NASSCOM Design4India - India by Design 2019 Report - Digital PDF

India,
by Design
Perspectives, Trends
and Practices - 2019
2 India, by Design - Perspectives, Trends and Practices - 2019 3
Content
Title Page No.
Foreword 7
Methodology 9
Executive Summary 12 - 17
Introduction 20 - 21
The four key themes:
Change, by Design 22 - 39
Business, by Design 40 - 57
Local, by Design 58 - 69
Future, by Design 70 - 81
Recommendations 84 - 87
Conclusion 89
Acknowledgements 91

Foreword
Design is no longer just about aesthetics, it is a strategic imperative for

businesses and organizations to grow and succeed. In this era of digital
transformation, design is used by businesses as a key differentiator to respond
to changing trends and consumer behaviours. The outperformance of design-led
global companies suggests that good design means good business. Fortune 500
companies such as Apple, Microsoft, Disney, IBM have demonstrated the intrinsic
value of “design thinking” as a competitive advantage that impacts the bottom
line and drives business growth. Businesses have come to recognize that design
innovation happens at the intersection of desirability for customers, viability at
the business level, and feasibility for technology.
Mirroring the global scenario, in India too organizations have slowly but surely
realized the importance of design intelligence not only to create innovative
products and solutions but also to enhance and improve customer experiences.
Gradually the skills, principles and practice of design are being used across
a variety of industries, be it banking, retail, telecommunications, education,
healthcare, hospitality, transport, automobiles, and others.
In this report, we have presented the key trends and themes shaping the current
state of design in India, from the perspective of what’s changing in the practice,
why it is becoming important for businesses today, and how organisations
need to equip themselves for a future by design. The report captures practices
adopted by leading organizations to drive design as a culture and delivering
value by creating human-centered experiences.
We hope that this report will help organizations decipher the business value of
incorporating design principles in their solutions and services and also guide
them to embark on a design-led journey of fulfilment.
Debjani Ghosh
President, NASSCOM

Methodology
This report presents a window into the current state of design in India. It shines
a light on the evolution of design in the country – the growing significance of
design in the world of business, and a view at how organizations and design
teams are equipping themselves for a future by design.
The information presented in this report is synthesized from three key sources
of input:
1. Primary research interactions with 20+ leaders in the domain of design and
business in the country
2. An online survey conducted with over 100 respondents actively engaged in
the practice of design and design-led business thinking and operations
3. Secondary research to uncover global design and technology trends
impacting India
As a part of the primary research, deep-dive immersions have been held with a
collection of design and business leaders, entrepreneurs, and design educators,
working across a diverse set of companies, organizations, startups, and agencies
and design schools in the country. Human-Centred Design research methods
like the card sorting activity and research inquiry toolkits were specifically
designed and employed to facilitate these interactions in an engaging manner.
The team has analyzed and synthesized in-depth conversations to arrive at the
4 key themes presented in this report. Each theme is supported by observations,
insights, notable quotes, and case-studies from the primary research conducted.
Inputs from secondary research, present a view on global design and

technology trends that are impacting India, and these have been used in
context, to support the key findings and insights featured in this report. The “We
Recommends’’ section at the conclusion of each of the four themes presents a
collection of quick steps to empower organizations and individuals to embrace
best design practices, irrespective of where they may be on the design maturity
spectrum. These recommendations support examples that showcase how the
most innovative companies in the world are leading the way in design.

“ “ Design is so
simple, that’s
why it is so
complicated.” - Paul Rand
Thoughts on Design
10 India,
India, by
by Design
Design --Perspectives,
Perspectives, Trends and Practices
Practices -- 2019
2019 11
India, by Design
Executive Summary Change,

by Design
The past decade has been a momentous one for design and its growing significance in the The 21st century has ushered a new era for design. Design has moved beyond its
world of business and technology today. The discipline of design is now recognized globally, traditional areas of operation to a brand new paradigm of technological brilliance. Today
as a key contributor to new value creation. In the experience-led economy of our times, design is no longer about creating an independent product or service, it is the totality of a
often referred to as the age of the fourth industrial revolution, design plays a critical role in multidimensional experience, delivered at scale.
shaping and delivering business success. The rapid adoption of technology in the country,
combined with the diversity and scale of the user base, makes design a critical competency
for organisations today.
Design is driving forth a
Based on our interactions with more than 20 leaders from a variety of industries representing new era of innovation and
various fields of design and business, and an online survey with 100+ design professionals, change. Emerging technology, Organizations,
entrepreneurs, business practitioners and design students, this report presents a view on the contemporary business models, businesses and
current state of design in the country. and growing global access is product companies
facilitating an exciting decade of are becoming
The report findings are listed under four key themes that traverse the journey of design disruption and enabling users aware of this shift in
design in India: to demand products/services at par consumer mindsets
with the best in the world. and are beginning
to see the value
Change, by Design
design can bring.
Business, by Design des

ce
Design thinking and other
n
ie
ign design-led processes for
er
exp
Local, by Design desig
innovation and differentiation
GOOD
n th
user
ink
ing
are increasingly becoming The growth in
commonplace in the the demand for
Future, by Design
corporate landscape today, good design DESIGN
as organizations are has transformed
These themes capture how design has changed over the years, why design matters more investing in design as a the perception
to business today than ever before, what the future of design means, and the significance of core capability. of design as a practice.
design in India in the global context.
The world today is hungry for
design, and the market is ready
for a new breed of designers to
rise to the occasion and deliver. more designers......
As design becomes popular and more

ubiquitous, a few key recommendations
that organisations looking to scale
through design:
Build a design team that is highly skilled, diverse and empowered.

Focus on ‘design doing’ as a critical component of the design thinking journey.
Leverage an empathy led approach to user research, to uncover new
opportunities for customer delight.
Deliver a consistent customer experience,that is individually relatable at scale.
Focus on convenience as a key driver for choice making.

Business, Local,
by Design by Design
In the past, the practise of design has focussed mainly on the aspect of creating desirability, The proliferation of smartphones, ease of access to rich data at very nominal rates, and the
however, in current times, good design exists at the intersection of customer delight, business large pool of technology users, makes this a exciting time of technological shifts in India.
viability, and technical feasibility.
user
Many organizations are employing needs

According to a joint study by The Global corporations
designers at senior levels to drive
CDO Organizations Associated Chambers of Commerce have begun to take
the mandate of design and adopt a are becoming pro and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) note of this and are
CXO
duc
t
design-led approach to innovation more aware that and PwC, the number of customizing their
within their organizations. designers are well equipped to smartphone users in India is products to suit
identify and understand the unserved expected to rise by 84% to 859 the Indian context.
needs of their customers in a unique million by 2022 from 468 million Products are being designed to
manner. Design is creating a significant in 2017. This exponential growth meet the changing aspirations of
competitive advantage and value in the use of smartphones impacts the Indian customer. Interestingly,
creation for organizations. customer engagement and the way India is becoming a piloting ground
designers build products/services. for several innovations that find
application in similar countries
around the world.
Design and Business PwC’s 10th annual Global Consumer Insights
businesses must + Survey (GCIS) 2019 – gathers feedback from
collaborate to more than 21,000 online customers in 27 Apart from big global corporations, local
Design startups have also been instrumental
deliver impactful territories. This survey shows that in addition
user experiences. to the traditional RoI metric used to determine in creating new areas of demand
Organizations are striving to excel by business success, there is now a need to focus for novel products/services.
providing a differentiated customer on another metric, one that focuses on customer Many of these startups are now
experience through design. experience – a ‘Return on Experience’ expanding beyond India and
(RoX). Whether an organization showcasing design to a broader
is in the business of household audience across the globe.
goods, health services, education,
hospitality, automotive sales, or
financial services, delivering a
superior experience is the key India is becoming a significant geography for
Organizations are building internal ingredient to winning. global corporations, and a noteworthy hub
design teams and design leaders to drive for dynamic local innovation. Here are a few
transformation in their organization through recommendations for organizations looking to
design. Here are a few recommendations for scale through design:
organizations looking to scale through design: Design for inclusion. India is a country with a diverse set of customers, cutting across gender,
age, literacy, language, religion, geography, and economic status lines. Designing for India
Designing for experience: To think beyond a traditional product and ROI mindset to a Return on means designing for all these users, in a manner that is sustainable, scalable, and delightful
Experience (ROX) view on value creation. to all.
Measuring design outcomes clearly and tangibly to gauge their impact on business. Design for trust. In a world of limitless access, rich data, and network effects, designing for
Sharing success stories to inspire and build belief and momentum. privacy and trust have become critical pillars for good design.
Design for empowerment. The power of new technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI),
Machine Learning (ML), Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), Drones, and Blockchain
must be leveraged to empower the local community to transform their lives.

Future, Conclusion
by Design
India is today at the cusp of radical change. A new world is at our doorstep. Along with As we look around us, design is everywhere, all-pervasive and deeply embedded in our
exponential access to and adoption of new technologies, the profile of the new tech user is lives. Good design is no longer “nice to have,”some fancy thing; it a basic core ingredient for
changing the game. business success and customer delight. In an age of technology, this celebrates the human in
the tech. It empowers a new generation of innovators and changemakers to bring delightful
experiences to a brave new world.
On the one hand, people
who have never worked on a
computational device before, Designing for sustainability rather than for
have leapfrogged technologies obsolescence is capturing the collective
and are using the smartphone mindset. In a significant shift from a
today with relative ease and consumerism driven mindset focussed
delight.On the other hand, a primarily on accelerating and scaling
new generation of digital natives – consumption,
Generation Z (Gen Z – born 1995 onwards), design schools are
is coming of age and driving a whole new now concentrating
set of consumption behaviors. on designing for a
circular economy.
A circular economy
is an alternative
to a traditional linear economy (make, use,
With new design practices and a new breed dispose) in which we keep resources in use
of designers entering the workforce, new for as long as possible, extract the maximum
technologies coming of age and becoming value from them while in use, then recover
the new normal, and an informed people and regenerate products and materials at the
with the power of choice and platforms to end of each service life.
make themselves count, India is poised for a
future to be led by design.
As we head towards that future, Here are a few

recommendations for organizations looking to
scale through design:
To design for humans in a complex new world of technology, data and machines, the
ability to deliver with simplicity and coherence will be a critical strength to possess.
Design needs to support circularity by eliminating waste and pollution from the
consumption cycle.
A new audience comes of age as Millenials and Gen Z begin to become key drivers of
choice and influence. They will form a significant part of both sides of the economy –
creators as well as consumers.
The ability to solve problems creatively, in hitherto unexplored ways, will become one of
the most important leadership skills for the leader of the future, and that future begins
today.

