’s presented the case of ‘DESIGN THINKING’ (they are done with product design…they have done thousands of them). Case of Aravind Eye hospital (I think Mysore), where they could reduce the cost of lens from 400$ to 4$ and able to conduct close to a 100,000 operations a year, was used to illustrate the design thinking. Several speakers made it a point to use work done for Indian (emerging) markets as a feather in the design cap. India was the hot favorite though the point of view appeared quite naïve to native Indians sitting there (us). Also, one expects that the design mature economies where three generations have worked on design (as an example Walter C. Teague’s grand son was felicitated there), are still groping for new directions and new articulation of what design and designers should be doing. If INTEGRATED and FUTURISTIC thinking is called ‘DESIGN THINKING’ then it is being practiced by all visionaries for time-immemorial. Design, to the common mind, still evoked images of ‘Beautiful Product’ and not of ‘Beautiful Solution’, as we expect it to be. Probably time has come to re-brand DESIGN. Its classical definition of ‘Creative Problem Solving’ or new definitions of ‘Exploiting Hidden Opportunities’ both have not touched the masses and already become clichéd.Another prominent theme of discussion was ‘INTERACTIONS’ apart from design for the third world. However, the speakers and case-study presentation sounded stale to me. They do not bring news anymore. I think Indian design community is moving faster than the world and it is about time that more case-studies from India start going out. The socio-cultural complexity that the emerging markets of China, India, Brazil and Russia (along with Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia) present can not be grasped fully by the approaches familiar to us now. My presentation was on ‘Intentiability, that speaks of new design research methodology for such market. However, no other such discussion happened. Although it was primarily a designers gathering as usual ( I did not come across many CEOs being quoted or being greeted), who do not like ‘portfolio presentations’ from fellow designers, but I think that is a very powerful way to propagate the cause of design. What is stale to designers may still be a fresh insight for rest of the world. I think CII-NID Design conference as well as Pune Design Festival should strongly focus on PORTFOLIO PRESENTATIONS from fellow designers. Ultimately the design community gains when media has more masala to quote from the individual design projects. Richard Seymour did present their work for Virgin Galactic (was far from inspiring). Yves Behars’ 100$ laptop was interesting, without being exciting. Philips’s case of revival through design was very professional and did account for overall business overview apart from usual ‘form’ and ‘function’ discussion.There was a mention of ICSID and ICOGRADA not coming together for even grand occasions like this one. For a change I was happy to see an Indian name doing rounds in ICSID board (Dr. Koshy). Kudos to Dr. Koshy, he has a great political voice in the international design circles that is badly needed in India, as much as the good body of work from the design community.There was a small informal meeting of all the Indian participants to discuss the agenda and structure of CII-NID Design Summit, coming up in Dec. Idea was to choose the good speakers from this conference to be invited there. While we need some international sparkle to woo the media, I think the time has come when REAL STORIES from the ground (SMALL and UPCOMING, design lead organizations) should get the limelight on the podium through design community. Trying to call all the usual suspects, who are jet-setting between conferences, presenting the same of old stuff in different settings, is a no brainer for anyone anymore. There are hundreds of new start-ups in India, lead by innovation savvy entrepreneurs who understand the new Indian reality of retail boom, educated consumer, socio-cultural nuances, anti-colonial mindset and Indian’s new mission to go global. Design community will win if they are made the AMBASSADORS of design. Not to forget that PORTFOLIO PRESENTATION should be made an essential part of such conferences (at least in India). I think a good strategy is to divide the speaker list this way- 20% foreign, glossy speakers, 30% Indian design community presentations, 30% Design led new age companies from India, 20% Education and Policy presentation.Overall, this experience did tells me that excitement is shifting to India and China for reasons beyond market reality. However, we, the design community, needs more mature articulation of ourselves in all the forums that speak DESIGN even remotely.

2007-07-15T10:58:00.000+05:30

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,1528654,00.asp

By Jim Louderback
"Why isn't MP3 dead yet," complained reader Matt Bieschke to me in an e-mail. "I've been waiting a long time for MP3 to die, and it just seems to get more popular."
Are there better Alternatives? There are, and they solve the problems. Microsoft's WMA, MPEG-4 AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) used by Apple's iPod and iTunes, and Ogg Vorbis all create much smaller files that sound as good or better than MP3s. Ogg Vorbis is free for all, both on the encoding and the playback side. WMA includes built-in digital rights management (DRM), and Apple has appended its own DRM to AAC—which makes music sellers happy.
Why hasn't MP3 been unseated? Formats, once widely adopted, are very hard to change. MP3 has become a lowest-common-denominator format: A device simply cannot be successful without supporting it. Why? Because so many users have invested so much time in creating and downloading MP3 files, and they'll resist going through gathering and encoding all over again. There's simply too much material in MP3 format floating around for us to change over, even with all the benefits of newer formats.
I don't disagree with your assessment of the MP3 format...
MP3 will never die.
it's not about adopting new standards; it's really about making money.
What's it going to take to change? I've developed a law of technology adoption, which I modestly call Louderback's Law: Unless a new technology includes breakthroughs in at least two different dimensions—without adding hardship along the way—it will not supplant and older, established one.

The idea of "LOWest COMMON DENOMINATOR" is a strong idea. BIC has become LCM of the pens. MP# has become the LCM of music. VICKS has become LCM of cold-relief balm in India..and SURF has become LCM of washing powder....very very difficult to replace the first movers advantage. First mover, that went to the masses....

Power of LCM is a greatly unarticulated that defies the idea of value creation through premium branding and the language of 'desire through scarcity'. At least we can say that it works slightly differently for a mass-marketeer visionery. Trading products under one brand umbrella and creating a product that flows like water in the market is totally different ball game.

Contextual Enquiry Primer

2007-07-15T10:48:00.000+05:30

“Contextual inquiry is based on three core principles: that understanding the context in which a product is used (the work being performed) is essential for elegant design, that the user is a partner in the design process, and that the usability design process, including assessment methods like contextual inquiry and usability testing, must have a focus. … For example, interviewing during a contextual inquiry study usually does not include set, broadly worded questions. Instead, the partnership between the interviewer and interviewee is used to create a dialogue, one where the interviewer can not only determine the user’s opinions and experiences, but also his or her motivations and context.” Also see Contextual Enquiry – A Primer.

Interesection of Concepts, cultures and context

2007-07-15T10:02:00.001+05:30

Associative Barriers And The Medici Effect
The contextual objective of collaborative software is to create what’s called The Medici Effect: Breakthrough Insights at the Intersection of Ideas, Concepts & Cultures. “When you step into an intersection of fields, disciplines, or cultures, you can combine existing concepts into a large number of extraordinary new ideas.” In medicine for instance, inkjet technology is applied to develop layered pharmacuticals which time–release different medications in sequence.
Only through redesign of associative webs and barriers making up the stuff of context can information technology realize its potential, and avoid the ultimate context failure: groupthink.

Another good quote

2007-07-15T10:02:00.000+05:30

Innovation Process

2007-07-15T09:44:00.000+05:30

“The nature of innovation — the inherent definition of innovation — has changed today from what it was in the past. It’s no longer individuals toiling in a laboratory, coming up with some great invention. It’s not an individual. It’s individuals. It’s multidisciplinary. It’s global. It’s collaborative.” — Sam Palmisano, Chairman, President and CEO, IBM

IBM chief makes my job easier :)...makes Onio's job easier and makes the design industry a wee bit closer to public education on design.

Another quote which attracted my attention-

“Big will not beat small anymore. It will be the fast beating the slow.” — Rupert Murdoch, Chairman and CEO, News Corporation

and yet another one-
The report quotes CEOs as saying:
"partnering is “theoretically easy” but “practically hard to do.”…”having a few beers together is not collaboration. Collaboration is a discipline.”

Tips on Ethnographic User Interviews

2007-06-20T09:38:00.001+05:30

Key points for Ethnographic User Research

Keep the list of questions ready in your bag and in your mind (not in your hand).
Try rehearsing the entire conversation through one or two sample interviews. This would get you into the groove.
Always go in the team of two. Better if one person is a woman.
Take some time, especially in the case of home interviews, to make the person/family comfortable in talking to you.
If they are talking to you, never be in a hurry to ask the next question.
Idea should be about ‘broaching the topic’ and not ‘asking a question’.
Note all that is happening around. Do not focus the camera only on the person who is speaking. While the voice is getting recorded, camera can actually pan the surroundings.
Note the brands that are in use, around the subject.
Note the body language.
Take a round of the market, to see the environment, ads, messages, trends in that living habitat.
Never. Be too apologetic about the interviews. Some of the subjects are too keen to be interviewed.
You can prompt/help them for certain issues, if they are not the talkative kind.
Also note the people and their interactions around the subject.
Take a look at the architecture, interiors etc. and articulate in the report.
Carry visual concepts to illustrate the ideas, but use them after significant comfort has been approached.

Pick of the day- Defining Design in Indian language

2007-05-12T14:45:00.000+05:30

Here is some knowledge, I picked up from the discussions in yahoogroup, on what is the word in Hindi/Sanskrit for DESIGN-

"It is neither surprising nor sad that we are not ableto get an exact equivalence to 'design', an English word that during last eighty years has gathered layers after layers after layers of meanings, nuances and interpretations. The French who are at least ten times as fiercely proud of their language as we are ofSanskrit (or Hindi or Bangla, or Tamil or any of thefourteen Indian languages) have recenly settled downfor DESIGN with no change of spelling. Germany had alredy done the same while Russians (quite cleverly, Ithought) desided to add an entirely new word to theirlanguage, spelled DIZAIN"- H. Kumar Vyas

'Seeking Authenticity'- New Trend -UPolitical

2007-05-11T10:02:00.000+05:30

This comment caught my eye, aftermath the UP elections....a perfect case for 'Rootine' trend that Onio has proposed for the year 2007.

"Running a single-handed campaign, sans celebrities, catchy advertisements, audio-visual displays or any other vote-pulling antic, Mayawati only concentrated on her new social engineering experiment of wooing the once "untouchable" Brahmins to act as a catalyst to reinforce her strong base of Dalits in a highly caste-ridden Uttar Pradesh."

Maturity of Design lead Economy

2007-05-09T09:03:00.000+05:30

While design community in India is trying to gaze the shape of the the elephant, like the legendary blind men, some things are but predictable. Contexutal differences in applying the 'design best practices' is different from stages of maturity of the market or business practice. What would be maturity of the design business in India? Will it be just a replication of what Scandanavian countries are today? Will it just mean better looking products, thriving companies, improved infrastructure, ethnic craft based product boom and masses consuming more of thoughtful products? Will it mean that the way my carpenter works will change; they way maid mops the floor will change; the way bank treats me will change; the way goverment collects my personal data will change; the way buildings look in rural side will change; the way communication sweeps aross media will change? Probably all of them together....

Does it mean that a ditto copy of what has happened in mature economies+local needs, is the 100% projection of India as the design lead economy?

