CRITICAL DESIGN
This segments covers projects done either in a group or in a pair during the course of different studios and workshops in Srishti.
Designing for "CARE"
Towards more mindful relationship with our everyday services and ecosystem.
Designing for Care is a critical approach undertaken to analyse and probe into services, systems and infrastructure like in the context of gig economy. As a design challenge summary, we were asked to look into the implications of service Apps such as MyGate on the lives of all the stakeholders within the gated communities and outside involved in using these Apps.
In this project, we unpacked the service design within a framework of "CARE" practiced and experienced between the residents and the maids in these gated communities. We also analysed the role of these Apps in manifesting hidden systemic power dynamics in the treatment and ordeal of the vulnerable stakeholders. These Apps yield a negative impact on their lives and livelihoods if not developed with the principle of care in its making is illustrated in the why's of this project.
To know more about the detailed processes, outcomes and outputs of this five-week long studio, please follow the three part blog series written in depth.
Reading between the Devices
How technological evolution of glucose monitoring devices shaped the healthcare system in the US.
Historicising as a tool in design is indeed taking a long short at unearthing the context of design of technological artefacts and its impact on the kinds of technologies that will be redeemed.Trailing its intention of design but finding its use well outside its intended context makes the evolution of these artefacts more richer and pronounced. Similarly, in this project while rummaging through the innovation history of diabetes monitoring devices, we stumbled upon was a plethora of discourses on public healthcare policies of the US Government and the contribution of these devices to its formulation.
We have traced the evolution of glucose monitoring devices from the early 1500s to the new and non-invasive glucose monitoring devices of today by weaving a narrative around its innovation, how it made its ways to homes and thereby regulated the US market. It also illustrates the role of interconnected healthcare policies of the US Government and the technological (glucose monitoring system) artefact; its impact and resolution on the people dependent on it.
Opinion Matters
A series of probing into the voting behaviours of people in the last general election. This activity plumbs several factors influencing the difference between voter's stated preferences and revealed preferences of the candidates.
During the last general elections this project probed into interconnected behaviour of people and the psychology of opinion polls, which tends to be volatile, uncertain and misleading for people. Opinion polls in a diverse country like India are conceived to be a partisan manipulation technique deployed by the media to influence people’s votes. This is conducted several months before the actual processes of voting. By adhering to the revealed preference theory by an economist called Samuelson, we hypothesized and believed that people state what is socially desirable in front of the camera and conform to the social standards, yet their actions paint a different picture. The result of the actual polls and the opinion polls do not tally and are independent events all together.
Through this project, we are probing into the actions and reactions of the voters with design artefacts (technical and non-technical) to unravel the latent preferences that people concur with during the general elections.
Designing carpooling system around the culture of community building
The project explores the behaviour, motivation and economies of scale around carpooling in India, especially Bangalore. Through various tools, methodologies, extensive primary and secondary research, the aim of this project was to design a carpooling system that revolves around community building for the longer-run. The solution speculated and conceptualised as part of the project was a platform called Karwaan, which connected people through events happening in the city. It helped people locate and pool together for the same events happening at the same time. The idea, intention, incentives and nudges along with the entire processes and documentation of the research is well captured in the article