While understanding the lifestyle of people, we might often overlook the small details of their lifestyle to look for opportunities. Customised services and products are preferred in India at almost all social strata of the society. It's not just the rich who can ask for customised vehicles or hire a famous fashion designer to create an ensemble. The little pleasures of getting things tailor-made as per one's requirements makes one feel special and value the experience more. Often Indians see better value for money in certain customised offerings, more than mass-produced ones.

Today morning, I noticed two people sitting outside my apartment gate, weaving together brooms for people. It was the first time I had seen something like this. Normally, brooms would not be a topic that would be listed under the usual household product-customisation needs, but seeing the response they were getting, it seemed like they had found a very unique niche.  Cost-saving, not enough options in the market, value-for money, the satisfaction of getting a quality product made by supervising the production process, unique household needs could be some of the reasons why some households would prefer using their services.

Cost-effective trendiness is another factor that leads the youngsters to the tailors to get custom-made shirts. Latest trends in the market were either very expensive or didn't fit well as everyone had different physiques. Also, people considered that a tailor would spend more thought and effort on the clothes and thus it would last longer.

In the interiors of India, nobody might know about concept of mass-customisation, but they practice it very well nonetheless. When serving tea in the interiors of Gujarat, they also pour a little extra on the saucer. As the tea is pipinig hot when served and people on the go do not have time to wait, the tea on the saucer cools down quickly and by the time it is devoured, the tea in the cup is ready to be sipped.

The little service innovations that are brought about do not always have to be heavy on the pocket. The best things in life, if not free, can be affordable!

It all started about five years ago, when I graduated from college. My friend was looking forward to buy the first vehicle of his life. His demand was a little queer as he wanted a small jeep.

Back then, all I knew about Jeeps was that it was the vehicle used by the police, army and a handful of civilians. He was looking for a particular type of Jeep called the WILLYS. The name was totally unheard of, he managed to get a lead and we went and saw one.
 It was small and beautiful, like nothing I had ever seen before.

Somehow the deal never materialized but the first impression left a longing desire to have one of my own someday. Years went by but the name and sight of the WILLYS always ignited a hedonistic desire to own one someday.

At times Design, with its mere form, seduces you so much; Love at first sight!

Emotions have such power.

• WILLYS jeep had become a ubiquitous craze for some time now and the prices have gone up considerably.
• There are a lot of remakes of the original WILLYS, people have remodeled and modified other manufacturer’s jeeps to make them resemble the WILLYS.

Design to evoke desire!

Stories and Experience

WOW! is when  the outcome far surpasses your expectations

It’s all about keeping the magic alive!

In today’s world of commoditization and materialism, there are so many products present and so many joining everyday that the mysticism and pleasure attached with one’s latest purchase seldom stays for long.

It is said that a chemical called dopamine is responsible for the felling of immediate bliss and gratification and when we see something which our brain perceives as desirable a dose of dopamine is released in the brain and in that euphoric state, our emotions take over our rationality.

As a result even while our rationality reminds us of the departing finances, we make the purchase. With the WILLYS it must have been something more than dopamine. The Magic kept going on!

When I think about it while writing this post I think the magic was alive due to a combination of

• Learning about the product and appreciating it, it was something that I was getting familiar with for the first time. But then when I bought my first iPod there was this exposure to a new product too, but it did not last so long.
• One more aspect that might be there is that it has the exclusive factor, it is something that not everyone has or can have. Human beings are behaviorally inclined to accumulate artifacts that they can display and show –off to give them a sense of superiority. This has been linked to the biological reasons to progress the human race.Well the WILLYS certainly is a head-turner. A thorough classic icon!

When Design Connects

It is said that products and services become more experiential when they are engaging, the urge to learn more about the WILLYS, track its history and the urge to revert it back to its original design(remember I told you ,it has some modifications) have kept me engaged.

I would say the Design of the WILLYS has helped me create a bond with it. I’m still amused and amazed by its simple, functional design, the beautiful form, the built quality and the smart innovations; Most of all it amazes me more when I think that the object that has kept my attention was designed 67 years ago. At a time when Design was not what it is today.

Well the ride has just begun and I cannot find a conclusion to this post, I have started watching WW2 movies, seeing videos of the WILLYS MB on YouTube and even looking for books and posters of that era.
I feel I can relate closely to all of these, which I think might be an outcome of my Mirror Neurons at work!

Creativity has definitely a lot to do with exposure and the awareness of endless opportunities. Knowing that there are more than one right answers, and answers that might exist somewhere but not in one's sphere of reality or awareness.

A recent article published by the Economist states high correlation between one's stay outside one's native country and creativity. It also speaks about better negotiation skills of bilingual people.

Considering these factors and India, the relevance of this research seems somehow vague. Being bilingual is pretty natural for most Indians, atleast in the urban areas. Further, with such vast numbers of cultures, languages, customs and geography, each region in India seems like a new country. Would all this mean this makes Indians who live away from their hometown, are more creative? Or are we better at negotiations? 

Also, it would be important to consider a country like the United Arab Emirates, where only 19% of the population consists of Emiratis (natives of the country) and the rest are all expatriates. With such a large expat population, the country rarely is talked about for it's creativity.

We consider kids as creative. Most of them have never lived outside their domestic boundaries.They are creative because of their imagination and free-thinking. Travel and stay abroad might give you these qualities, but it certainly depends on the individual and the system around you.

Somehow, somewhere down the line the creative thinking got lost in the age of mass production. The user needs were generalised and the same product was made exactly the same for millions of people. This philosophy also was adopted by the service industry. Services were planned and rendered and the user had no choice.Today design and design thinking is transforming the world. From the industrial age we have come down to experience age.

Industrial age, the transformation of the world through design and design thinking and more.
A discussion by Tim Brown of IDEO and Roger Martin of Rotman School of Management on BBC World Service.

Over the years “design” has become ever more popular and is slowly getting into an every man’s vocabulary. But till date “design” equates to a mere decorative process and often thought as the final steps in delivering the offering.

Successful businesses across the world have demystified this cliched thought about design and have harnessed the power that Design holds. These are the companies that have taken the innovative leaps and have become business leaders in their domains.

Design is like that magic potion which has all the ingredients to create success.

It starts with a deep research into the context and the subject, it is only from understanding the problem well that a designer is able to create a solution which is perfect! Designers also have an invaluable quality to empathies with the user of their creation. With their unique tools of understanding the user, it becomes possible for them to design that offering which gets welcomed by the user and the market.

Designers also have holistic views and are good at cross-connecting and thinking freely, this gives them the necessary canvas to imagine and innovate. Bringing out this innovation requires a synergy between the Business functions, Design and Technology.

Design which was traditionally restricted to the fields like graphic, product, industrial, fashion, interior, architecture etc. is expanding and percolating more into the Business functions. Design principles are being applied to things like finance, operations, marketing and processes. From a Business of Design designers are progressing to Designing Businesses.
With it’s inherent quality of creating something new, design is all about innovation. Using the tools of design, businesses can adopt a usercentric approach. Design brings understanding of the emotions and logic of the user. When the experience of the user is kept in consideration, chances of failure almost disappear.