India,
by Design

Introduction
Design is becoming ubiquitous as more Design in Tech Report 2018 1 presents a telling The past decade and a half has seen design The number of smartphone users in India is
organizations are adopting creativity at scale. insight into how traditional businesses in the US moving into the world of business and the lives of expected to rise by 84% to 859 million by 2022
As the domains of technology, brand, products, have begun to respond to the need of the hour – consumers at a relentless pace, from its point of from 468 million in 2017, according to a joint study
and services converge into a unified customer building their design muscle as a core capability: origin in the Bay Area in California to the rest of by The Associated Chambers of Commerce and
experience cutting across the globe, the role the world. A new path for the practice of design Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) and PwC.
of design has become a critical one. Design is was led by design consultancies like IDEO, Lunar
creating a unique customer connect, one that (acquired by McKinsey & Co in 2015) and Frog This changes the traditional rules of business and
can define success for organizations. Design, and the d.school at Stanford University, creates new rules for engagement. As a part of this
established in 2004, brought the formal practise of study, we spoke with design, and business leaders
2015: 14 creative firms were atypically Design Thinking to the world of business at large. across multiple industries and organizations in
acquired between 2004 and 2015 by tech India, multinational brands and domestic, of varying
companies like Facebook, Flextronics, Today design is as relevant to India as it is to the scale and reach, to understand the significance
Google, also Accenture, Capital One, BBVA, rest of the world, and of even greater significance, of design to their world of business and to India
McKinsey & Co. As the marginal return on one may argue, given the rapid pace at which today.
computing power (a la Moore’s law) diminishes technology is being adopted in the country. The
and technology is less of a differentiating best that the world has to offer is now available
factor, the value of design has entered the in India at scale, and that user base is growing Based on what we heard and saw, this report
foreground. 27 startups that were co-founded exponentially. presents our findings under four key themes
by designers were acquired since 2010 by that best capture the essence of the current
companies like Intuit, Google, Facebook, state of design in India.
Adobe, LinkedIn, and Yahoo.
Change, by Design
2016: Design firm acquisitions continue: 42

Business, by Design
design firms since 2004, and 50% of them in
the last year alone. Accenture, Deloitte, IBM Local, by Design
users
take the lead.
93.5% of 370 designers surveyed believe
that coding and data-oriented skills are table Future, by Design
stakes knowledge for designers in tech.
as of to 468m These themes capture how design has changed
in 2017 over the years, why design matters more to
business today than ever before, what the future
2017: Demand for designers is up with of design means, and the significance of design in
Facebook, Google, and Amazon collectively India in the global context.
growing designer headcount by 65% in a year,
according to LinkedIn. McKinsey & Co and Design Council UK most aptly articulates the
Salesforce make significant bets on design significance of design today in its Design Economy
with more acquisitions.
100% of the top 10 business schools have
annual growth rate 2 2018 report³ - Design and design skills are at the
heart of the fourth industrial revolution.
student-led design/innovation clubs.
2 An ASSOCHAM-PwC joint study.

1 Design in Tech Report 2018, John Maeda 3 Design Economy 2018, Design Council UK

Change,
by Design
Stanford d.school
founded. - by
David M. Kelley
The 21st century has ushered in multiple new dimensions to the

practice of design. Historically design was about making things –
tangible industrial products that were self-sufficient and complete
in themselves. Today it has evolved beyond being this singular
object changing the lives of a select few, to a dynamic connected
entity changing the lives of billions, every minute, every second.
Today it is no longer just a product or a service; design is the
totality of experience experienced by a consumer.
National
Institute
of Design
The key emerging trends are:
1. Decade of disruption
2. Design as a commodity
3. Full circle design
“The India Report”
- by Eames
Charles and
Ray Eames
come to India

Change, by Design
1.Decade
of Disruption.
Key Observations:
Ever since the launch of the iPhone in 2007,
everything changed. The iPhone defined 1. Technology
According to a recent report on Techcrunch.com:
for this era, the power of a well-designed
experience. It brought to the fore, the ability of
According to a recent Kantar IMRB ICUBE
report 4:
democracy and the WhatsApp has amassed more than 400 million
users in India, reaffirming its gigantic reach in its
industrial design excellence and technological
brilliance, combined with the unique needs
The internet user base in India has exceeded
500 million mark and is likely to reach 627
universal experience biggest market. This revelation comes more than
of the 21st-century human, to create an million by end 2019. two years after WhatsApp said it had hit 200 million
‘Everything is digital today,’ is a statement that
unmatched user experience. One without users in India.
one simply can’t ignore. The power of our
precedent. A product differentiated by its Of this, 293 million active internet users reside computing devices and the rate of technical Rural Urban
totality of design. The iPhone changed the in urban India, while there are 200 million advancements, has ushered in an age of
world of design and business. active users in rural India. Not surprisingly, 97% relentless innovation and an ever-expanding user
of users access the internet on their base. Different sets of audiences have access to
38
mobile device. the same set of digital tools. The scale and reach
“Over the past decade, the phone has
changed the perception of design in a lot
of the network is unlike ever before.
20 22
Increased availability of bandwidth, cheap
of ways for a number of companies - it has data plans and increased awareness driven 10
shone a spotlight on the importance of by government programmes seem to have “We need to start everything with asking
design to business.” rapidly bridged the digital gap between urban - How can users take advantage of tech in
- Deepak Menon, Microsoft and rural India. Consequently, the penetration India today?.”
in rural India has increased from 9% in 2015 to
- Deepak Menon, Microsoft
25% in 2018.
Most people across the world, and increasingly
in India, experience the power of design Higher usage in urban India
but rising coverage in rural
through the object in the palm of their hands “WiFi has become like electricity in your India.
- the ubiquitous smartphone, the doorway to house... it’s everywhere.” Share of active WhatsApp users 2017 2018
the world of online services, entertainment, (% respondents)
- Sameer Chavan, Flipkart
education and technology. A key to the Infographic from - Lokniti-CSDS Mood of the Nation (MOTN) Survey
connected world of the internet of things.
4 Kantar IMRB ICUBE report

Change, by Design _ Decade of Disruption
2. Best in class 3. Designing beyond 4. Rise of Start-ups 5. The ‘designer’

experiences across design With the evolution of technology and its
in everyone
service offerings The designer is no longer seen as a master of
democracy, many startups have come up in India A host of products and services that were
in the last few years. They have made the world earlier dependent on a niche skill or an
pixels, a prototype maker and manufacturing sit up and take notice of the critical need for
People today expect the best that the world has exclusive competency are now accessible to
process guru alone, the designer is expected to creating exceptional user experiences to establish
to offer, across product and service offerings. all. From online editors that have simplified
be a strategic thinker with a head for business, a deep connection with their customers. Larger
This means that designers need to design in a the process of creating graphic illustrations
and the best design practitioners are expected to organizations are seeing the impact of these
far more universal and yet individually relevant to ‘phygital’ products that have made interior
demonstrate an equal balance of design thinking practices and have begun to transform their way
manner. The design needs to feel meaningful visualizations easier, tools have become
and design doing. of doing business to align with this spirit, and this,
to a diverse set of users at a similar level of templatized and accessible at scale. Some
consistency and at the same time, be designed is changing the traditional business landscape in examples are: Canva, Squarespace, Wix.
for individual experience delight. The role of the country.
the designer has, therefore, become critical to
delivering a differentiated customer According to Lulu Raghavan, at Landor “We’ve too much to do, too little money
experience today. Associates, large Indian corporates like Tata,
and too many problem statements, so we
Mahindra, and Godrej have been actively
leveraging design and design thinking in
need to prioritise, you learn these things
Our conversation with Nitin Sethi, at Indigo their respective businesses. In the US, the two very soon as a start-up”
Airlines, revealed the efforts put in by the UX companies that have led the way on this front - Arun Vinayak, Ather Energy
team to gather data from multiple sources of and created significant impact for themselves,
information to deliver the best possible travel as a result, are P&G and Intuit.
experience to its customers. For example, Initiatives like Jaaga Labs and
members from the team spend at least NASSCOM’s - 10,000 Start-ups are
one day a week at an Indigo call center to providing space and resources to these
understand the pain points and grievances sprouting entrepreneurs to establish
faced by its customers, and team members “Design should be able to determine how to their presence in the market today.
routinely fly across India to observe and
craft a product in a particular way”
learn, and then build something new to test
and deliver. - Deepak Menon, Microsoft
“We started in 2009 by providing the first

“Focus on the craft with attention to visceral co-working space in India, where niche
design. It’s the first impression that a user communities like Activists, Technologists
“We are always pushing to deliver a perceives even without using the product” & Creatives got together. While people
consistent, reliable and trustworthy - Sameer Chavan, Flipkart used the space for galleries, auditorium,
experience” events, etc. they had to explain the
- Nitin Sethi, IndiGo Airlines
purpose of what they did.”
- Archana Prasad, Jaaga