I see every country brings a tweak to the 'design' world from its own perspective. Recently I read that China is now one of the biggest manufacturer and exporter of cosmetics in the world. The world is guzzling what chinese aestheic senses are producing...China is shaping the beauty of the world (in a way). One can sense the chinese colour pallette in toys and plasticware already. World's kids are getting moulded to certain sensibilities through these toys and plasticware. There is democratised, more accessible and affordable to everyone, new toy on the shelf everyday for sure. So Taiwan, Korea and China have learnt the tricks of European design and mixed with their own sensibilities to evolve a new design language. India is yet to speak that language. Whenever that becomes visible there is going to be visual changes for sure, but there should be some thought level changes are but expected. I won;t be surprised if some of the thoughtlines create flutters in the design world across the shores.

Coming back to maturity stages, it appears to me that it is only a matter of time that cetain things will happen-
a) Design becomes integral part of corporate world
b) Design becomes a tool for SMEs for growth
c) Sensing paradigm takes root in market faced innovations
d) Disruptive processes are borne out of the shear madness that Indian market presents
e) 'Art' comes back in day-today objects
f) Multiple organisational bodies are formed to channelise certain efforts in this segment (Design council or not..
g) Industry shake-up happens as world wakes up to design service market potential in India (Kishor Biyani of Pantaloon is 'outsourcing' the IT needs to IBM in India...does it ring bells?)
h) 'Design' is broken up into more specific sectors. 'Furniture and Retail Design', 'Animation Design'...etc. Creative Services would be the overall gamut to address.
i) Boom in regional markets in the interiors of India will bring the crafts back..(it would be surprising..that craft revival will not be because of the Walmart sourcing from these people, but because of the own countrymen becoming conscious of their needs).

Current generation would be the 'speedy' generation who want things accomplaished all in their life time...next one would surely take a pause and reflect....:))

Appliances are brcoming a beautiful furniture

2007-05-09T09:01:00.000+05:30

Here is an example of this trend....

Design in India: The View From Within : Manoj Kothari writes for BusinessWeek

2007-05-02T17:24:00.000+05:30

The author, a strategist at Onio Design in Pune, says a big boom in innovation and design is coming http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/may2007/id20070501_955200.htm?chan=innovation_innovation+%2B+design_top+stories

India has a small, busy community of professional industrial designers (around 3,000 in total). And for them, things have never been so good. While we hear from the European design professionals and interns at my design firm, Onio, how hard it is to find a decent design job elsewhere, many young designers in India find companies lining up with lucrative offers even before they graduate.

The software industry needs designers to beef up its graphical user interfaces; brick-and-mortar businesses need more traditional corporate design; and product-led companies have started turning to serious innovation and design. But while the overall mood is upbeat, the country's businesses are nonetheless sharply divided when it comes to their ability to absorb or apply real innovation. Here's a brief, personal take on the different attitudes being shown toward design in India today.

Let's begin with startups. There are two types of startups in India—and you see them in all industries. The first is spawned by the second or third generation of a well-to-do business family. These chief executives are aggressive and more attuned to a Western model of experimenting with new ideas than their elders, and they have generally experienced the power of good design.

But these guys suffer when it comes to major decisions that involve large changes or expenditure. Their boards are invariably still made up of older, more traditionally minded family members who make pushing forward a design-driven agenda less than smooth sailing.

Software for the Indian Market
The other kind of startup is usually the child of a team of technocrats who left flourishing careers to give shape to an idea—in other words, the more traditional, Silicon Valley style of company. Increasingly, entrepreneurs who were embedded in engineering want to convert that knowledge to capitalize on India's booming gadget market. These startups are more open to innovation, ideas, and expenditure than are those in the first category.

Transtrite, for instance, makes GPS-based vehicle tracking products, which are gaining popularity because of newly constructed expressways across the country. I should note here that despite the media frenzy about the Indian software industry, software products designed specifically for the Indian market are still a rarity. So this is a fledgling group, but one set to have increasing impact in the coming years.

Next are the traditionally successful companies that used to rule the Indian market with their once-great products that may now be badly dated. These are feeling the heat of competition from local companies as well as from better-designed foreign products, and are far from visionary.

Owners cling to an attitude of "We know what works for us. We know the market. Give us a design to match that foreign brand, and we'll take care of the rest, we've done it before."

Big Businesses, Old School
Part of this attitude comes from the monopoly they enjoyed in the past, and part of it comes from ignorance of the reality of innovation today. Sporadic or incremental innovation does not accomplish anything, and these companies are heading for a disaster unless they do something radical—and soon.

Then there are the established Indian business houses. These are usually a part of bigger conglomerates with multiple business lines—making and selling diverse products such as soap and software and employing designers across all their companies.
In general, all have done well in understanding the language and worth of design. I'm talking here about companies such as BlowPlast in office furniture systems, Titan in watches, Onida in consumer appliances, or VIP in luggage.

But today, some in this category are suffering from a problem of having enough insight (the starting point of design) to decide the course of innovation, but not enough to implement it within the new market realities, which are changing at a faster pace than ever before

Another Round of Mediocrity
In one meeting with a TV giant that had better remain nameless, I asked them why, when they've ruled the Indian market for so many years, they had not managed to become the Sony of India? Total silence. Even though they have a full design studio (doing reasonably good work), their products don't differ much from other international players who are putting all their financial and design might into eating the Indian pie.

Once these companies understand that they have to innovate, they don't seem ready to take the riskier step of continuing to do so. It will take another round of mediocrity and failure before they understand that engaging with higher paradigms of design is not optional. These companies have the potential to become shining icons of Indian design, but they need a visionary leader to take them there.

The fifth category is the most recent—multinationals wanting to localize innovation for the Indian market. This one comes courtesy of the booming Indian economy and signals foreign awareness of the end of the Indian consumer's love affair with foreign products.
Once upon a time, everything with an overseas label sold well. For years, foreign companies operating in India considered Indian consumers "Third World" residents who would be happy with any foreign label, and who didn't have an idea of ergonomics, style, or evolved taste.

Getting to Know You
Products that had proved unfashionable elsewhere were introduced in India, but then the Indian consumer began to catch on. Traditional segmentation and economic capacity-based studies don't wash any more. Gone are the days when Indian consumers would buy whatever was presented to them.

With many choices and plenty of information on what is available—and what constitutes world-class quality—consumers know what they are looking for. So now companies planning for a longish stay in India are seeking more local insights into the minds of their users.
One of the companies we are working with is Volkswagen, which is using a mix of market statistics, ethnographic research, and trend research to understand the dynamics of the Indian mind. They still have design studios far away from Indian soil, but there is a sign of increasing Indian involvement in their innovation process—at last.

The last category is the large public sector companies, hitherto untouched by "design." They are the legacy of pre-liberalized India and still enjoy huge support from the government in terms of money and policies.

Design here is a not a mandate. Usually it is forced by competition—one of the senior managers decides to try it out. The problem they face is that it can take a long time before the power of design is truly understood by all tiers of a hierarchy. So they continue to struggle with good design, bad design, and no design all lumped together. But these companies are becoming bigger beacons of design. They are ready to experiment.

Excitement Ahead
So where does it go from here? Well, the Indian economy is booming. Consumers are showing signs of becoming discerning mature buyers and users. Companies are ready to spend money and take risks. The government even declared a National Design Policy (though the effect on the ground will take a long time to become visible) (see BusinessWeek.com, 2/14/07, "India's Designs on Innovation").

New design schools are opening every year (there are more than a dozen now). Design companies are getting their acts together to attract investors and grow (WPP invested in Bangalore-based Ray+Keshvan, Tessaract became Idiom with the help of Future Group, Onio got angel investment.)
Internationally acclaimed design houses like IDEO are on the prowl for their piece of India. Even the Italian government has seen the opportunity and is promoting the Italian design industry heavily on Indian soil. All of this points to an exciting road ahead for design in India.
There are hurdles for sure: the lack of a trained intermediate layer (design engineers and design managers) or a governing body for design practice, the lack of skilled supporting resources such as model-makers and prototyping companies, and above all, the lack of trained designers in the country may slow the big boom of innovation that can transform India. But it's coming.

Manoj Kothari is founder, director, and senior design strategist of Pune-based industrial design and branding firm Onio Design.

Europe Impressions:2007: more...

2007-03-25T12:32:00.000+05:30

Driving past many cities and observing airports everywhere, I found that all the advertising and communication in Europe is highly 'functional'. They don't show a 'happy family' for everything from soap to car. Finally consumers have understood that soap is a soap is a soap. It can do nothing to entice a boyfriend or to make a girl a beauty queen. Care for skin and removing the dirt is the work that is expected out of it...that is it. There are no long and boring stories to be told there. I see this trend coming in some of the product categories in India as well.

Stationery shops are my place of interest when I go to Europe. Though Pune also has exclusive super stores of stationery and one can find exclusive stuff here as well. But the kind of deep-ranging that can be seen in each product category is usually absent in India. I can see 5 different coloured corrguated papers. The regular brown paper my son uses to cover his notebooks is also available in several colours and exotic finishes like silver.....this ordinary craft paper has been turned into an object of desire. While sharpners and erasers have taken on a chinese look because of obvious reasons, notebooks, papers, high-end pens etc. have still retained the European flavour. I was delighted that Chinese onslought has not taken a toll there and quality is still respected.

Europe Impressions:2007: March Brands, People, Design and more

2007-03-25T11:37:00.000+05:30

I visited Europe 5th time this March, with all together new eyes. Agenda this time was to be there as a speaker for Insight India 07, the event that I ogranised with Genevieve of Style Vision and Axel Olessen from CIFS. But I combined this with a family outing to meet the Dutch and Austrian friends and thier families as well. It turned out to be a good idea that though in the short stay of seven days covering 4 cities, we had to skip entire Amsterdam city including Van-Gogh museam. Insights into the European living was tremendous this time where we met a young couple just starting their life, a well settled modern family with 3 kids and a family living with 3 generations together...it was all that a designer-trend-reader would look for.

I also took a tour of Stroget, the shopping street of Copenhagen with Genevieve. Luxury brand have come to a saturation of innovation. The accessories at Gucci or Louis Vuitton look drab and unexciting apart from the price tag and the brand equity they carry. A walk to Zara showroom was revealing. I had studied the rise of Zara and other new age companies like Skype a few days back. Zara is run by a spanish family and they change thier clothing products every 3 weeks. It is based on a strong local supply-chain (unlike IKEA which has a global cupply-chain). Zara offers affordable middle-end fashion garments with the tweak of 'new every time' one visits the showroom. At the same time, Zara sits next to Louis Vuitton and does not fill its showroom as if everything is under discount. I like the model and the feel. Visit to Ikea in Amsterdam (this was second time I visited IKEA...first was way back in 2000) was revealing too. The price tags on products suddenly appeared accesssible for an Indian buyer. A small wooden chair or stool that would cost Rs 4000 in India to make, were selling for for Rs 1500. IKEA has already announced thier plans to enter India. I won;t be surprised if Indian homes would be IKEAised and would lose the local identity. Even if local carpenters copy IKEA catalogues and make the furniture they surely introduce the 'stronger colours' or some 'decorative elements' on their own. Now that director of communication for IKEA attended our event (Insight India 2007), I see some ground breaking work by IKEA on Indian market (both on Product Design as well as Communication front).

