“The only important thing about design is how it relates to people”_ Victor Papanek.
The real strength of design as an activity or a profession can be vividly experienced when people (user) become the integrated part of design process. We at Design Nonstop call it as ‘democratic design process’. Currently Design Nonstop is involved in a project as a design partner with eminent industry player here in India ; together we are working in the rural sector to come up with product solutions that can address the contextual issues we find here in health, occupation and education sector.
As a part of the design process we organised a filed trip near Sinnar ( Maharashtra). The intention behind this visit is purely to connect with the user whom we see as our potential customer, try to have a dialogue with them, get insights into their daily routine and find the real design opportunities. It’s not always easy to go and approach people from different backgrounds specifically in rural context when you come from urban area. To get connected with your product user you need to gain their confidence and make them narrate the stories from their own experiences.
Yuva Mitra is the NGO which operates in this area for last 14 years acted as a big help to connect us with local people and facilitate this visit. While talking with people from agriculture field, rural domestic areas and primary health center (PHC) we heard lot of interesting stories and gathered local wisdom that is extremely essential for the success of this project. We will share more insights and our findings from this and further visits as we move forward with this project. It is always fulfilling experience when you strive to see the direct impact of your act on the society and we at Design Nonstop are very fortunate to have this experience as essential part of our core values.