Change, by Design _ Decade of Disruption
6. Technology has
transformed the roles of
traditional design and
59%
tech disciplines
With the rise of User Experience (UX) as a core
area for innovation and differentiation, the need
of the hour is for designers and engineers to
work together to deliver unique experiences.
They form a new breed of creators that are
blurring the lines between design and technology
to bring alive a new wave of user-centric tech
products and services, in a rapid and of respondents voted “Voice/Chat interfaces”
iterative manner.
as the most contributing emerging technology
for improving traditional user experience
5
As per the Design in Tech Report 2018 – through design followed by Immersive
Since 2017, design tools have begun to evolve technologies like AR/VR/MR.
out of print and early web design paradigms
from the Photoshop era to encompass
prototyping, project management, version
control, inline coding, and automation. Based on the responses received in
the NASSCOM Design4India Survey.
Voice/Chat interfaces 59 31 9
Immersive tech (AR, VR, MR) 57 31 11
Artificial Intelligence 47 23 30
high medium low
5 Design in Tech Report 2018 Photo by Alex Knight on Unsplash
28 India,
India, by
by Design
Practices -- 2019
2019 29
Change, by Design
ce
des
n
2.Design as
ie
ign
er
exp
desig
n th
user
ink
ing
a commodity
Key Observations:
The introduction of design thinking and doing
things the design way is an unstoppable wave,
“While design thinking tool box has
helped a wider set of professionals
1. For design thinking
and continues to gather momentum and grow its
audience every new day. It is therefore, a good
to think and ideate like designers, to succeed, the design Biju Damodharan from Amazon India
says design thinking is integral, fundamental
it needs to be assessed if it’s being
time for the practice of design. The challenge
however lies in delivering beyond the theory to applied effectively. As Design
doing needs to be and at the forefront of innovation at the
organization. It is at the heart and center
outcomes that present an optimal mix of strategy, Thinking is made into a process strong too of everything Amazon does. In India, it has
craft and technology to deliver consistent customer and set of tools, one could lose contributed to transforming the way India
delight, translating to greater business success. The excitement around design thinking has buys and sells, like people in Ladakh buying
the essence of the holistic design
led to a widespread awareness of design and on Amazon.
approach. That has led Honeywell
implementation of design thinking at many
to move on to a new holistic process business schools and organizations. Which has
“Design is everything, everything is design”
to move from idea to revenue. On helped spread the word on design and helped
the positive side, design is now design leaders earn a seat at the business
an integral and natural part of leaders’ table. On the other hand, it may have “Design is used for selling without being
oversimplified the design process to a degree authentic to it. Many are doing this
innovation and development process” today because it is a shiny new thing.
where many may be using it as a ‘shortcut’
“Enough people know and understand the - Unmesh Kulkarni, Honeywell to achieve magical results. The rigor of the The workshops are only a part of it and
importance of design today, but designers process needs to be maintained and outcomes an entry point”
are expensive, more than developers. So measured consistently through the journey, to
- Sudhindra V, IBM
start-ups feel the need to have them, but leverage it to its maximum potential.
In India, 100% of the organizations we
can’t afford them at an initial stage”
spoke with knew about ‘Design Thinking’ “Every step we measure, through all the “Design thinking works best when the
- Tej Pochiraju, Jaaga in one way or another. roles for all multi-disciplinary collaborators
key pillars of design thinking.”
are defined - while it is useful for
designers and engineers to know and
understand each other’s craft, they need
“Design thinking is a recipe; the outcome to play their respective roles”
depends on the people.” - Unmesh Kulkarni, Honeywell
- Alexander Grünsteidl, Global Logic & Method
knowledge of design thinking

Change, by Design _ Design as a commodity
2. Design craft and 3. Leading with people first

design strategy need To create a significant impact, deep customer IDEO, one of the world’s leading design
to work together empathy is a must. It is at the heart of the design
thinking process. In today’s world of limitless
consultancies, and The Hasso Plattner
Institute of Design, also known as the
choice, a product that answers the needs of its d.school at Stanford University, both founded
Design craft and design strategy cannot succeed consumers better than the competition will be the by David Kelly, have made popular and
as separate units, existing by themselves. They one that rises above the noise. Always keeping the socialized at scale, the idea of Human
need to work in tandem to bring to the world the user at the core of the offer, is key to Centred Design. The Human Centred Design
most desirable product/solution the customer will business success. approach is a people first approach to
be delighted by and one that is viable enough for design, where designers and researchers
the business to love too. leverage empathy as a key tool to bring
Using both these lenses simultaneously creates a According to Deepak Menon at Microsoft, the human at the heart and center of every
significant impact, where the outcome of strategy there was a time when people would work design solution, for it to truly succeed with
and craft is a unique, memorable, and profitable with a particular technology because it was the greatest chance for adoption
experience delivered. the only option available then, there wasn’t and engagement.
much choice. Today, however, the world of
“Good design is about understanding what opportunities means that solutions need to
is essential for customers, and what is vital be uniquely crafted for the user, they need
to fit into the world of the user and not the
for business.” other way around.
- Biju Damodharan, Amazon
“Research-backed identification of user ce

“When we had resistance, we demonstrated des
n
ie
needs, combined with clear thinking and ign
er
it by our work and we proved the value of
exp
good design, will lead to good business. desig
n th
design through our customers”
user
ink
At Google, while developing our products, ing
- Karthick Karnam, Inmobi
we make sure they are simple, address a
core need, and are easy to use. They are
extensively tested to ensure they can work “My most unhappy customer is my best asset”
in varied environments and serve the users - Nitin Sethi, IndiGo Airlines
across multiple scenarios ”
human centered design toolkit
- Mrinal Sharma, Google
“It’s true, focus on the user and all else will
follow. There is a very very strong focus on
crafting the ideal experience in our products.
If it doesn’t align to the capabilities and
motivations of our target users, the product or
business opportunity is of no use.”

Change, by Design
3.Full circle
design Specialised
Designer
T shaped
Designer
Full-stack,
(O shaped)
Designer
Key Observations:
The evolving nature of the industry and businesses 1. The new breed of 2. The designer as
of the 21st century has tranformed the role of the
designer. It has moved on from a single domain designer needs to know a businessman
specialization vertical to more of a ‘T’ shaped role,
which combines domain depth with the ability to a lot more than their Designers today need to make themselves
stretch horizontally beyond their unique fields of
specialization. Today however, the designer needs
predecessors familiar with the business dimensions of solutions
proposed. Today the principles of Human Centred
to move beyond the ‘T’ to becoming more of a Design have provided a new point of access for
full circle designer, connecting the dots between A tool for a The new breed of designers must equip businesses to touch the lives of their customers
sustainable themselves with a more advanced skill-set than
various aspects of solution design, across multiple and to empathise with their needs. In the process,
future
areas of expertise, to deliver something their predecessors.Today’s designers need to the art of business has come much closer to
truly remarkable. be full stack/ circular designers with a deep area design than it ever was, and in turn, the designer
specialization in their craft and yet have the is now expected to have a sharper understanding
singular ability to drive projects from the start to of the nuances of business than ever before.
end. They should demonstrate a keen knowledge
“New interaction paradigms means we for business and strategy, and move beyond their
need to design differently today” expertise in design.
- Biju Damodharan, Amazon However, as expressed by the design
“All fields are converging - visual, leadership at Amazon India, looking for
such design leaders, who straddle the
interaction, research, industrial design
world of design and the world of business
and it’s now a full-stack designer, the rise with equal ease, is very difficult. There is
Facilitator for internal
of Product Designer, which is beyond the not enough talent pool in this area, there is
and external innovation T shaped designer.” a problem of availability of the right people
for companies - Sameer Chavan, Flipkart for this job.
“Personalities of designers have changed.

They understand complex problems and
Stages of Design demonstrate a high level of confidence”
Research driven
Maturity - Unmesh Kulkarni, Honeywell
features/
services for
business value
Visual
aesthetics

Change, by Design _ Full circle design Photo by Strate School of Design, Bangalore
3. The rise of design as From a handful in 2010, the number of design

a profession institutions has grown to over 70 by 2016.
Given the positive demographics, rising
educational aspirations, openness to pursuing
Traditionally in India, creative fields such as
alternate careers, employment opportunities
design have seldom been looked upon as
and increased affordability of higher
reliable career options, and have certainly
education, the number of design aspirants
not been the go-to career choice for parents,
is increasing every year. The number of
looking out for their children. This perception of
designers required by 2020 in industrial,
the field is however, changing. Designers now
graphic, communication, packaging and other
have titles that sound and look more serious,
design domains will be 62,000, provided the Based on the responses received in the
and more chalked out career paths than ever
design potential is fully realized. Currently NASSCOM Design4India Survey.
before. This has encouraged parents to look
there are approximately 7,000 qualified First exposure to Design
at design as a serious career option for their
designers in the country and approximately
children as it is a valid domain to build a career
5,000 students in design education.
as a professional.
39% Design School
“Parents now look at design as a good way

for their kids to be financially successful.”
According to a report published by the British
Council and the India Design Council in 2016, - Mandar Kale,
Strate School of Design, Bangalore
titled – The Future of Design Education in
India 6:
Design in India has matured over the years
and is booming. By 2020, the potential “I’ve had colleagues enquire about design
market for design in India is expected to be schools and consider design as an option 25% Self taught through books / online courses
INR 188.32 billion (GBP 1.43 billion). Only a for their children, after looking at the work
fifth of the design market is currently tapped. we do”
- Sudhindra V, IBM
3% Art/ craft practitioners transitioned to design
17% Design Thinking workshops
6% Course at B-school
10% Upskilling or training at workplace
6 The Future of Design Education in India, British

Council and India Design Council, 2016
36 India,
India, by
by Design
Practices -- 2019
2019 37
Change, by Design
User Centricity
We Recommend Prioritize problems based

on user research.
Understand first-hand experience of your users to derive strong
People and Culture and meaningful insights, support that with secondary research
and relevant market surveys. When in a dilemma, always bring the
users’ motivations and stressors to priority. The rest will follow.
Refer to Nitin Sethi’s case-study on how the IndiGo team
Build a design team. Make it flat. empathizes with their customers on page 26.
Keep it versatile.
Talking about organizational structures, the idea of building flat Validate the assumptions about
teams for innovation have been in the limelight since 1996 with
companies like Valve being one of the pioneers. See Valve’s your users as early as possible.
Handbook for new employees, don’t miss to see their definition of Assumptions about your users like their know-how about your
a “Manager” in the glossary section). product/service, flows they might prefer, the time they would take
In the context of hiring and building design teams, the trend is to for interactions should be validated early on.
have designers who have skills beyond design. Look for people See this to get a glimpse at what mobile UX testing team of
who go beyond their deep design expertise, who can understand Facebook have to share on some simple and effective methods
the business side of things better, bridge the gaps between design that anybody irrespective of their background in design can do it.
and technology teams.
Follow through design Integrate seamless personalization

thinking with design doing. along with a consistent experience.
Go beyond just attending and organizing ‘Design Thinking’ Netflix is leading the way in demonstrating how seamless
workshops for you and your team. Make ‘Design Thinking’ an personalization through tactful recommendations has made its
integral part of your practice. audiences binge watch, for hours. The algorithms feed what goes
into a custom landing page based on the multiple preference
Step1: Educate and Sensitize. Use design thinking as a tool to groups that a user fits into. Click here to read more.
increase buy-in for ‘designed’ systems across departments.
Step2: Create a space and time for frequent collaboration and Leverage the channels convenient
sharing. Bring together multidisciplinary teams with defined roles.
Make this a part of your organization’s culture. for users to stand out in the noise.
Step 3: Facilitate focussed work through these collaborations Bloomberg Quint in India sends specific articles based on
towards specific outcomes. Click here to know more about the messages sent by users through WhatsApp chatbot integration.
Sprint methodology by Google Ventures (www.gv.com/sprint) This initiative has claimed to earn 3.5 lakh subscriptions in a span
of 8 months. Click here to read more.
BookMyShow and MakeMyTrip use WhatsApp, a medium shared
by 400 million customers in India, making it convenient for users
to access booking details without taking extra effort to reach their
respective platforms.
38 India,
India, by
by Design
Practices -- 2019
2019 39
Business, Desirability
by Design
Viability
Feasibility
The rise of the Chief Design Officer at the leadership table signals Around 2005, the design firm IDEO formalized a new discipline
the importance of the role of design in business today. Designers called ‘Business Design’. There were a few dozen Business
are great at empathising with the needs of the consumer, Designers across the company. Their role was to balance the needs
leveraging the design process to uncover those hidden needs of users with the needs of the clients. In IDEO’s Venn diagram,
that when served well, can become a key competitive advantage innovative solutions hit the sweet spot where viability, desirability,
for the organisation. The need of the hour is for design to bring and feasibility overlap. Business designers, to put it simply, had to
together the worlds of the best user experience with a sustainable design for viability, ensuring that the most desirable solutions were
business model. feasible as well.