Axel Olessen, the managing director of Copenhagen Insititute of Future Studies observed that not many Scandenavian companies had participated in our event because they are currently focused on China. According to him, Danish people are 'traders' and have a 'herd' mentality. Only some of them have noticed the changes in India and they are two years away from the Indian market. Copenhagen did appear to have the design consciousness more than Vienna or London etc. From telephone booth, trains, hoardings and day-to-day items did have a touch of thought. But then, it had no history of a city that usually glues me to a city. The kind of 'ancient air', Paris, Londond, Salzburg or Vienna exude, was totally missing from Copenhagen. It appeared to be a modern kid brought-up in luxury and good manners but rootless in culture. There was some sort of disdain for cultural harmony anyway...I felt (talking to Jessica and Genevieve and experiences from Sonali).

Living in Europe is costly? Stan bought a sort of row house with area approximately 3000 sq ft. with a garden attached, in Amersfoort. A sort fo luxury home when we think of Mumbai, Delhi or Pune, all 360,000 Euros. Any decent row-house in Indian cities would cost 1.5 crore rupees anyways. I took a taxi in Vienna from Barbara's home to Airport which is around 15 km distance. The taxi was a luxurious Merc and the charges- Euro 27 (i.e. Rupees 1600). I don't think we can get a Mercedez Benz for Rs. 1600 in Mumbai.... Mobile phones, cameras and refrigenrators and computers....cost the same in India and Europe....so where is the difference? A glass of water cost nothing in India (literally) compared to Rs.100 in Europe. One can get a decent one time food for Rs. 100 in India while you need to spend Rs. 1000. So food is extremely costly. Prakash had a good observation...wherever human touch is involved, things would be super costly in Europe...so true... a haircut would cost a bomb in Europe while it costs nothing in India...should we talk about massage? :)

more to come....lest I

Humane by Design?

2007-03-12T13:17:00.000+05:30

Many years back (when my salary was Rs. 4000 a month), one of the co-employees of Eicher Tractors who used to report to me, asked Rs. 50K loan from company for wife's heart operation. Company took out all the HR files of this person, checked for background records, deliberated for a month and said 'yes'..with a rider...He should not take it for granted..".it is a special favour company is doing to him...make it clear."...I was told to communicate to him.

I explained to him the company's position. He showed no emotions. He was my father's age. He heard me quietly. Then after 5 days he came and told me that he did not want the company's favour+money..he had arranged the operation free of cost in Sai Baba hospital in Andhra... :)

Interesting read on Riches of the world...:from Rediff

2007-03-12T13:16:00.000+05:30

Steel baron Lakshmi Mittal leads a pack of 36 Indian billionaires with a total net worth of $191 billion, according to the list of richest persons complied by Forbes magazine.
As many as 14 Indians have joined the coveted club, raising the net worth of the country's billionaires by around $90 billion.
Mittal, who heads the world largest steel company Arcelor Mittal, is the fifth richest person in the world with a net worth of $32 billion.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates continues to be the richest person in the world for 13th year in succession with a net worth of $56 billion among a record 946 billionaire pinned down by the magazine.
India's rich are marching towards the top the table with brothers Mukesh and Anil Ambani, who split up their family's conglomerate, joining Mittal for spots among top 20 richest people.
India now has the largest number of billionaires among the 20 after the United States.
Mukesh, chairman of Reliance Industries, with net worth of $20.1 billion finds 14th spot and Anil is the 18th richest person commanding a net worth of $18.2 billion.
An interesting statistic that the analyses throw up is that Japan's 20-year reign of cornering highest number of billionaires in Asia has ended and it now has only 24 billionaires with combined worth of $64 billion.
The list has 178 newcomers including 19 Russians, 14 Indians, 13 Chinese and 10 Spaniards as well as first billionaires from Cyprus, Oman, Romania and Serbia.
Two-thirds of the last year's billionaires are richer and only 17 per cent are poorer including 32 who dropped below the coveted figure and out of the list.
The billionaires' combined net worth climbed $900 billion to $3.5 trillion which equates $3.6 billion apiece, the magazine said.
The average billionaire is 62 years of age and ingenuity, and not industry, is their common characteristic. They made money in everything from real estate to coffee, dumplings and ethanol.
Among those on the list, 62 per cent made the huge fortunes from scratch.
The United States has 415 billionaires which translate into 44 per cent of the total. New faces include Starbucks chief Howard Schultz, ranked 840th among the richest. It has 55 new billionaires and total net worth of its billionaires is estimated at $1.36 trillion.
Hind Hariri, daughter of slain Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, drops off the list and Germany's 23-year-old Albert von Thurn und Taxis replaces her as the youngest billionaire.
China's Yan Cheung, ranked 390, makes a history as the country's richest person and is one of the three self made women in China to debut on this year's list. They join the exclusive rank of self made women including Oprah Winfrey ranked 664, J K Rowling (891) and Margaret Whitman (754).

More thoughts: National Design Policy+ SMEs Insights

2007-02-16T12:18:00.001+05:30

Hi,

NATONAL DESIGN POLICY

As a sequel to my thoughts, I also think that we are misssing a point if we do not connect

'DESIGN' to 'ENTREPRENEUR' (noun+verb both). A successful entreprenur is well rounded as a 'design thinker'. He has a capability for going by 'gut feel', penetrating insights into market and society and hunger for making things happen through internal synthesis.

Similarly, there are numerous examples where 'designers' have turned into an entrepreneur (beyond starting a design consulting company, like me).

A country should be promoting 'design' and 'entreprenurship' at the bottom most level of industry and enterprise. This may encompass the technology start-ups, craftsmen and micro-suppliers to SMEs and multinationals.

---------------------------

SMEs

Two days back I attended and spoke at a SME conference in Mumbai, organised by Financial Express. I already knew that this sector is a sleeping giant for great Indian dream, but this seminar brought sharper focus on that. Here are the learnings, which all of us should know and add-

SMEs constitute-

a) 95% of Industrial production and 40% of the total export is through SMEs in India

b) Employing close to 3.5 Crore people

c) Producing over 7000 products

d) Adds to 7% of GDP (..point to be noted)

Last october a new category has been added to SMEs, called 'Micro-enterprise'. Government identifies them based on the investments in 'plant and machinery' i.e. for manufacturing sector - micro enterprise has max investment in plant and manchinery of 25 lakhs, Small scale <5 crores, Medium 10 Crores. Similarly, for service sector (like design companies), it is 10 lakhs for micro, 2 crores for small and 5 crores for medium scale enterprise.

This conference attracted around 100 odd SME owners and several SME business heads from Banks and Financial Institutions like RBI, CRISIL, SBI FACTORS etc. etc. I spoke on 'Life Beyond Balance Sheet' i.e. Innovation. I learnt that there is dire need to have a good standard presentation on 'WHAT IS DESIGN', which all of us can use. All of us (practising designers) have been making our own pitch presentations since olden days that changes according to the 'design literate' and 'not so literate' clients. It would help if under a national initiative, a lot of visual communication material can be made just to address that single question, in a simple language (no mega talk).

Secondly, coming from a design company, my presentation had some visuals of 'before design' and 'after design' images. They always make a good story. While everybody else has flat presentations (either verbal or too much text), such industry groups welcome the visual change in long events.

Thirdly, some of the basic things that we learn at design school like 'gestalt laws' and how to apply them in day-to-day corporat life, can provide a lot od interesting discussion. We do not need to always use 'iPoD' as a pivotal design prop.

Fourth, I also talked about how to get design help i.e. name of the institutions, design companies etc.... I listed them all...But there is no single point-of-contact I can refer...probably Prof. Kirti Trivedi is listening and he would spruce up the www.designinindia.net site to make it single authentic resource of design support.

Best regards

Manoj Kothari

NID-AED-PD-97, IIT Bombay B.Tech. 92

manoj@oniodesign.com

Onio Design Pvt. Ltd.

Sense| Strategize| Design

www.oniodesign.com

street_furniture_at_mumbai_fort: Can we copy good things across country: Open Source

2007-02-14T14:21:00.000+05:30

This is what I saw outside Jehangir Art Gallery. Strong Stainless Steel,
simple structure that guards a tree and also provoides public seating in
crowded streets of Mumbai. If something can last in Mumbai, it will last
anywhere in the world...
Manoj

My views on National Design Policy

2007-02-14T07:54:00.001+05:30

I have only seen the draft that appeared in the news papers a few days back. Here is what I read in that-

1) First and foremost, it is a very strong note that government is finally taking a note of a profession that country needs so badly. We all know how Korea has transformed itself through successful implementation of its 5-year plans on Design. Although it has been more than 40 years since NID was started in India, and more than a decade of liberalization, that now we see some signs of definitive 'intent' (no action still) in the governance. Kudos to the team that pressed for it.

2) A policy statement like this would certainly culminate into 'some' action on ground (even if 10% of what is promised, implemented in next 3 years…country should rejoice). It also means that policy statement reads like a utopian bonanza. I see no specific focus within the agenda….for example, SMEs need the intervention of design the most. They are the ones who would be key drivers of Indian engine for Innovation. Where is the specific highlight on them? They all go under 2 lines, while design education and awareness is hogging most of the 'intent'.

3) There is no specific mention of 'design practitioners' who are the flagbearers of design. The whole idea of Design in India rests partly on their shoulders too. It is like talking of health-care improvement without mention of Doctors…

3a) Design, to deliver successfully, needs not only designers, education institutes and industry…but a collective eco-system that includes small-time suppliers, fabricators, artists, artisans etc. Small scale industry today is looked upon as just a 'supplier' to organized players….but in a 'design' led economy, this SSI base itself can become a hot-bed of innovation..This becomes a 'design eco-system',,,,this requires a mention and focus in the vision document….

4) 'Crafts' is a favorite phrase to indicate the Indian heritage, whenever we discuss Design and India. But apart from generic statements like 'we should promote' Indian traditional crafts and 'orginality'..there is no pointers that reflect a thoughtful discussion behind the text.

5) From a vision statement itself, the policy should have spelled out the course…i.e. first two years would be focused on 'Design Education and Awarenes'…next two years would be focused on 'Promoting culture of Innovation in the Indian industry' etc. etc..

6) It is still using 'design' as a 'noun'…missing the whole notion of design as a 'verb' which is the central idea of 'attitude and process to innovate' in today's times.

7) There is no connection …not even mention to touch upon 'cultural anthropology' and 'history'…where is the 'Indian ness' coming from? No mention of research on what could be the Indian Design…..all that we practice today is a western view on design….whole idea of 'sustainability' is a western idea, built into original Indian thinking already….It is imperative that while National policy focuses heavily on 'Exportworthiness' of 'designs', there should have been a due space for 'softer' and 'essential' issues.

Manoj Kothari

Onio Design Pvt. Ltd.
'Begin Differently' - Sense | Strategize | Design

SME Revolution in India- Role of Design- You've got stuff?

2007-02-09T10:42:00.001+05:30

Hi All,

A shift from the current tenor of discussions...

