My diploma project involved an investigation into the changing nature of spaces for users belonging to the top of the bottom of the pyramid in the Indian scenario and thereby suggesting innovative solutions about the same.
I chose this project as it dealt with one of those topics that really fascinated me – emerging markets, and designing for the bottom of the pyramid. The project provided me ample opportunity to know more about target users, their needs, future aspirations and their socio-cultural dimensions.
The project aimed at understanding the complex spatial environment in Dharavi, both physical and informational, through extensive ethnographical research, thus predicting future possibilities in user behaviour. The outcome of my research was defining an ecosystem in information space which supported future business solutions in emerging markets through mobile web applications. For the secondary phase of my research, I spent time studying articles on slums in India and around the world, understanding who belong to the bottom of the pyramid, the opportunity present there and what kind of interventions are happening currently.
The project required pragmatic and a user centric approach of looking at things for suggesting solutions that are beneficial for everyone in the ecosystem. The project required innovations in the process itself like future maps, persona drilldown and resource mapping to arrive at the important node points from which I could move ahead. The end solution revolved around the fact, that for a sustainable future growth in emerging markets, upgradation in information spaces is the key. connect.mobi is one of those businesses networking applications which augment the same through connecting various stakeholders to the users through the web. Closely observing the users, their lifestyles, needs, aspirations, motivation and predicting how different types of spaces will behave under certain conditions have been of great importance.