1. RoI to RoX (return on experience)
2. Design as a culture
3. Design moves beyond a ‘good to have’

Business, by Design
1.RoI to RoX
(Return on Experience)
RoE beyond RoX
When asked about the Impact of design in the
“Return on Investment?” has been one of
context of “Return on Experience”, the top three
the most challenging questions to answer
areas that got the highest votes were:
for most designers across various levels and
1. Better quality of products/ services
industries, and continues to be so. However,
2. Customer satisfaction/ loyalty/ recall
a new perception has begun to take seed;
3. Effective collaboration between teams
organisations are beginning to look beyond the
traditional RoI lens to a much broader one that Interestingly, these areas overtook “Increasing revenue”
has begun to recognise a Return on Experience (Return on Investment) as an area of direct impact. high medium low
(RoX) as a key contributor to revenue generation
and valuable customer connect.
Better quality of products/ services 86 14
“There is always a competition between Consumer satisfaction/ loyalty/ recall 64 30 5

revenue and experience - at times
experience gets affected due to revenue.” According to a recent article published on
Forbes.com, Return on Experience is the New Effective collaboration between teams 56 36 8
- Gaurav Mathur, Myntra
RoX 7.
With the growing customer expectations,
the new “Return on Investment” is now Adaptability 21 58 21
“Return on Experience.” With improvements
in technologies, it is now simple to see and
improve the value of customer interactions. Scalability 29 55 17
Return on Experience means having the
right customer experience management
strategy, it’s possible for companies to not only Reduced time to market 32 50 18
orchestrate and personalize the entire end-to-
end customer experience, but to do it moment
to moment, at scale, on any channel, and in
real-time. It means that companies need to Increase in revenue 41 21 38
concentrate more on what they are putting into
their content than their ads themselves.
Reducing cost 23 24 53
0% 25% 50% 75 % 100%

Based on the responses received in the NASSCOM Design4India Survey.
7 Health Care Providers Can Use Design Thinking to Improve
Patient Experiences, Harvard Business Review, 2017

Business, by Design _ RoI to RoX
Key Observations:
1. Better experience is 2. Keeping it simple in 3. Data Powered Design

better business a complex world
A recent Harvard Business Review publication Along with business supporting design and vice
on the subject of the use of design thinking versa, the other key element supporting design
Today, we find ourselves in an age of experience. Increasingly, design and design thinking is now
in the realm of patient experience8, mentions is data. Business value acceleration is driven by
great technology is not enough to sell. People being used to solve a lot more complex problems
that this process has been one of the most data. The pairing of a data scientist and a design
are not looking for commodities or generic than a decade ago. Whether it is about designing
promising approaches for understanding researcher is a powerful combination, enabling
undifferentiated goods. They are looking for better patient experiences, better healthcare and
patients’ experiences in recent times. It calls an organisation to uncover unique unmet needs
unique experiences, while at the same time in education systems or better follow through on
for a creative, human-centered problem- to design for, and capture disproportionate value
sync with their way of being, experiences that highly rigorous industrial processes, design has to
solving approach that leverages empathy, from. Data powered design is the new path to
delight. We are in an age where every product work a lot harder today to bringing simplicity to a
collective idea generation, rapid prototyping, deep customer connect and significant business
and service provider is constantly trying to better highly complex world of interconnected parts.
and continuous testing to tackle complex success. Equally valuable to the traditional
the experience it provides. More often than not,
challenges. Unlike traditional approaches business player, as it is to the world of startups and
these experiences go beyond the initial sale.
to problem solving, design thinkers take entrepreneurs in a new economy.
Be it food delivery, commute or online shopping
experience, treating customers well, taking care great efforts to understand patients and their
of their comfort and allowing them to be human. Arun Vinayak, at Ather Energy, says experiences before coming up with solutions.
These are some of the little things that make that Our biggest strategic risk is if we don’t This thorough understanding of patients is
In conversation with Gaurav Mathur
customers love a brand and sets the foundation learn to use design to help us evolve faster… what guides the rest of the process. And
from Myntra, he told us how their
for long term customer loyalty. Design is our moat. Design is our business because design thinking involves continuously
organisation and planning was highly
advantage. How quickly can you design testing and refining ideas, feedback is sought
technology and data driven, “We
would answer how quickly can you stay early and often, especially from patients.
“Customer experience is everything now. understand what is selling and we
It’s about what customers can achieve with ahead of others?!. understand why? We stock accordingly,
your brand, not just buy from the brand.” set trends accordingly, understand
finances, etc. through various tools
- Antony Parham, Fitch
that integrate.”
In our conversation with

“Even in the early stages of product
Arun Vinayak, at Ather Energy,
“Clean ownership experience” is one conceptualization our storytelling decks
of their core philosophies. They look at are data and user insights-driven. The
the overall ownership experience in six story provides an illustration of insights
phases : Buying, Riding, Parking, Charging, relating to our target users, their
Service, and After life. The teams at Ather behaviors and key use-cases. This pitch
are set up to own and deliver on each of acts as the central articulation of the
these experiences. The success of the opportunity for all stakeholders and the
monetization model is heavily dependent leadership.”
on the quality of execution and delivery
across each of these phases.

Business, by Design
2.Design as
a culture
55%
Key Observations:
For the practice of design to truly succeed, it
needs to create and be nourished by a culture In our conversation with Peyush 1. Design success is
of empathy, inclusion, trust and the freedom
to experiment and iterate to create the new.
Agarwal, at Designit, Bangalore. leadership led
He spoke about the four key questions to
A design culture is about bringing human be answered as you form a design team:
centeredness and creative confidence to the Design practices are new additions to
heart of the business practice. 1. How do you become a recognised traditional organisations and startups today.
brand that people want to work for? Getting the right lead design practitioners to set
up a team that drives the same values is key to of the respondents voted “design doing
2. How do you develop a culture and a successful design team within and practising their craft” as the most
“When you hire peoplein an organisation, values that are beneficial to the people an organisation. impactful leadership quality for a design
how do you develop culture? Because and the organisation ? “Creative leadership is gardening, not leader. 84% of the respondents felt that
without culture you are nothing. You are architecture.” - Michael Hendrix, IDEO leadership quality of being “famous
3. How do you develop capabilities
just people who showed up.” In a world where everyone is a proclaimed personality” doesn’t matter much.
within the team to know more and be a
designer, it’s essential to look out for the ones
- Peyush Agarwal, Designit stronger team? practising their craft for over a decade. The flow
4. How do you build business? of the practice seeps in from top down, so look
“In our organization we embrace a culture out for leaders that are practitioners of their
of growth mindset which means a love of craft, when setting up a team. Based on the responses received in
learning from our customers as well as the NASSCOM Design4India Survey.
our colleagues” “To evangelise design we need people Design doing and
practicing their craft
55 59 40 4
- Deepak Menon, Microsoft who are design leaders... the ones
Culture is directly proportional to the quality of who have demonstrated good craft, Building the right culture and
work delivered. People and workplace dynamics those who are good at Doing than collaboration within the team
5457 43 3
“We have flat structures and an open play a role in defining the history, values and
just Talking”
culture at Google. Innovation comes vision that are translated into the way people - Sameer Chavan, Flipkart Good understanding of
think and act. These pillars define the quality 49 49 1
from everywhere and we need to foster business and market
an environment that facilitates this. At and type of work a creative pod generates. If
you don’t get this collaboration right, then the
the heart of driving meaningful product Mentoring and
36 57 7
growth of the team can be at stake. Design guiding
strategy is a culture of mutual respect and
culture is deep rooted in transparency, sharing,
listening to all points of view.” empathy and ownership. Famous personality 84
high medium low

Business, by Design _ Design as a culture
2. Design vs. Businesses 3. Design drives a 4. Talented team is a

Many companies struggle to find designers.
culture of Empathy force multiplier
They believe that there are not many designers
in the industry today who are looking for a job Designing for people is the primary function of A diverse and talented team from a multi- “Everyone comes up with ideas in the team
in a typical corporate. A large part of the design design. Empathy sits at the heart of the design disciplinary background ensures a mix of different and not just the designers. Some of the best
community, in turn believes that traditional and design thinking process. Only by putting experiences and thought processes to create truly product ideas have come from my engineers.
companies are not interested in hiring designers. oneself in the shoes of the other can one truly get unique and differentiated experiences. A good Our product design is a very collaborative
This conflict of belief emerges from two main a sense of what the needs and challenges of the mix of talented designers and creative business and iterative process where everyone in
factors i.e. businesses trying to find designers other are. An empathy led approach is important strategists, working together, is a must have team
UX-PM-ENG-BUS is involved. Our engineers
that ‘fit’ into their world, and designers not not only in the design of products or services, structure to drive the mandate of design through
even moderate and attend in-home
seeing certain companies as potential design but also in the creation of winning employee an organisation and create maximum impact for
experience within an organisation. It is a key its business. interviews with UX folks”
centric entities. Better engagement between the
ingredient for both – the external and the internal - Mrinal Sharma, Google
two would lead to a far more complementary
relationship for both. world of a business or an organisation.
In our conversation with Unmesh Kulkarni,
at Honeywell User Experience (HUE),
Bangalore, He spoke about the key needs of
Karthick Karnam from InMobi says,
“With the culture of growth mindset, we young designers:
“Looking at the other end of the story, we
have embraced empathy for our customers
need to have an understanding of what the 1. Giving them the independence to build
designers wanting to join us expect. From and our colleagues” and demonstrate.
their point of view, there is a lot of buzz
around design impact in customer facing 2. The right ‘studio set-up’ with space for
product companies, whereas enterprise displaying and communicating their work.
companies are often associated with 3. To make them present and lead
“boring” work. However, this perception conversations with important stakeholders
has to change and people should see the
impact of companies like Slack, Dropbox 4. Constant sharing of work and inspiration
and Asana.” from around the world.
Helps them build confidence, have clearer
opinions and feel comfortable, transparent,
“Most product companies in India deeply empathetic and be highly efficient within their
care and value the impact that design teams.
can create on their overall business. The
challenge lies in hiring the right set of
designers. While the design talent in India is
constantly growing, there is a lack of hands- “You can’t create a process and then
attach people to it, it has to be the
on-designers at senior positions.”
other way around”
- Gaurav Mathur, Myntra
- Peyush Agarwal, Designit