We are standing at the threshold of SME revolution in India. The engine of growth that transformed China and Korea is about to get started in India too, fueled by growth in Auto-sector, manufacturing sector, R&D outsourcing, exports etc. etc. While the grand talk of 'design' has its place, there is a direct and visible role for design and designers in propelling the top line and lifting the bottom line of SMEs. The second generation family businesses and new age start-ups are now getting hungry for 'innovation' if not for 'design' in the holistic sense. This is the time when the iron is hot.....Design community needs to get its act together and create success stories in series...Somebody and everbody needs to fire-up the 'perspective' of SMEs...to think beyond immediate ROI...to think beyond foriegn collaboration...to think beyond new imported machinery...to think beyond Indian market....

I am speaking at the SME WORLD Seminar at IMC, Mumbai, organized by Indian Express (on 14th Feb ), on how design can transform SMEs. I need the success stories where designers have done their due. If you can send me 'product' pictures (before/after) with sales/profit figures ...it would be a contribution to the cause. Yes, I would make sure that the due credits are shown.

I am deliberately focusing on Product Design, as that is the next 'Graphic Design' :).

Suggestions, comments welcome.

Manoj Kothari

Founder Director and Senior Design Strategist

Onio Design Pvt. Ltd.

Sense | Starategize | Design

NID-PD 97 | IITBombay B.Tech Mech. 92

www.oniodesign.com

Intuitivity, iPodability, fuzziability etc. etc.

2007-01-30T09:57:00.000+05:30

Yesterday I saw the TED podcast of JeffHan's www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwGAKUForhM intuitive computer interface. Today I came across a new free (so far) brainstorming tool www.bubbl.us real cool...intuitive..just like a person laden with thoughts would like to do...not to be bothered by 'dragging and droppings' but flowing ideas..just keep writing....This is in the aftermath/backdrop of launch of iPhone...moving two fingers over the screen to enlarge a picture. 'Click' is about to die, the way 'dialling' died after the invent of modern telephones...Key-board manufacturers need to worry?

I have some lingering doubts in my mind i.e. touching the object, that you see...the same screen where you see your photo or information...touching with fingers may have some cognitive mismatch....And isn;t it funny that western world prefers not to touch the food (use spoon) but when it comes to touch dead-materials i.e. monitors they want to use fingers...more and more products would join the bandwagon of using intuitive interface ....too much use of fingers over the life-less material would cause numbing sensation too soon...

Eternal Bard :)

2007-01-28T09:05:00.000+05:30

Tere dar pe sanam hazaar baar aayenge,
tere dar pe sanam hazaar baar aayenge,
Ganti bajayenge aur bhaag jayenge.......

Equity advice for Design Entreprenuers

2007-01-28T08:57:00.000+05:30

For fellow design entrepreneurs,

I have seen this thread some time back but could not reply. I think the time has come when designers running small companies need to let go of the 100% hold and expand the reach with someone else's money. It is easier said than done. We at Onio have had several rounds of discussions with 'VCs' and 'Angel Investers'. In this process I also met and got some guidance from my IIT classmates and collegues who have played the equity game several times till now. By the way, Onio also successfully managed some capital inflow last year through an angel investment.

There are thousands of books on how to write a buisness plan and how to judge a VC's offfer. But I am answering only some top-level inquiries in the minds of a design entrepreneur. But please remember that like in colour theory, there are thousand thumb rules....but when you are in the middle of it...and your gut feel says, it is a 'Go'...then dump all the rules and just go for it...

Here are my learnings-

1. How much is your business (services) worth?
In the DotCom times...people valued their business up to 10 times their total turnover (there are several parameters in terms of kind of accounts/brands being handled, age of the business etc...I am only touching upon some thumb rules...). You can also cut your pie at your 15-20 times your profit. If you are holding IPRs which would make tomorrow's iPods then it can be 100 times your profit as well :).

2.How much should you let go in terms of initial equity?
Expereinced people advice that lesser the better. Don't let the 'control' go to a stranger for few bucks. 10%-15% is good enough dilution. Take money from two people with smaller chunks of money rather than from single entity. But Investors would never settle for less than 25-30%. Figure of 26% has special legal angle as, it give 'vito' rights to the investor, against any decision taken by the board. So you should probably stop at 25%.

But underline is that all depends on the deal you are getting. If APPLE is buying you stake and offering you some money for 98% stake for you company, hmmm..may be that 2% is worth more than 100% of you company all your life :).

3. How to gauge the investor?
People say that this is like an arranged marriage. You have a gamble of you life...but you need to be informed. You need to be informed about the background of your investor, as much as he needs to be aware about your corporate health. You need to meet the people at the companies, he/they invested in earlier. You need to do some 'googling' etc. It is never about how big a company and how influential a person, is investing in your company, it is more about 'personal comfort' you have with your investor.

4. What about Debt funds?
Yes, if you can garner bank funds, loans etc. for your next leap, please go ahead. That is the esiest way to save equity dilution for next expansion. We at Onio also managed a Credit Line, from a PSU bank, which came handy for buying office etc. It rquired a good gentleman bank-manager and a lots of explaining on what we do...A credit line of few-lakhs is a first option every entreprenur should try for...you lose nothing, but you get a support-life-line for liquidity crunches.

For more info, write to me personally.

Manoj Kothari
Founder Director and Senior Design Strategist

Onio Design Pvt. Ltd.
NID-AEP-PD 1997, B. Tech. IIT Bombay 1992

www.oniodesign.com

Against Racism

2007-01-25T14:56:00.000+05:30

A scene also took place on a BA (British Airway) flight betweenJohannesburg and London. A white woman, about 50 years old, was seatednext to a black man. Obviously disturbed by this, she called the airHostess. "Madam, what is the matter?" the hostess asked. "Youobviously do not see it then?" She responded. "You placed me next to ablack man. I do not agree to sit next to someone from such a repugnantgroup. Give me an alternative seat." "Be calm please," the hostessreplied. "Almost all the places on this flight are taken. I will go tosee if another place is available." The hostess went away and thencame back a few minutes later."Madam, just as I thought, there are no other available seats in theeconomy class. I spoke to the captain and he informed me that there isone seat in the business class. All the same, we also have one seat inthe first class." Before the woman could say anything, the hostesscontinued: "It is unusual for our company to permit someone from theeconomy class to sit in the first class. However, given thecircumstances, the captain feels that it would be scandalous to makesomeone sit next to someone so disgusting."She then turned to the black guy, and said, "Therefore, sir, if youwould like to, please collect your hand luggage, a seat awaits you infirst class."

Insight India 2007 at Copenhagen | Onio Design

2007-01-24T19:07:00.000+05:30

Greeting from Onio Design!

Is your company/client involved/interested in Innovation for Indian market?

This is to invite you for an exclusive event ‘Insight India 2007’, March 15-16, 2007 at the Danish Design Centre in Copenhagen, Denmark being organized by Onio Design and Style-Vision in collaboration with the Copenhagen Institute of Future Studies (CIFS), Copenhagen.

Onio is an integrated design and innovation consulting company with clientele like LG, IKEA, Volkswagen, McKinsey, TATAs, Godrej, Siemens, HPCL and several small to mid-size companies to its credit. Rated as one of the top Design Companies in India (Business World, 2005), Onio is spearheading the design revolution in India. Our partner, Style-Vision, France is one of the World's leading Trend Research company with clients that include Sony, Samsung, Motorola, Nokia, Philips, Adidas, Burberry, Estée Lauder, Chanel, Peugeot etc. to name a few. Onio and Style-Vision co-edit MegaTrends (a quarterly trend report, authored by 15 creative thinkers across the World).

Onio Design and Style-Vision have earlier successfully organised ‘Trends workshop 06’ in Mumbai (Feb 06, Sponsored by Pantaloon and attended by likes of HLL, ITC, Philips, Titan, VIP, TI Cycles etc.) and ‘Insight India 2006’, in September, in London (with participants from P&G, Steelcase, PearlFisher, Hitachi, Symrise etc.).

This unique interactive two day event is for people who are interested in gaining a deeper understanding of Indian consumers, from a 'traditions, trends and design' perspective.

Who should participate- Those who play a key role in shaping the innovation strategies for Indian market (in products, services and communication front) i.e. country heads, head of strategy, brand managers, product heads, communication designers, product designers, R&D heads and marketing heads.

We invite your participation and hope to share useful insights that would shape the market in years to come. Networking with global managers is a promised return.

For participation, please fill in the registration form for the round table (open to 20 participants only). For more details, click-on to www.oniodesign.com/roundtable .

With warm regards,

Manoj Kothari

Onio Design Pvt. Ltd.
'Begin Differently' - Sense Strategize Design

Ph(O): +91 20 2729 2173 Ext- 202 (D)+91 20 3290 1392
Telefax- +91 20 2729 2174

USA(O) +1 -610-295-5179

Survey 1/3, Plot 15
Next to Amar Apex
Baner Road
Pune- 411 045

INDIA

www.oniodesign.com

Excellence in Design

2007-01-17T10:07:00.000+05:30

What is Excellence in Design?

I am going to face this question this afternoon from Prof. Sethuraman from NID. He is on a sabbatical, posing this question to practicing designers.

Well, question is a tricky one. Just like asking what thirst is, to a fish in water….what is light, to a lamp…Somehow it is easy to say the measures of excellence in other fields. In engineering, it is optimum energy usage, material usage, minimum human interaction, longer span of uninterrupted working etc. could be easy parameter to home on. Design, as a profession is changing its ‘brand character’ since last few years. When cave-man first discovered usage of fire and used a wheel for various things is now called the beginning design. What Onio is doing to lot of SMEs to go global through innovation strategies and product overhauls, is also design. What NID does for Bamboo development, khadi development and crafts rejuvenation is design too. And what initiative Sam Pitroda and Rajiv Gandhi could do to India’s telecom scenario and make the telephone available to a remote village through innovative small-exchanges is also called design. Sustainability in industrial production is design, energy and architectural conservation is also design……well, is America’s attack on Iraq is design too? India’s emergence as a powerful economy is design too? I think and I live, is it design too? One needs to get real. Design needs to get real as far as the definition goes. Design thinking and Design skill are not to be confused with each other. Design thinking can pervade humanity, but design as a skill, can only be available to trained few. This skill of research, articulation and correlation of human needs, then visualization and prototyping of solutions is something that needs training. This skill is what is needed in the developing economies the most. Skill not only in the visual arts (we already have thousands of colleges and institutions teaching visual arts in the country), but the skill of creating innovative, usable, optimized and humane products for the new society. ….
…….
( I could not complete this …and meeting already took place…here the views are after the meeting synthesis)

It is important to understand the difference in the times we are living compared to classical origin of design profession. Speed, the new driving force of life around us today. Speed food, speed working, speed strategy, speed dating, speed marriage……life is hinging around speed. More output can only be achieve by speed….hence every science is pushed to increase the speed. But this speed is also causing visual blur…and psychological backlash. On one side the entire design (in fact every industry) industry is catering to this speed and consumption, on other side there is hue and cry in one lobby trying to discuss the separation in ‘sensation’ and ‘cognition’, the ‘touch’ and the ‘image’, the left and the right brain, the speed and the restive reflection, the blur and the synthesis. This speed has given rise to existential problems….loss of identity and anchors. Who am I , is the biggest question that faces the today’s sellers and consumers.