Business, by Design _ Design as a culture
5. Win, Fail, Learn 6. Designers need to

“When everything goes right you’ve done tell stories
something wrong” - Designit
Communication is a core strength for a designer
If empathy is the heart of the design engine, to create a buy in for her/his vision and proposals.
rapid iteration is its fuel. Design is experimental Identifying a problem and providing an optimal
in nature, just like business. Driven by trends, solution is the essence of design, something that
intuition and logic, it is an informed leap of faith to a designer needs to be good at, but creating
create something new. To design is to innovate. conviction for the same is a key strength too.
Trying and failing is an intrinsic part of the design A good designer needs to be able to make
process. Failing is important, and failures need to people feel the passion and the emotion in the
be seen not as isolated moments in themselves, creation, get them to love it as much as they
but in the larger context of failing fast to succeed do themselves. Great design needs a great
sooner, stronger and better. Designing is about storyteller, without this the true value of a design
building, testing and learning, a constant cycle of may not be seen and felt to the extent that
refinement that carries the solution forward to a it should.
state of design excellence.
“The role of the designer is not just to get
“To build a culture of experimentation, Start the details right but a lot more. We help the
with the bad ideas” - IDEO team visualize the opportunities way early in
the process at the same time also influence
“In design success and failure is not a lead stakeholders by presenting the product
stories end-to-end. We partner with research
binary thing, but a spectrum.”
and product managers to help establish core
- Sudhindra.V, IBM
principles and a well-aligned product strategy
always keeping the users’ interests first.”
“If we are 100% successful then we are - Mrinal Sharma, Google
not trying hard enough – we have to do 99
things to have the 100th one work.”
Storyboards as a medium
to communicate user/ “Storytelling is key to communicate insights, problems or
product journey. stakeholder journeys. When designers visualize these stories, it
“Failure has a very different definition at
creates an inspiring and ameaningful backdrop for co-creation.”
Google. We are happy to try 10 things and
- Unmesh Kulkarni, Honeywell
of those, eventually launch only 2. There’s
greater weightage on building thoughtfully,
and with a clear sense of its relevance for
the user.”
Photo by You X Ventures on Unsplash
50 India,
India, by
by Design
Practices -- 2019
2019 51
Business, by Design
Business Design
3.Design Business
+
Design
moves beyond
a ‘good to have’ Key Observations:
1. Design process as a 2. Quality design is

business process quality business
Design thinking has proven to be relevant and As design gets increasingly digital, the
applicable to many diverse businesses today. It is magnitude of its business success has
Design today is seen as a significant strategic “Good design is good business” not only widening the scope of services but also proven to be directly proportional to the
muscle. While in the past the word design was weighing in on key business decisions. Today, most quality of design delivered. A well designed
seen as an embellishment, a non-essential nice - Deepak Menon, Microsoft
companies see the design thinking process as a solution is an experience that delights, and
to have. Today it is the secret sauce that makes ‘must have’. an engaging one – one that keeps the user
the dish. It has become an integral part of the coming back to it again and again. It delivers
value creation and value delivery journey. The a consistent brand experience across all its
quality of design delivered has a direct and Nitin Sethi at Indigo Airlines mentions touchpoints, digital and physical like Apple
proportional impact on revenues earned. Evidence shows that using design improves that they use the design thinking process and Airbnb have done with their products
business performance. Businesses that to not only uncover the unmet needs of its and services.
undervalue the importance of design may be customers across a variety of touchpoints
“With Wipro + Designit, we can now go missing vital opportunities.8 to create better traction, but for an optimal
to the client and say we can now do it follow through on their offline functions too, “Designers are closest to the customers
end-to-end... that gives it more power Design can bring a range of commercial like getting planes ready between journeys. and they have the power to impact
and meaning” benefits if used systematically across your the entire organization with their
- Peyush Aggarwal, Designit business. These benefits include: knowledge”
- increased sales of your products or services “One of the biggest success for me, is the
improved market position relative to your
internal transformation through design” “We have an eye for detail as designers,
competitors
- Sudhindra.V, IBM 3 pixels here or there on a screen are
- greater customer loyalty and fewer customer
complaints noticeable”
- a stronger identity for your business - Archana Prasad, Jaaga
the ability to create new products and
services and open up new markets
- reduced time to market for new products
and services
8 www.infoentrepreneurs.org

Business, by Design _ Design moves beyond a ‘good to have’
Business Design
3. Design needs business Business
as much as business +
Design
When asked about the key areas of investment for a
design practice, the following emerged as the top 3:
needs design
Though design has begun to integrate more
deeply into the world of business today, and the
world of business has become more aware and
39%
accepting of the strategic role design can play in
33%
creating value. The two entities still need to come
closer together, and current market forces will
make it inevitable for either,not to do so.
Building an in-house
13%
Ever since the d.school at Stanford began the Upskilling and Reskilling Subscriptions for
practice of integrating design thinking into the design team CX/UX/ Design tools
existing talent
curricula of business students, the past decade and platform
has seen this movement spread across the globe
to prominent business schools the world over.
As a result the world of design and the world of
business have come closer than they ever were,
and the immediate future will bring them
even closer.
Our respondents prioritise design-ops

“Companies like ours have a huge
expenditure as follows: high medium low
responsibility. If we do good design, others
will do good design” Digital software 78 18 2
78%
- Sudhindra V, IBM
Stationery 40 41 16
“Design is highly valued at Myntra. Not just

Digital hardware 30 54 13
the leadership team but every employee
‘thinks design’ in their day-to-day work.” of the respondents voted
Material & tools 19 37 32
- Gaurav Mathur, Myntra ‘Softwares and digital tools’
having the highest priority in
the budget allocation among Workspace 30 21 43
other things.
Documentation
35 46
tools
Based on the responses received in the NASSCOM Design4India Survey.

Business, by Design
We Recommend
Create your own methods to assess Embed the culture of ‘Design’.
Return on Experience.
There are multiple ways of measuring impact design is bringing to Collaborate through empathy
business, depending on the nature of business and the integration Recognize and acknowledge the uniqueness of each individual,
of design. This post on Invision illustrates how a combination right from the junior-most member to the top leadership at the
of quantitative (A/B testing, data analytics,etc.) and qualitative organisation.
methods (customer reviews, customer support emails, one-on-one
Imbibe the culture of caring beyond work, sharing your learnings,
interviews) can help you assess the impact of good experience.
embracing ambiguity and having a beginner’s attitude.
To evaluate the effects of RoE on RoX, have a look at this study
by Forrester, commissioned by Adobe. They also created this To form a strong foundation for an honest and creative team,
interactive tool based on the study. let people make mistakes, learn and express without fear, feel
psychologically safe at the same time. Want to know how Google
and IDEO foster creativity by ensuring psychological safety?
Deconstruct ‘delightful customer experience’
Communicate through story-telling
into actionable KPIs across the organisation. Explain your concepts in a language and medium that a
Delivering delightful experiences should be a shared priority multidisciplinary audience can understand. Refrain from using
across departments. From your service design blueprint, map out jargons.Try analogies that they can relate to. Make your junior/
KPIs that would enable everyone (even outside the design team) senior, designer/developer or any relevant audience, a part of your
to contribute and realise the value of their contribution towards story. See this video from Wired on how Talia Gershon from IBM
consistent customer experience. Research explains Quantum Computing to different listeners, from
- Use the journey map as a guide and enable your teams to take a 5th grader to a professional.
complete ownership of ensuring delight across the journey.
Experiment without constraints
- Help employees in your organisation to establish a connect
between how their work results in delivering consistent customer Joe Gebbia, co-founder, Airbnb shares his insight on the culture of
experience resulting in positive business impact. Have a look at experimentation in an article published by First Round Capital, a VC
how Ather develops this connect pivoted on “Clean Ownership firm.“If we have an idea for something, we now kind of build it into
Experience” on Page 44. the culture of this idea - that it is okay to do something that doesn’t
scale. You go be a pirate, venture into the world and get a little test
nugget, and come back and tell us the story that you found.”
Bridge the gap between design
and business.
While teaching design to a business audience is a known trend,
teach business to design teams at the same scale. Have a look at
the initiatives of Microsoft to bridge this gap.
56 India,
India, by
by Design
Practices -- 2019
2019 57
Local, Sc
ale
Gl ob
a l
by Design

al
Design Loc
India is many worlds in one. It is possibly the only country in the

world which has such a high degree of diversity cutting across
multiple lines and levels – economic, behavioural, regional, In our conversation with Kishore “One needs a deep understanding of
language, religion, gender and more. Designing for India, therefore, Thota and Biju Damodharan, at India to truly understand the needs of the
Amazon India, we learnt about how customer here, for India is not made of
means – designing for inclusion. It means bringing the best of
they created locally and scaled globally one single customer set”
global to the local. Interestingly, designing for local needs and
users has produced solutions that have proven to be relevant and with success. Amazon India designed - Kishore Thota, Amazon India
and built a ‘Lite’ app for Indian users
easily scalable to other parts of the world, outside of India too.
in tier 2 and 3 cities. This app is today
The key emerging trends are: being used in Brazil and Mexico as
1. Design for one, build for many well. Amazon found that the needs and
2. Design for Inclusion challenges of the users were similar to
3. The best time for design in India those in India.