Result is that the design has become –
a) Integration at a highly complex level (‘Simplexity’ as a trend has been discussed in many forums). It is no more about singular exuberance i.e. good form, grear function, or great economics. It is no more design for a consumer or manufacturer, it is design for the value-chain.
b) Success is also collaborative process (individual excellence or intellect is subdued under the weight of consortium approach)
c) Sensation, skill, insight, experience….has got devalued under the weight of cognition, strategy, thought, words and images.
d) Technology, has emerged as an important differentiator that can bring cheers or tears, through the value-chain.

Excellence in such a scenario is highly fragmented phenomena. It is no more elemental success of aesthetics, or economics or usability. It is about integrated success. It is about collaborative win. It is about ownership that every contributing partner could bring to the table, where the rewards were kept. But caution, while it all seems every ‘extroverted’ phenomenon, excellence still remains at the core of individual. Sethu talked about ‘satisfysing’ (satisfying individual needs and aspirations).

Another thought occurred to me from ancient Indian philosophy….’Sarv jan hitay, sarv jan sukhaya’…(for benefit of all, for happiness of all). Could this be Onio’s philosophy?

Parting shot- Does Onio design strive for ‘excellence’ in design?

PANIIT Meet 2006: Inspire, Involve and Transform (ourselves...is it implied?)

2006-12-28T09:07:00.000+05:30

Just cam back from PANIIT meet at Mumbai. First ever congregation of all seven IITs together to reinforce the 'brand IIT' and 'brand India'. All those brains who toiled hard in the foreigner land and made the shining buck when the rest of the India slept, descended in Mumbai for three days. And when IITians speak, the world listens. So came the president and his mandatory entourage (governor, chief minister etc. etc. who had nothing to say or add). From president to George Soros (did I get his surname right...who is one of the mover and shaker in the American investment industry), Shashi Tharoor, Nandan Nilekani, Sam Pitroda ......even Lara Dutta (amongst IITians....it reminds me of 'socials' we used to have with GS Medical. :)).

So there was a lot of bon-homie, networking, familar faces...turning back the time-wheel...a lot of intellectual stimulation....seven sessions in parallel..ranging from"how to alleviate poverty in one generation" to "sustainable development"..."learning from the entrepreneurs"..."knowledge economy and growth..."...etc. etc...I just walked in and out of several sessions....from avery soft, insightful and empathic speeches to hard coaded, full of statistics, boastful...I went and tasted all ..bit by bit. What did they all say??

Well..President was a pleasant surprise for me and Sonali both. She expected already a one-to-one and knowledgeable talk which the president did. His speech on how nano-technology in combination with Bio-technology is going to change the world we live was interesting and inspiring as he threw indian references in between.. A statesman and a politician taking out time to research and write a speech for best of the brains, does need some guts and balance of mind. This presendent (Dr. kalam) will surely go down the history as someone at the helm who could inspire the millieu across ages. Shashi Tharoor was theoritical, composed, handsome, emphatic, insightful and boring.... yes, I had quite a mized reaction for him. He did remind me of my favorite subject these days i.e. Indian culture...a culture of plurality and contradictions....contradictions which themselves are an oximoron of sorts i.e. A tamil hindu v/s a northy hindu v/s a tamil muslim.....so many similarities and so many differences....overlaps are confusing not only to outsiders but to ourselves as well. My mother finds herself in a strangeland in Tamilnadu even though she may be visiting a Tamil jain temple in Jain residential complex...Onio is trying to articulate this Indian element in design beyond the cliched 'Lota' of Charles Eames ...and soon a book would be out (if all goes well) on this. So Shashi Tharoor had a lot to remind us about who we are and who we always have been and how the new India is about the 'hope trick' far away from the 'rope trick'...how Indian culture is about 'evident without a binding theory' much like American 'Do it' attitude rather than a French searching for structural meanings....so it was a long, engaging and boring (I am still divided in my opinion, you see) lecture from our man in UN.

Sam Pitroda almose spoke the same things that he sopke in CII-NID Design summit on what Indian needs (this time it was 'Technology' and not 'Design'). Wow... it is so easy to switch the platforms and say the same things...Designers should make a differene by touching more human lives...affecting more people ....improvise things at grass-roots and 'technologists' should do the same....Then why stop at technologists...it should be educationists, politicians, bureaucrats...all should do the same (we don't talk of NGOs in India who are doing it already and moving 19000 crores yearly, in this direction...wooo). Well this 'designers' tag is being dragged far too long in the chain of human development contributors. Dr. Kalam was unequivocal when it came to two distinct lines of human resources we need as a country first, we need world class skills (read: skillfull graphic designers, product designers, craftsmen etc. who are hands-on), second we need world-class thinkers (read: sustainability, strategy, development, trends.....domain). To generalise that the whole design community is about 'strategic, empathic, sustainable development'....well I have my reservations. Then Indian would never make a single luxury brand. Sam Pitroda was right in saying that we need both...we need to produce super computers and take care of our drinking water problem, at the same time. That is our reality. We don't have generations to do this... all this has to happen at the same time.

We are passing through a positive turbulence....there is anew dawn on the other side and we are lucky to be young and alive at these times...Thank you God for every thing !!

Maverick: My thoughts on the Trend

2006-12-15T14:57:00.000+05:30

Maverick, an attitude for the new India?
I went through the perspective that Style-Vision had proposed; the three dimensions of the Maverick attitude. Yes, till then I had only thought about the first one i.e. against the system. One finds examples strewn around that represent that attitude, be individuals taking up cudgels against the stale, putrid system (i.e. Sridhar Gune's online petition against the civic system apathy recorded 11,500 endorsements in just a few days, from all walks of life in Pune city http://www.petitiononline.com/punpot01/petition.html) or a civic crusader like Mr. Anna Hazare, whose efforts bore fruits in terms of getting Indians unthinkable "Right to Information Act". In one way it is acting against the "system" to break free, but on the other side there are example where people become maverick entrepreurs (like Sir Richard Branson you mentioned). Some times this very trait spreads through a community and the whole community adorns this attitude. And children dorn in these communities are born maverick (in business or on issues that concern them). In India, the Marwaris, Gujaratis and Punjabies (tradionally traders from Rajasthan, Gujarat and Punjab states respectively, the western part of India) are known to be such communities. Here children grow up seeing their father taking risky business steps, or uncle going abroad to start a new business or some person from their own village becoming rich because he/she did too well in business (starting from the same status as they were in). A shining example of this attitude is reflected in the fact that highway motel in US are now quoted as 'Potels', because majority of them are owned by a particular ethnic Indian community members known as "Patels". Similarly Canada has become a second home of many Sikhs or Punjabies. Now a days one sees a glossy magazine called 'Marwar' on the news stands, that celebrates the success of maverick entrepreneurs from the Marwari community. Incidentally many grand business houses in India have emanated from this community. If we look at the second attitude within the maverick scenario i.e. an attitude of innovation in attacking the complexity, making it simple, it sounds to me an act of empowerment to common people. If Stephen Hawking can bring to a common man, the mysteries of cosmos in the nutshell (like "Brief History of Time) it is an act of empowerment. A common man starts thinking of things which were out of bounds till then. Web revolution has brought this empowerment to Indians in so many ways that west is not familiar with. Arranged marriage through internet introductions, is one of the most mesmerizing contributions of internet. My grandfather would have never imagined that two families would be interacting to get their son and daughter married with first introduction or advertisement through internet. Historically, this was always done through a common reference. One family may suggest the marriageable boy or girl to another family, they would meet and talk of the marriage possibilities for their son or daughter. Now things are so simple... just log on to www.shaadi.com for a wider choice. Or if someone wants a more specific community then portals like www.jain2jain.com have come up. These portals are different from dating portals that web-World is filled to the brim with. These are serious family-to-family introduction portals, with sole objective of marriage of their wards. The idea of 'empowerment'(lets say it is the other name of 'deft handling of complexity in the new realities') to achieve bigger goals is also seen in, how family owned businesses are increasingly taking professional managers rather than sticking to the family members. Yes, it surly takes more than business reality to usher into this attitude. If this was not the case, all the family businesses would have done that long back. The Tatas and the Birlas (the legendary business groups in India) and the new age Reliance group has done it, but Kinetic groups still thinking about it. Means it still takes one maverick head of the family to give the mandate "please, get some good managers from the market, let's not try to do everything ourselves". The third dimension to this attitude i.e. creativity shown in personal evolution that starts touching the life-at-large, is again, should be lasting thing lacking in the land where spiritual quest has been the core motto of life since the time immemorial. Even if we keep out the so called "gurus" with huge following within or outside India, there are humble, ordinary people who have raised themselves to the iconic levels. Mr Verghese Kurian, who made the co-operative movement in Gujarat possible and help create the milk-products brand "Amul" is one such case in point. Marketing students across the country now study the success of Amul the brand, but the farmers who now reaping the fruits of co-ordinated milk production have lived their life in the struggle and success of this movement. If we turn to youth icons, and focus on parallels of Madonna, current rage Sania Mirza comes to the mind. The young tennis player who has not won the grand slam on court but surely won many of them in the minds of youth. She is flip-flopping from the sports pages to life-style pages in the newspaper. It is important to note that in India, nothing but Cricket is that sells. Tennis suddenly sees to be raising lot of interest in the youth, thanks to the new icon. A woman with plain middle-class face, but filled with simple confidence and a dash of style is what it makes this icon tick…at least till her next avatar. If we look at what maverick in India may mean, one could say "being Indian" is maverick. Not following the West is Maverick. Not to replicate the successful product or service or idea that has worked elsewhere, is maverick. In the traditional terms of success, it is far more difficult to be maverick in India than in the US, where success waits with bags full of dollars if you have a sparkle. In the socio-economic panorama of India that is still struggling to define the meanings of success in the new realities, it is multiple times more difficult to hold-on to a belief. Be it a brand or a new product or a new rational, a strong belief in the very idea and stamina to stay afloat is the maverick attitude that is showing so much prominently in recent times than ever before. MNC's don't look formidable now... Coca-Cola is consumed after a second thought... Names of the products are turning Indian... (also the names of the babies)... Films are no more remakes of Hollywood, but sometimes they are remakes of the Bollywood itself... Engineering and medicine are not the only career option for the middle class- "DJing" could be one... and lastly "a coalition government is completing complete 5 year term in India" is the height of the maverick attitude, just not the persisting reality.
© Manoj Kothari 2005

bardinsight

2006-12-13T14:32:00.000+05:30

bardinsight
Here is P&G and IDEO's case...interesting read from an article in Business week-