Local, by Design
1.Design for
one, build
for many Key Observations:
1. Design for India,

design for the world
India, because of its sheer scale and appetite 2. The focus was to empower users with
for new technology, acts as a testing bed for confidence while satisfying the key use-cases.
Culturally, Indian users share products and solutions that can be replicated globally in other For example, we found people being scared of
services with their family and friends. So very developing as well as developed economies. using payment apps as they had a fear of losing
often, a design that might be intended for Shared access to a phone is common in India. Most of the challenges faced here are related money if anything went wrong.
a single type of user, may be used by many Often, there are fewer smartphones than to limited access to resources. Many companies
eventually. Parents and children often use have experienced that solving for these 3. Brands that help with daily life and maintain a
people in the household, and family members
the same device to communicate, shop and challenges here, provides them with a solution seamless experience, win user loyalty.
share the device at some points in the day.
entertain themselves. This presents a unique Further, due to cultural differences in the that can be leveraged in other parts of the world
challenge. Designers must design personal as well. Offline features in YouTube Go and Google
notion of privacy, it is acceptable to borrow a
experiences, and yet at the same time, one that Maps are other such examples which were
friend or relative’s phone to browse through
caters to the needs of many. In conversation with Mrinal Sharma from first designed for India and then scaled across
the picture gallery or to make a call. In these
Google, he mentioned that Google Pay (Tez) was the world “In India, Internet connectivity is
situations it becomes important to have a
developed first for the new Internet users in India often intermittent, and it’s quality wavers while
privacy-control feature that limits access to
“Anything that is happening in the world, and later scaled globally. “It first scaled in India travelling around the city. Due to low connectivity,
sensitive information such as text messages,
and set a high customer experience benchmark consuming pre-downloaded content is often more
a part of it is happening in India.” contacts, or Facebook.9
for a simple yet delightful payments experience in convenient for users. So we designed features
- Sudhindra V, IBM
NBU markets.” keeping that in mind but this also scaled really
well to countries like the USA where these issues
Key factors that played a role while designing didn’t exist.The key use-case here was….Oh, I’m
“If we can crack it in India, we can Google Pay (Tez): taking a flight, I will not have connectivity, and I
crack it anywhere” want to watch a movie or listen to music, so let
1. Payments are not just payments but an
- Sameer Chavan, Flipkart me offline it.”
interaction between two individuals or between
an individual and a merchant. Communication
“As designers, it’s our priority to ensure the
style of the interface and the threaded
experience of the product is right. If it does not
conversation made transactions very easy to find
resonate with the users or drives adoption it does
- when a user last paid someone or what amount
not meet the objective.”
the payment to the merchant was. We wanted
to reflect both that personalisation and comfort
with conversational interfaces in (Google Pay)’s
9 NN Group - mobile behavior India user experience.
Local, by Design
2.Design
for Inclusion
Key Observations:
1. Design for Trust,

‘Design for inclusion’ is the movement of the
moment in the design world. It refers to the
According to Arun Vinayak at Ather
Energy, design can help localise global trends
Desirability and According to Deepak Menon at Microsoft,
practice of deeply personalising for one, with the
flexibility of design, to scale to many. Designing for
and frameworks. He says, all frameworks
are culture sensitive and cannot be dragged
Convenience. trust will play a significant role in the practice of
design in the next few years. Trust will become
inclusion in the context of India means, designing extremely important in the space where digital
and dropped from one place to the other.
with an acute awareness of barriers of language, “Trust is earned, not machine learned”
For example, DFSS (Design for Six Sigma) a and design converge. And design will be
poverty, culture and trust, to create meaningful - IDEO
Japanese framework cannot be dragged and invaluable in building the language of trust.
experiences for distinctive needs. To design for India, a few key considerations
dropped into an Indian start-up as it is.
need to be kept in mind: Is the design
trustworthy? Is it desirable? Is it helpful?
“International brands localise, local brands Will it be engaging?
hyper-localise.” The answers to these questions are the
challenges and opportunities that help “It takes time to deepen your intuition of
- Antony Parham, Fitch
designers push beyond the obvious to Indian users. We are bilingual by default,
deliver solutions that truly matter to this have diverse socio-cultural-spiritual norms
While Indian consumers may have leapfrogged diverse audience. with varied levels of digital confidence
technologies to become one of the fastest- and literacy. Also, the ecosystem in India
growing user bases for internet usage and is changing so quickly with data becoming
adoption of smartphones, they still prefer their cheap, local startups rising, payments
digital experiences to take into account their “India is more dynamic and exciting than going digital, ride sharing and online video
local context, traditions and customs. any place in the world... frankly!” consumption growing day by day. You can’t
- Peyush Agarwal, Designit just take a single trip to India and understand
the motivations and expectations of Indians
“Most geographies like India used to be completely.”
excluded. In the last 10 years we have “The world is at a low threshold of delight,
become leaders in tech inclusion. We have Indians are happy with small changes”
recognised the exclusion, learnt from and - Sudhindra.V, IBM
applied globally.”

Local, by Design _ Design for Inclusion
2. Designing for the 3. Designing for Indian

Indian Sub Conscious Colloquialisms
When designing a technological interface, it is To cater to the digitally empowered masses in
essential to understand users’ cultural coding and India, technology and AI must become more
conditioning. People from two different cultures suited to Indian dialects and language.
might likely interact and engage with the same
interface differently, owing to biases. The task ahead is to borrow learnings from
Indian linguistic systems to create local language
It is therefore critical for designers in India to operating systems that not only understand what
understand the Indian cultural sub-conscious and consumers are saying but also what they mean.
the rules of engagement that it indicates when
designing for the technology of tomorrow. Thus, hyper-localizing the language that
technology speaks to ensure that consumers
There are some usage patterns/pathways/ enjoy increased utility rather than just access.
algorithms that might bias users against the
interface itself.
“The majority of the population use one of
“While we look at that, it is imperative India’s 22 main languages. The population
that we also look at HMI (Human Machine is untouched by technology and its
Interface) or how would humans connect manifestations in English; Alexa and Siri
to these machines and as a result a design would have a hard time here.”
or design thinking element is necessary to - Jagdish Mirta, Tech Mahindra
understand whether algorithms produce
bias for human beings”
- Jagdish Mirta, Tech Mahindra
“India presents a crucible with unique

constraints and opportunities which are a
great testing ground for new products, and
eventually provides a great springboard
to launch globally. A host of products such
as Google Pay (Tez), Google Go, Files Go
etc. have gone through a similar design
process.”
-Mrinal Sharma, Google
Mismatch, by Kat Holmes

www.mismatch.design
64 India,
India, by
by Design
Practices -- 2019
2019 65
Local, by Design
3.A time
for Design
Current challenges faced by design practices in India
With the boom in the tech, digital products “I want others to copy us - we should set
and services, and an exponentially expanding
consumer base, the demand for better designed the trend of design in India”
products is on the rise in India. The need for - Sameer Chavan, Flipkart
designers is growing in every field of the industry
02 04
01 Design
today. Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality
“Design is enjoying a resurgence globally
(VR) are poised to enter the mainstream, as are
Blockchain, the next generation of Chatbots and and specially in India, this is the best time Awareness & Demonstrating 03 Global Design education
exposure & integrated from
Voice Assistants driven by voice-enabled AI. All for designers to create an impact” Upskilling within good quality primary to higher
design work collaborations
of these technologies will be differentiated by the - Peyush Agarwal, Designit non-design fields education
experience they deliver. This is the best time for
design in India, a time when design can create
impact at scale.
05
Hiring & creating 06 07 08
an enviornment Government New Technology
Contextual
for design support with integration &
design for India laws & policies upskilling
specialist
Based on the responses received in

the NASSCOM Design4India Survey.

Local, by Design
We Recommend
Build an “Inclusion” strategy in the Solve for India, scale globally
broadest possible sense. Designing for India means creating for multiple user types in one
group. So while designing for India, keep in mind a universal
India is moving towards designing for ergonomics, disabilities and
design approach that solves for the extreme users too. Developing
diversity. Organisations are adopting Inclusive Design at scale.
these solutions can also fulfil similar global needs elsewhere. As an
While designing, certain biases can crop up and create blind
example, see how Google did this with Tez.
spots that result in the complete or partial exclusion of a broad
category of people - an ignored set of potential users. Here’s
a checklist to avoid these biases and help you build a robust
inclusion strategy:
Gender : Is your product/service designed for gender diversity?

Literacy & Education : Can people with low literacy still use
your product/service with ease?
Language : Is your product/service restricted to a category of
people with certain specific language skills?
Cultural Factors : Are there any assumptions being made while
designing the product/service that limits its use to a particular
segment of society/category of people?
Geographical and situational factors : Can people from all
geographies seamlessly use your product/service?
Tech literacy : Is your product/service equally usable to all
spectrums of users ranging from the tech-savvy to tech-
challenged?
However, this list is not intended to be exhaustive but a good
starting point of key considerations while designing for inclusion.
To dig deeper, click here for Microsoft’s toolkits and cards on
inclusive design.
68 India,
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by Design
Practices -- 2019
2019 69
Future,
by Design
“To design a better future, embrace the uncomfortable. So much The diversity of India and the evolving needs of its people means
of being a designer is being willing to embrace the uncomfortable. that design has a significant role to play here. That journey
We create new products, experiences and systems for people has only just begun. We need to design today for the needs
whose needs are different than ours—sometimes really different.” of tomorrow. As mobility increases, the Internet of Things (IoT)
- IDEO gathers momentum, and hyper-localization becomes the norm,
the demand on the designer to design with an eye on the future is
going to be a key skill to have.
1. Designing for tomorrow
2. Design democracy
3. Transformation by design

Future, by Design
1.Designing
for tomorrow
Key Observation:
“What matters tomorrow, In our conversation with Arun Vinayak at

1. Design for the new Apart from vocal and text conversations,
Generation Z children in cities such as Delhi,
is designed today” - Designit Ather Energy, we learnt that user research
has its limitations, even though it is disrupting
tech native Bengaluru and Mumbai (together constituting
45 per cent of such children) access the
To design for the future, designers today must a heavily competitive space and creating a For the incoming new generation, digital is
internet via their phones or smartphones to
have a keen pulse on technology developments, unique user experience. This limitation arises the norm. This is a generation that is living
update status on Facebook, tweet and stream
directions and trends, and an intuition for what’s in scenarios when the constraints of currently with a profound affinity for technology and
videos. On an average, they spend about 40
next. This will be a critical strength for any existing products and technologies influence instant access to a connected world of limitless
minutes every day on these activities, say the
business to lead by design. user needs and beliefs. information. We stand today on the brink of a 11
findings.
While developing their electric scooter, technological revolution that is changing the
the teams at Ather Energy, had to rethink the way we live, work and interact with one another.
functioning and processes of the present-day People have begun to refer to this period as the
“You can’t adapt to change just because automotive industry. Fourth Industrial Revolution.As we look around
everything is changing, but understanding “We tried user research, but people cannot us, its scale, scope, and complexity, is unlike Designed to appeal to the millennial and Gen
why it is happening and to evolve with it is envision how they would react to something anything humankind has experienced before. Z learners, the new breed of learning solutions,
important.” that’s not even out in the market. During our Design will need to play a critical role in retaining products and services facilitate hands-on skills
interviews, they said that they expected a the human in this world of the future. and simplify complex concepts like robotics,
- Thomas Dal, Strate School of Design
scooter to have a range of 40 kms in a single coding and prototyping.
charge. These expectations were based on
“Our approach has always been to first the range and performance of existing electric “As the millennials grow up, it’s important to
build products and offerings that have bikes in the market. But, we are coming up readjust our lens on youth and turn to the “Teaching Gen Z is all about being more
with 75 kms and meeting their expectations.” youthful generation that follows : Gen-Z. Aged
deep relevance and value to our users, joyful and engaging. Play and learn is the
Today, the bike has created a community between 16-24 today, they are predicted to
collaborators and the ecosystem at large. that stands for the brand due to its overall only way to reach them.”
overtake the millennials in strength by the end
Only once this basic principle is in place clean ownership experience. “Any product/ - Thomas Dal, Strate School of Design
of 2019.” - Plum Insights, Indian Post Millennial
can meaningful opportunities to monetize service that does not exist in the market yet Generation : A primer 10
naturally emerge.” needs educative design”.
“We want to transform the way India buys

and sells and in turn transform lives”
10 www.plum-insights.com
11 N N Group _ mobile-behavior-india
Photo by Strate School of Design, Bangalore

Future, by Design
2.Design
democracy
Key Observations:
Universal access to the best experiences in the
world, and the ability for the individual to create
1. AI is the new 2. Design schools Business
impact at scale, is ushering in an era of design team member and design leaders
democracy. Good design is now known and felt
by many, and people have begun to understand Many e-commerce and digital product companies, for the future Design
its value to create experiences that stand out, have invested in automating certain repetitive
experiences that stick. design tasks through AI, to reduce risk and Given the needs of the changing times,
maintain brand experience consistency at scale. the need for designers is also on the rise.
This enables companies to keep their designers However, design schools, the incubators for
“We’ve now started helping some focused on doing what they do best – bringing the these young design minds, need to shape
organisations by setting up their design human to the heart of the design. their curricula with an eye to the future. The
designer for the future needs to be armed and
teams here in India, thus helping The future of design
ready to quickly adapt and rapidly deliver to
them scale” “We have created AI tools to make our UI new sets of needs, in a radically different education needs to
- Sudhindra V, IBM focus on design doing
design constant through the website and app.” tech- enabled world.
and business acumen.
- a leading e-commerce company
“We need leaders of their craft, people
“Our scale is an advantage for us. How do
who can manage design and
you set up design practices for success?
Culture of design, innovation in design, business effortlessly.”
design operations, AI for design thinking, - Deepak Menon, Microsoft
etc We’re reimagining our clients world and

bringing it to life”
- Sudhindra V, IBM

Future, by Design
3.Transformation
by design
Key Observation:
Designing for tomorrow through an ever- “Sometimes, when you’re focussed on 1. Design for change
changing present is what all businesses a domain you tend to see a few gaps in
invested in the future need to constinually keep the experience. Designers have a knack The true power of design lies in transforming “As a designer, one always looks at
driving towards. A better and brighter future for of seeing these gaps earlier than others. lives. Design today has the access, support, belief problems around, but does one do anything
the country awaits, when the power of design and tools to play a critical role in designing for about it is the question? We need to build
The design team often researches and
uplifts its people and makes it a better world for some of the key needs of our nation today i.e. communities to solve problems… pick up
validates such hunches. It then proposes
us all to live in. education, healthcare, employment, information
improvements and new features to fill an issue, and do something about it... drive
access, transportation, safety, gender equality,
these gaps.” change by design… take up philanthropy by
alleviating poverty, etc. Active initiatives to solve
- Gaurav Mathur, Myntra doing design... big studios and corporates
for problems in these areas, by using creative
Design Council UK in its Design Economy strategies to design for social impact, will elevate need to create these moments
2018 report 12 on what good design does: the value of design in the country. and platforms”
Good design puts people first. It uses - Unmesh Kulkarni, Honeywell
creativity to solve problems, challenge
thinking and make lives better. Designers
operate across the whole economy. They The government of India in its recognition
shape the built environment, the digital for the value of design as a change agent, “In tech, at most times we look at mundane
world and the products and services put together a design policy to support and things that only make economic sense, we
we use, creating better places, better accelerate the transformation of India by should solve the bigger problems of society
products, better processes and better design. Recognizing the increasing importance
and empower individuals and organizations
performance. of design in economic, industrial and societal
development and in improving the quality of to achieve more.”
products and services, the Government of - Deepak Menon, Microsoft
India adopted the National Design Policy13
in 2007, through broad consultations with
all stakeholders involved. The vision behind
initiating the “National Design Policy” was to “The future of design is headed towards
have a “design enabled Indian industry” which social and environmental impact. People
could impact both the national economy and
the quality of life in a positive manner. A push want to share and give back”
for design to change the country. - Archana Prasad, Jaaga
12 Design Council UK - Design Economy 2018 13 National Design Policy 2007

Future, by Design _ Transformation by design
When respondents were asked, what they 2. Consumers, the

would want to solve for in India, the following
themes emerged in the order of priority. decision makers
of tomorrow
01 Education for
employability The trend of “Sharing” is evolving beyond just
sharing of tangible resources, modes of mobility
and living or working spaces. The emergence of
02 Better standard of blockchain, tamper-proof electronic ledgers and
smart contracts have materialized this concept
living into reality. Mutual trust, peer to peer support
and decentralization are growing more relevant
03 Tech literacy and empowering the users as absolute
decision-makers of tomorrow.
adoption
04 Sustainable living
It’s been called a number of things: The sharing
05 Urban Planning and economy, or “shareconomy.” Peer-to-peer
economy. Collaborative consumption. What all
Infrastructure of these terms have in common is the idea of
decentralization — and blockchain applications,
including bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies,
06 Rural Development are just the latest in a trend toward this new
economic paradigm.14
07 Indian Attitudes and
Culture
08 Governance and
Policy Support
Based on the responses received in the
NASSCOM Design4India Survey.
14 www.forbes.com Photo by Timon Studler on Unsplash
78 India,
India, by
by Design
Practices -- 2019
2019 79
Future, by Design
We Recommend
Retain Humanness. Build Trust. Get to know millennials and Gen Z.
With the dependence on technology getting stronger by the But, don’t fixate.
day, the number of non-human interactions we encounter is also
Although the expectations of what Gen Z want from a customer
increasing. While designing for these new scenarios, building and
experience might be slightly similar to millennials, certain nuances
retaining trust becomes a challenge. Here are some action points
that are to be kept in mind while crafting experiences
to address these challenges:
for them.
Prioritise Transparency : Make users feel more in control as Here’s a great juxtaposition put together by Salesforce.
they interact with the product/service. Enable them to make However, it’s important to keep in mind, that fixating your products/
informed decisions through timely and effective communication. services on just one set of users might make life difficult for others
For instance, if data is collected, have provisions for giving clarity from the general population.
by communicating the reasons, the need for it and the impact
of it on the user. Here’s an article by Designit speaking about
transparency in the context of designing for AI. Plan a sustainable future for your
Maintain consistency in your communication at all levels product/ service/ organization.
Establish Visual Consistency : Maintaining a consistent visual
The key features of circular thinking include modularity in design
language across your channels can help build trust.
to promote re-manufacturability, upgradability, repairability,
reusability, and a shift from ownership of goods to subscription of a
Apply UX principles to your textual content too : Keep the tone
service. Generating waste is considered as a design flaw. Explore
and messaging consistent. Have a conversational tone even for
the The Circular Design Guide : A collaboration between IDEO
the smallest of the interactions like error messages, notifications
and The Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Within that, have a look at
and so on.
this interventions worksheet Their interventions worksheet helps
identify circular opportunities in your product/service/organization.
Disclose the right amount of information : Disclosing too little
information or disclosing too much information can have a
negative impact on establishing trust. This holds true not only for
your products/services but your brand experience as a whole. Actively work on your creative
Have a look at this video where Joe Gebbia from Airbnb explains problem solving instincts.
how they design for the right amount of disclosure.
We notice a lot of everyday problems in and around our lives and
routines. Rather than letting a problem go unaddressed, take up
the initiative to actively work on solving the problem.
There are many inspiring examples of impactful changes across
the globe, brought about by dynamic individuals and their creative
approach to solving complex problems. An inspiring story of
Tom Kelley & John Keefe, can be found in the book “Creative
Confidence” by the Kelley brothers. (Page 106, “The do something
mindset”).
80 India,
India, by
by Design
Practices -- 2019
2019 81
“ Belief in your
creative capacity
lies at the heart of
innovation.” - David Kelley
Creative Confidence:
Unleashing the Creative
Potential Within Us All
Photo by
KidStock,
Getty Images/
Blend Images
82 India,
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by Design
Practices -- 2019
2019 83
India, by Design
Recommendations
Over the past decade, the Government of India has from this policy was the establishment of the To support this vision, NITI Ayog, as a part of its
supported the practice of design and innovation India Design Council (IDC) in 2009. The principal AIM (Atal Innovation Mission) has initiated a plan
to transform the country. In 2007, the Government mandate for this Council was to create awareness called Atal Community Innovation Centre (ACIC).
of India put forth the National Design Policy to and promote the value of design in the public and This plan will launch design and innovation centres
promote design in India through a well-defined and private sector, support the establishment of design across select Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns in India to
managed regulatory, promotional and and best design practises across the country, and encourage students and researchers to ideate and
institutional framework. position India as a top design destination in design solutions.
the world.
As a part of this policy, there was a special focus
on the up-gradation of existing design institutes
and faculty resources to international standards.
In particular, the National Institute of Design (NID) The Council established the
and its new campuses/centres were upgraded India Design Mark in 2012 to
to spread quality education in various streams recognize good design, provide
of design across the country. As a result of this a trustworthy platform of global
initiative, two additional NIDs were established to repute and award design
spread design education. Another key outcome excellence in the country.
At a recent design conference titled ‘The Creative

Spark’, Mr. Amitabh Kant, CEO of NITI Ayog
(National Institution for Transforming India), said
“Design and innovation are the next big thing (for
the country)”. He further highlighted that India,
with top-class entrepreneurship, digital technology
and a vast market, will become a land of design
and innovation, and a storehouse of data. Adding
that the real value lies in design and innovation,
Mr. Kant stressed that there is no reason to
believe why Indians – armed with creative minds
combined with top-class entrepreneurship – could
not lead the world in the coming days.