"To understand why the creativity movement is becoming so important, you need to go back to its roots at P&G. By harnessing the power of design, P&G has transformed itself from a stagnant brand manager into a model of innovation efficiency that outperforms industry rivals.Before Lafley, P&G's volume growth was basically flat. The company cared more about how its products functioned than it did about how customers felt about them. "P&G had the best chemical engineering and marketing operations in the country," says Patrick Whitney, director of the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology. "It didn't care about the user experience." P&G could tell retailers to stock eight kinds of Crest, and they did. As power shifted to big retailers, P&G couldn't do that. "It had to create new products, and to do that, P&G had to get closer to the consumer," says Whitney.Fresh EyesLafley turned to design. In 2001 he established a new executive post: vice-president for design, innovation, and strategy, naming Claudia B. Kotchka, now 53, to fill it. She and Lafley knew they couldn't change P&G's culture without fresh eyes from the outside. So they made a major decision: Even as P&G began laying off thousands of top executives, middle managers, scientists, and others, it quadrupled its design staff. For the first time it hired a legion of designers who had worked at other companies and in other industries.In a second crucial decision, Kotchka dispatched designers to work directly with R&D staffers to help to conceive new products. This changed P&G's entire innovation process, making it consumer-centric rather than driven by new technology. To open up the company further, P&G started hiring different kinds of consultants. Among them were Design Continuum; ZIBA Design in Portland, Ore.; Chicago's Doblin Inc.; and IDEO in Palo Alto, Calif.Here's how it works at P&G: Kotchka contacts P&G's divisional heads, asking for a list of possible opportunities designers might address. Recently, the head of home care said it was time to look at bathroom cleaning. Kotchka brought in IDEO with the goal of helping out. IDEO and P&G's designers went out and observed people cleaning bathrooms around the world. In South America they saw women using brooms to clean walls and showers effectively and built a prototype combining a small hand cleaner with a long pole. P&G tested the idea via a survey. People hated it.But P&G hung in there. What is fast becoming the Holy Grail of innovation -- the "unmet, unarticulated" needs of consumers -- didn't show up in the survey. Instead, P&G relied on the informed intuition of designers and tested the idea again, using working prototypes. People loved the real thing. P&G then broke down the walls of its Mr. Clean brand, reached in and used the Mr. Clean detergent for the new product. The Mr. Clean MagicReach was introduced in April -- with a four-foot detachable pole. Mundane as this example may be, it shows how design strategy can generate innovative new products and sales.

bardinsight

2006-12-13T14:26:00.000+05:30

bardinsight

check out the overview of design and innovation, see the August 1, 2005 Business Week Special Report Get Creative!)

Wonderful articulation of how Knowledge Economy is creating new frontiers and jitters at the same time in America.

Design Practice Myths

2006-12-07T17:19:00.000+05:30

Just returned from the design summit… It was great to see a galaxy of highly articulate global speakers and wonderful arrangements. It reflects the commendable organizational efforts behind it. But, as Bala put it, it was designers’ affair and one missed the balancing effect that better industry participation would have brought (specially if CII is involved and the event is six years old, it is not asking too much). Probably this being a very first year where designers really got involved in the event in a major way, once can expect a better deal next year.

In the session where practicing designers spoke on the state of design in India, a pattern emerged on the outlook, that is a very positive indeed. Here are some issues that keep coming up in any discussion in the contemporary design scenario. Here is my opinion on these issues (not in the order of priority)- any expansion, disagreements and comments are welcome-

1. Business of Design is a bigger challenge than Design.
When designers have to get into basics of numbers, look at the balance sheets, go through legal deeds and understand the language corporate world speaks, it appears to be a ‘departure’ from ‘design’. One need to understand that once we launch on the route of design entrepreneurship, we are ‘designing our business’ as well and there is equal challenges and creative learning that is needed in this. All the professionals who move up the corporate hierarchy and assume some very senior positions, some times itch to hold the pencil in the later part of their careers (we have interviewed some of them at Onio). There is a different design wisdom at that level which has different relevance and value. It would only reflect once we walk towards the design-mature economy.

2. Scaling up of design business, usually results in dilution of design quality
Yes and no. Are we looking at ‘art’ or ‘design? When Infosys talks of having process standards for design, speed and scale that almost reeks of ‘software world’, there is usually a chill in the spine. Why are we so scared of losing the touch of all that is ‘sensible’ and ‘sensitive’ once the scale goes up? Why have we become so comfortable with ‘organic’ ‘family like’ small setups where everything is ‘withn control’ and cozy. Sure there is a way to co-exist for both the models- small and the big. World over, design companies have not been able to do the scale-up act. Even IDEO’s expansion to 5-6 locations across the world is purely incidental (that’s what Banny told me). Doesn’t the new world order in favour of emerging economies demands a new ‘design order’ as well?

3. Designers can change the world, but we don’t get enough attention/patronage
Yes, we have all the right thinking and tools that can bring revolution in the way our life-style, society and economy can gain and reach the zenith of civilization. But to make our presence felt, there needs to be individual successes first. Some bright soul who dares to take on these institutions (politics, industry, industry bodies etc.) on equal platform, speak and prove the ‘relevance’ of design, can bring deliverance to design fraternity. It may need more Sam Pitroda with powerful friends like Rajiv Gandhi. Collective discussions within us, is just the beginning, but we need glory in the field of action, rest will happen.

4.Only designers can do the creative thinking
There is almost a disdain for the other professions like management (MBAs) or Businessmen etc. I believe that seeding an orgnaisation and integrating all the right ingredients (including design) for its success for the stakeholders, is one of the biggest design challenges. Marwari, Punjabi and Gujarati entrepreneurs were probably brightest ‘business designers’ without any degrees, who went amongst strangers, studies their cultures, became one of them and successfully ran the businesses that laid the foundation of India’s global presence. Creative synthesis and Systems thinking, the two qualities that differentiate design discipline from other streams are sometimes inborn qualities amongst many. ‘Visualisation’ is the only element that is skill oriented and needs some training.

5. There is fortune at the bottom of the pyramid, we know, but right now we need to milk the ‘creamy layer’
Concept of working for SMEs is something that always raises issue of ‘subsidies’ and almost ‘charity’. Our own (Onio Design’s) brush with SMEs has not been an illustrative one. But this is my belief that there is a bigger paradigm to be unearthed. Here smaller design fee/royalty revenues can collectively become a fortune, if the processes of design and delivery can be designed well.

Design Summit Summation 2006

2006-12-05T18:18:00.000+05:30

At Delhi airport, I can see the flurry of visitors who cannt be accommodated in the space available. New Aludecor panels are plastered all over. A new lease of life to the old building. A/C is not functioning I guess. CISF personnel are as lethargic as the Delhi police who used to man this place earlier. We have been discussing all that is 'good design experience' for the last two days. I won't say it was a discussion because 'presentations' for 16 hours can leave anybody's senses totally numb. I ran out of the last session where the panel was discussing about education on design. The narcissistic muses on design, the ominipotent remedy to all our maladies was once again the voice at this session too. Overall focus is shifting on 'design research' that was brought out by Motorola, LG (our casestudy), Intel and many others (including Ranjan Ranjan and Ranjan) also shared the views. Speed, scalability, emerging markets, collaboration, empowerment, design that can solve problems which affects and touches millions (i.e. Sam Pitorda's reference to telecom revolution, India centric solutions) and contextuality were some of the topics touched upon on the second day. Design agencies all seem to be putting across a very open and mature face of design. They all share the same woes still besides being very upbeat on the market. Difficulty in recruiting good designers, NID training very elitist designers, enjoying 'strategy' upgrade, managing large teams etc.were some common concerns that were voice by them. They even discussed how difficult it is to employ a foirgn designer in India (I wanted Karl to stand up and make a point there).

IDEO's presentation was nice and worthy of being elevated yet simple. However one can feel that even IDEO being IDEO is clueless on the next important role they are going to play in the world (or world of design). Will Reymond Lowey kind of design-equity would ever be back in the world? No one seem to know the answer, even if IDIOM is boldly proclaiming this on the bags gifted to all the participants.

And while I am writing this, I get to hear that the flight is delayed. Design is not about products or services ...it is supposed to graduate to 'design of a business'. I am wondering at the alternative services in India whose sole USP would be 100% on time, but would charge heavy premium.....any takers?

More when I gt the next brainwave...

Onio, the seed and the sprout

2006-11-30T10:35:00.000+05:30

In the name of the greatest one;

Onio Design has been a passionate dream woven together by the Karmyoga of two individuals. Right from the conception, Onio has never been a milking cow (read money), nor has it been an overnight success built on miracles. In the darker times for design market when industry didnot care for design or innovation in general because of ample supply of foriegn or imported 'products' and 'technologies', when the design studios were closing one by one in an ordeal of survival, Onio took birth and survived. Onio mastered the survival technique by learning the virtues of intelligently reading ahead and venturing into the unknown in child like play but with mastering the skills over a period. When product design was giving way Onio become a web-design company doing portals and corporate websites for software companies. When do-com bust took the toll on web-design too, Onio moved on and captured the grand-space of branding. When branding too started becoming common place, Onio thought it is logical to move up still higher in the value chain of innovation and tied up with Style-vision to offer trend-research. Onio knows how to learn the new and master the alien domains and move up the value-chain quickly. Onio also knows how to retain the core competence and hone it when market is dull.
All this has been possible due to inherent synergy within the company. Coordinated thinking and focused actions made it possible to go through the tough times and engage in futuristic possibilities while the purse stringsa are tight.

Now when the first phase of growth is over Onio needs to gear-up for the next phase of growth that entails bigger goals, broader mindset and more formal approach to growth itself. Usually, entreprenurs in design profession are known for conservative attitude to business expansion. But at Onio, the founder deemed it fit to understand the need for inclusion of a director with different set of expertiese and exposure that is not directly connected to design, but surely has greatest impact when it comes to expansion.

Anil, comes with hard-coded experience in USA as a matured IT professional over the last 10 years. The processes that are needed to standardize the practice so that it can be replicated and expanded have been mastered by IT industry and Onio believes that this expertise applied to design field would open the flood-gates of expansion in the ways unimaginable as of now. Together the power of 'organised creativty' would be unleasehed in the hitherto untapped market that India is sitting pretty on.