India, by Design
Recommendations
There is a great foundation and demonstrable intent to grow the practice of design and innovation in India.
Here are some key considerations this report highlights, to maximise the true potential of design in
04 Government
the country:
agencies must incorporate
design at an early stage,
especially when shaping
important policies on sustainability,
climate change, equality, inclusivity,
01 Design education must begin early 03 To fuel the vision of the India Design social justice, biodiversity, urban
in a student’s life, to nourish and ignite Council and position India as a top design sustainability and other such critically
the innovation mindset at a young age. An destination in the world, academic institutions, relevant themes. The Government of India
excellent example of such an initiative is
the Atal Tinkering Lab programme initiated
public and private sector entities must work
together to promote, deliver and socialise the
should appoint a Chief Design Officer,
responsible for driving the mandate of
05 The value of good design needs to be
felt by the population of the country - design
by NITI Ayog as a part of the AIM initiative. best design practices. transformation by design.
should be visceral and all-pervasive. People
The programme aims to embed the value of For example, in 2018, the City of Los Angeles
must feel the difference design makes in their
innovation, technology and entrepreneurship created a position for a Chief Design Officer,
everyday lives. Only then will the practice
amongst children as young as 12 years old and to bring a unified design vision to projects that
of design gain the mandate it deserves. The
catalyse growth. are shaping Los Angeles’ urban landscape.
public and private sectors must work together
The role involved collaborating with city
to make the practice of design tangible, create
02 Design education must be
officials, departments, and architects on a
wide range of public projects, from housing to
a pathway for a better state of being, and a
gateway to a brighter future for the country.
continuously updated to stay relevant to the transit. Apart from Los Angles, other regions
current times. Traditional design education like Helsinki, Finland, Edmonton, Canada
was modelled around the needs of the recently appointed Chief Design Officers to
industrial revolution with the core focus encourage local governments to reimagine
being on driving greater consumerism, their cities, leading with design.
obsolescence and commerce. Design
education was therefore structured in
a manner to create and deliver a super
specialised breed of designers, capable of
delivering these outcomes. The designer
today, however, has to function in a far more In conclusion, in the words of Amitabh Kant shared at The Creative Spark conference –
complex world. Designing for sustainability, “There cannot be a Make in India without Design and Innovation in India. The real value
trust, equality, commerce and humanity, in lies in Design; it is the crux of what we do and that is what all advanced countries are
an increasingly data-fuelled and artificially doing in the world. My message to students is - disrupt India in a manner in which it has
intelligent world, is need of the hour. Design never seen before…”
education, therefore, must equip a new breed
of designers to solve complex problems in the
new world.

Conclusion
The future of design in India is going to be a significant one as the adoption of

mobile technology will explode, enabling more people to access the internet.
Access to technologies like Voice-Enabled AI and Chatbots (in vernacular
languages), AR & VR, Blockchain, Drones, IoT, Cloud Computing and cheap
access to wired and wireless broadband data, is setting the stage for a data-rich,
multi-touchpoint digital economy. The application of these technologies, whether
in the B2B or B2C space, will need a deep understanding of the user context and
user needs. In such a world, the role of design will become even more critical
and omnipresent than it is today.
Indians are consuming more mobile data than the US and China combined. Rural
India is now propelling digital adoption, and figures show that rural India has
registered 35% growth in internet users over the past year alone. Conversational
AI running on voice-enabled devices like smartphones and smart speakers, is
seeing a rise in uptake in the country, with Amazon Echo and Google Home
leading the way. In 2017, Google launched its voice assistant, Google Assistant,
on Reliance Jio’s JioPhone, a low-end smart feature phone.
While the mobile phone has come to define the digital experience for billions
of new consumers, new frontiers for personal technology are now opening up.
Startups that are working with machine learning (ML) and voice-enabled AI are
looking to make “post-mobile” experiences a reality for their customers in India
and globally. Technology is being designed to become more personal than
ever before.
Design is branching out of its core disciplines to embrace new areas of

application and operate at new magnitudes of scale. We must begin to measure
the impact of the design industry on the economy of the nation with more rigour,
to understand the scale of its impact. In the UK, for example, the Design Council
regularly produces reports that measure the contribution of the design economy
to the gross value (GVA) added to the country.
Design is everywhere, all-pervasive and deeply embedded in our lives. Good

design is now a critical human need. The world of the traditional designer is
not what it used to be a decade and a half ago. The nature of design education
needs to change too, and equip the next generation of designers for a brave new
exponential world.

Acknowledgements
This report is the result of many insightful conversations with individuals and teams who have shared their
success stories and learnings, so openly and generously with us. A big thank you to all of you, we are truly
grateful for your time and invaluable contributions. The content in this report is shaped by your knowledge
and built upon your experience, and the journeys of many fellow travellers in the galaxy of design. We are
also very grateful to everyone who participated in the survey that has added a valuable layer of data inputs
to this report. We are delighted to share these learnings with you dear reader, and the larger audience
interested in experiencing the birth of a new era of design in India.
Thank you all for your time, passion and commitment!
Biju Damodharan Tej Pochiraju

Sr. Manager, UX Design & Research, Amazon Principal, Jagaa
Kishore Thota Lulu Raghavan

Director, Customer experience and Marketing, Managing Director, Landor
Amazon
Deepak Menon
Arun Vinayak Partner Director, Microsoft
Chief Product Officer & Founding Partner,
Ather Energy Gaurav Mathur
VP User Experience Design, Myntra
Peyush Agarwal
Managing Director, Designit Sudhir Singh Dungarpur
Partner & Leader, Digital & Experience
Antony Parham Consulting PwC India
Creative Director, Fitch
Prateek Sinha
Sameer Chavan Partner & Experience Leader,
Sr. Director & Design Head, Flipkart Experience Consulting PwC India
Alexander Grünsteidl Tarun Rawat

Global Head of Design Practice, Global Logic & Executive Creative Director,
Method Experience Consulting PwC India
Mrinal Sharma Mandar Kale

Senior Product Designer, Google Head of Product Design,
Strate School of Design
Unmesh Kulkarni
Director, Honeywell User Experience Thomas Dal
Director & Dean,
Sudhindra V Strate School of Design
Chief Design Officer, IBM
Jagdish Mitra
Nitin Sethi Chief Strategy Officer & Head of Growth,
Vice President Digital, IndiGo Airlines Tech Mahindra
Karthick Murari Karnam Ramesh Kozhissery

Head of User Experience, Inmobi Director of Design, Walmart Labs
Archana Prasad
Principal, Jagaa

Disclaimer

The information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. NASSCOM,
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Report prepared & designed by PwC India, Experience Consulting. Authors

At PwC Experience Consulting, design thinking and design doing come
alive to achieve extraordinary outcomes. It is where a diverse team of client- PwC Experience & Design: NASSCOM Design4India:
focussed business and experience strategists, designers, industrial engineers Aakash Dewan Rhea Thomas
and technologists work together to deliver amazing new experiences for Khyati Seth Shalini Chandnani
customers and employees. A global community of makers working across Khyati Shukla Theertha Muralidhar
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Tarun Rawat
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India,

Title Page No.

The four key themes:

4 India, by Design - Perspectives, Trends and Practices - 2019 5

Design is no longer just about aesthetics, it is a strategic imperative for

6 India, by Design - Perspectives, Trends and Practices - 2019 7

Inputs from secondary research, present a view on global design and

8 India, by Design - Perspectives, Trends and Practices - 2019 9

Executive Summary Change,

Business, by Design des

As design becomes popular and more

Build a design team that is highly skilled, diverse and empowered.

12 India, by Design - Perspectives, Trends and Practices - 2019 13

Many organizations are employing needs

14 India, by Design - Perspectives, Trends and Practices - 2019 15

As we head towards that future, Here are a few

16 India, by Design - Perspectives, Trends and Practices - 2019 17

18 India, by Design - Perspectives, Trends and Practices - 2019 19

2016: Design firm acquisitions continue: 42

2 An ASSOCHAM-PwC joint study.

20 India, by Design - Perspectives, Trends and Practices - 2019 21

The 21st century has ushered in multiple new dimensions to the

22 India, by Design - Perspectives, Trends and Practices - 2019 23

4 Kantar IMRB ICUBE report

24 India, by Design - Perspectives, Trends and Practices - 2019 25

2. Best in class 3. Designing beyond 4. Rise of Start-ups 5. The ‘designer’

“We started in 2009 by providing the first

26 India, by Design - Perspectives, Trends and Practices - 2019 27

Immersive tech (AR, VR, MR) 57 31 11

high medium low

5 Design in Tech Report 2018 Photo by Alex Knight on Unsplash

- Alexander Grünsteidl, Global Logic & Method

knowledge of design thinking

2. Design craft and 3. Leading with people first

“Research-backed identification of user ce

32 India, by Design - Perspectives, Trends and Practices - 2019 33

“Personalities of designers have changed.

34 India, by Design - Perspectives, Trends and Practices - 2019 35

3. The rise of design as From a handful in 2010, the number of design

39% Design School

“Parents now look at design as a good way

6 The Future of Design Education in India, British

We Recommend Prioritize problems based

Follow through design Integrate seamless personalization

The key emerging trends are:

40 India, by Design - Perspectives, Trends and Practices - 2019 41

“There is always a competition between Consumer satisfaction/ loyalty/ recall 64 30 5

0% 25% 50% 75 % 100%

42 India, by Design - Perspectives, Trends and Practices - 2019 43

1. Better experience is 2. Keeping it simple in 3. Data Powered Design

In our conversation with

44 India, by Design - Perspectives, Trends and Practices - 2019 45

high medium low

46 India, by Design - Perspectives, Trends and Practices - 2019 47

2. Design vs. Businesses 3. Design drives a 4. Talented team is a

48 India, by Design - Perspectives, Trends and Practices - 2019 49

5. Win, Fail, Learn 6. Designers need to

Photo by You X Ventures on Unsplash

1. Design process as a 2. Quality design is

52 India, by Design - Perspectives, Trends and Practices - 2019 53

3. Design needs business Business

Our respondents prioritise design-ops

“Design is highly valued at Myntra. Not just