Ten Trends Reshaping the Global Landscape

2006-11-22T22:34:00.000+05:30

Home > Ten Trends Reshaping the Global Landscape
Ten Trends Reshaping the Global Landscapeby Van Wishard, World Trends Research

First, the modernization, urbanization and globalization of China, India and other Asian nations will be the most dynamic and convulsive event of the coming decades. Millions of people will have their personal and collective lives transformed to a greater degree, in a shorter space of time, than has been experienced by any people ever before.
Second, the world is still seeking a new geopolitical configuration. We are at the end of a 500-year period when the Atlantic-centered nations dominated world economic, political and military affairs. For the first time in modern history, China and Japan both have economies larger than any European national economy, and, along with India, may become the world’s center of technological innovation and production.
Assessing Global Trends and Decision-Making

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Third, the accelerating tempo of life has now become a critical issue in mental health. The emphasis on constant change has created a clash of different time scales. The time scales created by technology clash with the time scale required by natural life. Unhurried time is essential for natural growth. Yet speed, which is the forced compression of time, is increasingly necessary for the modern economy. Some suggest that we’ve moved beyond the age of speed and have entered the era of “real time.” There is now, they say, only a single “world time.”
Fourth, the information environment in which the individual lives has been radically altered. Throughout history, the transmission of information, ideas and images took place slowly, taking weeks, even months, to move around the world. Such a slow pace of information travel gave people time to adjust psychologically to a new information environment. Today, we zap information, ideas and images across the globe in nanoseconds. People have no time to adjust, no time to assimilate the new information and shape it into coherent meaning. The result is uncertainty and disorientation.
Fifth, the Eurasian landmass will continue to be a source of uncertainty, and even possible instability, for some time to come. Russia has not yet truly entered a “post-Communist” era, as most of its political and industrial leadership was shaped by the influence of Communism. Even the Moscow Times noted, “There can be no denying that contemporary Russia is in its very essence a product of the Soviet legacy. Our whole life is still shaped by the influence of Soviet-style expectations. We are still governed by Soviet-reared rulers.” Recently, Russian officials met with the elite of Russian “rock” to ensure that a situation such as Kiev, where many Ukrainian rock stars supported the Orange Revolution, would not be repeated in Moscow. Such activity only underscores that it may be a generation before the psychology of Russia is truly free of the influence of seventy-four years of Communist rule.
Sixth, a destabilizing threat facing the world is potential violent political turmoil that, if not avoided, could produce global anarchy. The arena for this possibility is not only the Middle East, but also the nations of the former Soviet Union, which form a belt stretching from Ukraine across southern Russia, to Kazakhstan, to Kyrghyzstan, to Tajikistan, and including Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. The peoples of this entire stretch of the world are being awakened to the deprivations caused by archaic economic and political systems, as well as to the realization that such denials need not continue. How the U.S., Europe and other major powers together help ameliorate this situation, while not yet commanding our primary attention, is nonetheless vital to future world security.
Seventh, science is in the process of redefining our understanding of terms first given us at the dawn of human consciousness: such terms as “life,” “nature” and “human.” Increasingly, scientists are subordinating humans to technology. In essence, we may be abdicating our own psychological center of being and handing it over to the computer. Scientists tell us that when artificial and human intelligence are eventually merged, we will enter the “Post-human” era. Thus by 2030, we may have reached the point where the primary question will be, “What are humans for in a world of self-replicating technological capability completely independent of human control?” We thus face a policy and human crisis without historical precedent.
Eighth, globalization has moved far beyond economics and finance, and has now moved to a stage where western political, social, cultural and philosophical ideas are gradually seeping into the fabric of the rest of the world. While we Americans believe what works for America will work for all nations, we sometimes forget that cultural differences between the U.S. and other nations represent profound psychological differences. The critical question for globalizing nations is, “How can we modernize without losing our traditions, which represent our psychic roots?” Thus we Americans need to be far more sensitive to the acute emotional trauma nations are experiencing as they confront the varied effects of globalization.
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Ninth, the largest migration in history is changing the face of nations. In China, one hundred million people are moving from the country to the city. In the West, the European Union needs 180 million immigrants in the next three decades simply to keep its population at 1995 levels, as well as to keep the current ratio of retirees to workers. In Brussels, over fifty percent of the babies born are Muslim. In Germany, the death rate has exceeded the birth rate for decades, so the government now has to fly in planeloads of technicians from India just to maintain the German high tech structure. In England, there are now more practicing Muslims than Anglicans. The Catholic Church is facing the distinct possibility (probability?) that in coming years, Islam will become the largest European faith. In coming years, what it means to be French, German, Italian or English is going to change just as radically as what it means to be American has changed in the past four decades. Such changes suggest an increased inward European orientation at a time when just the opposite is needed.
Tenth, the world is in the midst of a long-term spiritual and psychological reorientation that is increasingly generating uncertainty and instability. This trend is best exemplified not by public opinion polls stating what percentage of the population believes in God, but by the character of the Western world’s postmodern culture. To understand the extent of this spiritual reorientation, look at the section on religion in any American bookstore. As well as books on Christianity, there are books on New Age spirituality, Buddhism, Nostradamus, yoga, fundamentalism, channeling, angels, miracles, Eastern philosophy, addiction, psychic health, mysticism, or finding meaning in life. All evidence of a massive spiritual uncertainty, and a search for some new spiritual dispensation.
The psychological reorientation can be seen in the breakup of our collective symbols and inner images of wholeness. For example, we once talked about “heaven,” which denoted the transcendent realm, eternity, the dwelling place of the gods. Now we just speak of “space,” which implies no spiritual connotation. It used to be that when we looked up in the sky at nighttime we saw the moon in heaven. Now we stand on the moon and see the earth in heaven. Heaven and earth have become one, and so our system of symbolic images has been jumbled. As the function of symbols and mythic images is to link our consciousness to the roots of our being, to our unconscious, this loss of historic symbols leaves little to sustain the inner life of the individual. So we turn to all sorts of chemical substitutes and pseudo religions.
These are just some of the forces reshaping the global landscape in the coming decades.

Design Research: onio's take Nov 2006

2006-11-03T15:53:00.000+05:30

I wish I knew this conference (Wonderground) earlier, I would have surely sent some write-up. It is a new begining probably when Onio has set-up a small team dedicated to Design Research. Though it is happening after 10 years of our professional practice of design in India. But yes, now this dedicated team is actually earning money for Onio...wow, Indian clients are now just about ready to pay money for DESIGN RESEARCH seprately. This team is consists of Designers, Management Super graduate and Social Anthropologist (we could manage one..). But as we are getting into this, we are realising is that all one needs is a smart mind and power to absorb, connect, project and articulate.At Onio we follow something called 'MUST' model for design research (which is our own find). Market, User, Society and Technology, all are equal realities in the business dynamics today. Tweaking anyone of them would result in setting new ripples in the market. We have incorporated SENSING as two steps before DESIGN (Sense Strategise Design). So our pitch is that 'WHAT' (research)to do is becoming a bigger question than 'HOW' (design) to do. Thus even branding exercise at Onio starts with 'SENSING' first. Conventional 'Logo design' comes towards the last end (it is amazing to see that this part of 'skill' seems to have reached an 'autopilot mode'). Similarly, for product design, 'concept generation' is way too below in the 'gantt chart' of activities. And surprisingly, I have started understanding the worthless(ness) of 'three concepts' kind of approach. Focus is now shifted to honing the 'context' and hence probably single concept would work.Our model does not explore new academic evolution of design domain but surely puts across a highly applied model of making a difference in the market. A very big challenge we find is to explain to our clientele the difference between "market research" and "design research". Which some times pops a expected question , " Is this going to provide us price- point as well?". :)Our experience with the two extreme of clients a) large international giants b) small Indian entrepreneurial set-ups who want to launch world class offerings; has been very good. Both the ends clearly understood the language we are talking and the deliverables that are expected from Design Research. It is usually the medium/large size established corporation who seem to have a set ideas on research. But it is heartening that they have started the articulation of softer issues at the top level.

A brand character write-up I did

2006-11-02T16:39:00.000+05:30

Brand XYZ

A journey of a small star towards its greater destiny in the infinite universe….a spark of life poised to take on the fears of oblivion, in the expanse that tires the powers, that be.

When the sunrays touch the earth, pick the selected rays; silky, satin sheet of light would fill the room that has mild colours. Sit and warmly converse about the snow capped hills in the window.

There are moments of truth that fire the being right where it aches. But we are born soldiers…soldiers of astral destiny…either way we belong to sky…we fight hard to remain aloft..away from the drudgery that obfuscates the lesser mortals.

When there is a call…run. Because there is nowhere to hide. Run and fetch the best tulips you can, princess awaits you at the other end of the lake.

When there is a call, run..because to run is to pray..to pray is to have fun…

Stars are bright…because they have fire in their heart. When there is light, stars have contributed their share….whatever small it may be…

In the winds of change stars go…galaxies vanish concept of light remains. Master the light and ‘change’ adds to the glory of light.

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A journey of a small star towards its greater destiny in the infinite universe….a spark of life poised to take on the fears of oblivion, in the expanse that tires the powers, that be.

XYZ is focused and steadfast, it hold close to the values it respects….as if they are the only universal truths.

XYZ is poise and grace…it’s a great balancing act in the danger zone. Its care and caution in all too favorable..grit and warmth when times are against.

XYZ is speed. Slow, slips…speed transcends. When sight is blurred in speed, check the construct…road becomes clear.

XYZ is about minds. Minds that connect evolve and transcend the perceptible and the subliminal.

Reading some future trends

2006-11-02T11:46:00.000+05:30

Some trends: Freshly fried (to be elaborated)
Manoj Kothari

Unorganized will become Organized
Sectors: Agriculture, retail, accessories, construction, jewelry, home services, wellness
Current scenario, % of market in unorganizedà predicted shift to organized
Statistics of productivity gain /loss for becoming organized
World statistics US/Europe how does it fare?

Organized will become Aggregate Monoliths
Sectors: Steel, Consumer gadgets, dairy products, software,
Move to the next consolidation (rule of 3-4)
Recent acquisitions

Monoliths will give way to paradigm shattering start-ups
Sectors: Entertainment, telephony, transportation, hospitality, health

Social mobility will thrive on pseudo adoptions
What seems out of place for a section, will increasingly become adorable i.e. car owner in a slum, vegetable vendor with a mobile camera phone, a software engineer with private aeroplane.

Pseudo Icons to show prosperity. society would need more pseudo-icons for show of prosperity.

Old time social elites would move to ‘luxurious naturalism’
Excess of indulgence would give way to ‘lost touch’. Recall of the elements, with out losing the touch of cushion.

New social elites would move to ‘middle-class kingdom’
Extend the kingdom they owned. Make it ‘posh’. Bring the ‘royal extravagance’ and ‘arrogance’.

India would become a verbal society?
Tacit cognizance and symbolic communication on which Indian society flourished till now, will increasingly become verbal. Verbal because there are no more gaps left in mind-space. There are no reserves….We are spending ahead of our income.

All that is remixed, will have a techno tweak…
From clothing to music to ambience…the next tweak is digital, heavily impacted by newly discovered technology.

All that is classic, will have a ‘happy wrapper’
Amzad Ali Khan’s sarod recital, on you-tube..but a clip that only lasts a few minutes, who has got a time for 3 hrs?

Space, will be biggest differentiater
Cut the clutter…leave large margins; visibility due to size; visibility due to missing slab, missing articulation, missing perfection, missing notes…

Still on……..

Shivers in London; where is the winter?

2006-09-26T23:55:00.000+05:30

Why are so called 'mature design' economies are shivering in the imminent winter of 'Indian Design'. Will the Indians gobble-up the already sluggish design markets by offering every service at 1/3rd the price? Will Indians do in Design, what China has done in Manufacturing?
...several such discussion dotted my trip to London this time for Insight Indian 2006. The British are just too scared of Indian Design...though they may not even know what stage Indian Design actually is....my constant counter question to these queires was- "Do you, after 30-40 years of design in the country, really worry that a Indian company can do renderings at a cheaper price?".."Does it really matter if Indian design company produces three alternative concepts for a salt & pepper dispenser at 1/5th the price British would charge? Is there so much of suffocation up there?
I think that entire design profession is undergoing evolution still...the need to notch-up higher in the corporate decision laddder is one of the bigger challenges that mature design economies should lead the way to. The thought leadership angle is still missing of present ina very weak format out there. Even as Prakash tells me, after his visit to all the top design companies in London, that the kind of work and energy that one sees in the these design companies, no way reflect that they are around for 30-40 years.....They should have created a new paradigm by now....they seem to stuck in a time-warp. One of the persons who is reponsible for Promotion of British Design got so flabbergasted after she saw the Onio brochure (which discusses the Design Research and Trends etc.) that she could no help saying "you guys have even reached here..then where is the place for us?" A pitiable viewpoint...I thought.

'

Insight India 2006-London

2006-09-26T23:51:00.000+05:30

I have just returned after successfully organising 'Insight India 2006'roundtable in London, under the ambit of London Design Festival.This roundtable was organised by Onio Design in collaboration with Style-Visionof France. This first of its kind event organised by any Indian Design companyabroad, was attended by likes of Head of Design Procter & Gamble (Beautyproducts- USA), Steelcase (Office Furniture- USA), Hitachi (ConsumerElectronics), Pearl Fisher (Trends Consulting, USA), Symrise (Perfumes and FoodDesign, Singapore) etc.Aim of this event was to sensitize the European and American companies on DesignInsights and Consumer Trends for India.Onio also promoted the cause of Indian design by showcasing the works of twoother Indian designers there i.e. Abhijit Bansod (chief designer of Titan) andYogesh Purohit (Textile Designer). Other speakers included David Griffiths (heis a part of this egroup as well) and Prof. Venkat S. from IIIT.Participants were pleasantly surpised when they saw the quality of designunderstanding displayed through the case-studies and usage of cutting-edge toolslike Trend Research by design comapnies in India.Generally speaking, a very little information is available to world outside (notto talk of the awareness within the country), about Indian Design even afterseveral decades of presence of design in India. There is a significant amount of'visibility' work needs to be done by anybody and everybody connected to IndianDesign. I think we require Design Summits to be organised not only in India butall across the world. I am sure CII/FICCI is listenling....(in want of a DesignCouncil) ...Onio is now planning for a similar event in New York (USA), in collaborationwith Style-Vision again. Though the contents and precise structure is notfinalised yet, but surely Onio would like to take along some upcoming andinterested design companies. Do get in touch with the undersigned for the same.There is a huge update pending from London Design Festival...specially from theCII delegation...

What the hell is Design?

2006-09-02T06:22:00.000+05:30

Now that I have spent more than 10 years living this word, some semblence of sense has begun to dawn. Before I went to a design school, the word 'design' carried vaguely the same ideas what the common man on road in India may carry i.e. something 'arty'..where a designer means at the most some nice looking things on computer....well things have changed now. At NID we were taught 'design' can change the world. It is a thinking process; way of going about things. Prof M.P. Ranjan, the think tank at NID says, "it is the intentional activity, that creates value" (ooooh....eating a chewing gum, to make bubbles is a highly intentional acitvity to create a highly valuable 'bubble'..no, 'design' can not be put in such vague terms). One thing I believe is of prime most importance- DESIGN, whatever said and done, it is just an ENABLER...it is not the grand act of BUSINESS or ORGANISATION it self. APPLE uses design to carry out business efficiently, but IDEO's business is DESIGN itself. So there is a distinction. Energy that is required to initiate and sustain a business or organisation is a much bigger energy than the 'creative energies in the domain of design'. Every activty in the business can have a design thinking involved, but it does not require a designer to do that. Entrepreneur, usually a living volcano's of energy, integrates so many thoughts that DESIGNERS call the 'systems thinking' and not only that, he/she is also mentally processing them to find a creative solution out of it. Thus insightful businessmen are gifted with 'design thinking' by birth. Thus some learn it at design schools and some get it by birth. Some learn it at design school and keep learning all their life, discussing endlessly the very origins...never be able to touch the levels of 'active energies' that a natural integrator would have reached on his own. There is a urdu sher-
Phalsafi ko bahas me, khuda milta nahi
dor ko suljha raha, sira milta nahi.

(A philosopher, discussing endlessly would never get to the God. It is like trying to find the end of an entangled mesh).

Innovation and Onio

2006-08-11T13:59:00.001+05:30

Yesterday, David Griffiths, a leading design management expert practising in UK and India with equal footing, visited Onio. he had met me during CII-NID Design Summit 2005 at Mumbai and later I proposed his name as a facilitator for our London Roundtable (Insight India 2006), to Genevieve.
Daivd had interesting observations to make about Indian design industry. He thinks that Indian design industry is today what British Design Industry was in 60s. There was a boom in 80s where a lot of government focus shifted to design, to the extent of Mrs. Margret Thatcher, hosting a design summit at 10 Downining Street. So Britain is an 'advance design economy' today. It may take India another 10 or 15 years to reach there. He further explained that what is meant by 'maturity of design market' is to have complete ecosystem there i.e. if somebody wants to scale up the design operations, by 10 fold very quickly...it is impossible to to in India today while it is much easier to collect trained design manpwer in various hierarchies in UK.
UK has more than 100,000 graduate in Design every year, while a paltry 500 in India (yes, he is not inlcuding the graduates from technology training centers i.e. Arena Multimedia or even Commercial Artists trained in Art Schools...why?).

My guesstimate is more optimistic. India would need 5 years to grab this opportunity by horns and make the new ecosystem happen. Nothing behaves lineraly in the new economy...not even the number of design school that would open in coming few years, nor the curiosity of new age consumers...all are growing in exponential fashion. The spark which has been present in India for more than 40 years, but never flared-up, would take much lesser time in the new realities compared to earlier leaps. Software Industry has already done a lot o ground work for many things to just flourish. Companies like Onio would become the highly-wanted companies in next 5 years..but this wait to the 'flight' would be full of heroic deeds...

Somebody asked hima question- if UK is already such a successful, advanced design country then why are there no brands or products coming out like 'iPoD'. David's answer aligned my thinking to Onio's branding and India's future. According to him it was no more about one or two 'sexy, cool, stylish' design stuff or brands. It is more about the kind of benefits that an economy draws by virtue of heavy focus on design (TESCO was his example at hand). If through a good design, a large chain of stores can reduce few grams of plastic from one of its product i.e.dustbins, it is a multi-million dollar saving in the material cost and transportation cost making through the year and the planet a bit less polluted...A combined effect of design thinking through the products, through the categories, through the organisation and through the country is enormous. It can transform the country by this "little integrated thoughtfulness".....which has been aptly called "pragmatic design' in the latest book named- "Design of Things to Come" from Wharton School Publishing.

Pragmatic Design is what is going to transform the "knowledgeware" that is accumulating over the years through software Industry, into a profitable and internationally tradable tool. It is no more about path-breaking inventions. It is about 'sensing' the changing life-style of people, tweaking the existing technology to fulfill the new needs and tactfully presenting the remix to the consumers. 'Remix' is not demeaning the word 'innovation' but abstracting it to the sociological realm, where this is a fully existent 'trend' across catedories.

Dot Com Years of Onio

2006-07-16T15:44:00.000+05:30

It all started with uncertain business in Product Design which forced us to think of alternative sources of revenue, back in 1999-2000. While my brother Sunil, that time he was in Scotland, doing MS in Artificial Intelligence. He introduced the concept of website to me and pointed at a free website making portal www.expage.com (our page on this site still exists) in its primitive form. I still remember Prakash, my partner, stood for four hours at VSNL (the sole internet provider that time) to get an internet connection of 33kbps. Sending an email and getting one, was an achievement. Websites had started springing up. NIIT was standing tall that time, offering computer education as an alternative to Engineering and Medical careers. Our tryst with website started at IIT alumni meeting atMumbai (25th Dec 1999) where I happen to bump into a classmate who saw the year of graduation (19992) on my badge and happen to ask me what I was doing that time. When I said, I run a design studio. He casually asked if I could do a website for him, which I nodded affirmatively. No entrepreneur can afford to let go of such chances. "I will figure it out once I get an assignment', was an attitude that made us master of many things in shortest period of time...many times during our careers.

So I went for the first meeting with this batchmate of mine, who was setting up a portal for alumni of IIT and IIMs together. The technology consultant asked me if I was clear on the 'site structure' for this portal. I lost my head..what the hell is this site structure? What has a website designer got to do with that? ....The journey of website making, had just begun....We managed to do that assignment and many more in the years to come...including McKinsey India website.

Dot com bust took away the boom from our website business and we were back in product design saddle by the end of 2003. But during this period we managed to do several protals, interaction and interface design assignments, onsite consulting assignments for British Gas and NedLloyed even ventured into launching a portal of our own...(we almost did it:)) .

Entrepreneurship: Interaction with INSEAD students

2006-07-08T07:41:00.000+05:30

Yesterday I was speaking at a session on 'Business in India' at Taj President at Mumbai. This was a group of students from INSEAD (Singapore and France) campuses, interacting with new age entrepreneurs from India.

Other speakers included founder of shadi.com, Mr. Anupam Mittal, founder of the chain Yo-China and Siddarth Runwal (from Mumbai's Real Estate business family). They spoke about usual issues in starting a business in India i.e. from family issues to role of traditional hierarchies in business to more than 39 licenses needed to run a restaurant to myths about cheap labour (because less productive labour turns out to be twice as costly) etc.

My case was different. Speaking about 'design entreprenurship' in India, I realised that we at Onio, faced a rather typical 'entreprenuerial problems' more than 'India problems'. A field called 'design' which was not recognised by industry, government and the society at large even after 35 years of presence in the local soil, had different challenges than setting a traditional business lines.

Two people just out of a design school with lot of zeal and determination...that is all we had (yes, all the entrepreneurs state this in their interviews). But what we didn't have was any 'reference' or benchmark against which we could compare and improve. Should we be a partnership firm or a private limited company? Should we try to show 'losses' in the very first year to escape taxes or should be show highest profits possible in order to get credit-worthiness? Should we recruit low-salaried 'doers' , who would work like a soldier for us or 'high-salaried thinkers' as well, in the team, who would tackle the clinents on our behalf and add value in the discussions. From very simple queries to very complex issues like how much equity to dilute for first round of funding, Prakash and myself have just used the calculated gut feel and gone ahead. Contrary to my earlier beliefs MBA degree or a 'must have' partner with finance background, really wasn;t required at this stage. Natural ability to 'survive' or the 'survival instinct' shapes an entreprenurial mind in such a way that it senses in 360 degrees all the time. Whether it is about learning a new trade or learning the legalities or handling an angry customer, the survival instinct comes to the rescue and emboldens the endeavours further.

to be continued...

The Different Beginning

2006-06-20T07:38:00.000+05:30

This is my fourth shift in 'profession'....In the spirit of exploration, the voyage continues...from Engineering, to Product Design, to Communication Design, to Strategic Branding, to Innovation Consulting...(next drop would be at Futurologist).