Interactions - November/December 2010

outlined by the triple bottom line of sustainable development: economic prosperity, environmental responsibility, and social equity.

Design’s tools can certainly help shape this in a way that truly benefits people, society, and the environment.

About the AuthorS Prasad Boradkar is an associate professor and coordinator of the industrial design program at Arizona State University in Tempe.

He is the director of InnovationSpace, a transdisciplinary laboratory at Arizona State University where students and faculty part-ner with corporations to explore human-centered product concepts that improve society and minimize impacts on the envi-ronment. His research activities focus on using cultural theory to understand the social significance of objects. His has pub-lished several articles and a book titled

Designing Things: A Critical Introduction to the Culture of Objects.

[ 10] Eames, R and Eames, C. (2008), The India Report, http:// homepage.mac.com/ ranjanmp/.Public/ Eames_IndiaReport.pdf/

and durability in these situations. Though this may seem at once obvious and simplistic, enduring designs are those that embody the aesthetic and cultural values of contexts for which they are designed. “Of all the objects we have seen and admired during our visit to India, the lota, that simple vessel of everyday use, stands out as perhaps the greatest, the most beautiful. The village women have a process which, with the use of tamarind and ash, each day turns this brass into gold” [ 10]. This quote from “The India Report” by Ray and Charles Eames exemplifies the classic success of good design. Recreating the timeless design of a lota might be a difficult challenge, but certainly not an impractical goal. The traditional, qualitative tools of design research such as field observations, in-depth interviews, role playing, shadowing, etc., can help in the development of the kind of insights critical to understanding context.

November + December 2010

interactions

used several other ethnographic research techniques [ 9], only to discover that due to intermittent access to electricity, lack of technological familiarity, tough rural conditions, and high costs of maintenance the kiosks were not used for the proposed purposes. Instead the cooperative had started to use the kiosks for remote book-keeping.

As a response Microsoft launched a pilot program, appropriately termed Warana Unwired and introduced the mobile phone as a data communication device into the system. Farmers could now use mobile phones to access agricultural pricing information and other data without having to go to a kiosk. The system was accessible from anywhere at any time of day or night. Mobile phones were familiar devices to the farmers and were therefore perceived as being much more accessible than the kiosk computers. The Microsoft team estimated a saving of more than one million Indian Rupees (US$22,000) per year if the cooperative adopted this system [ 9]. This solution of leapfrogging and appropriate technology demonstrates that in-depth ethnographic research is critical for success.

Corporations will need to recognize that for any solution to be adopted and diffused by a social group, it will need to be localized to suit a set of cultural experiences unique to that group. In other words, satisfactory experiences in a certain geocultural situation may entirely fail in others, and local knowledge will be critical for success. Culturally appropriate design that relies on a classic notion of goodness rather than a trendy notion of fashion might have better acceptability

Conclusion As the rush to capitalize on all the (real or exaggerated) wealth that appears to reside at the BOP picks up momentum, there will be several successful corporations and a large number of casualties. A sustained interest in the BOP market, genuine desire to change lives of the poor, commitment to sustainability, and a good design sense will be the landmarks of companies that prevail. Understanding emerging markets will require higher R&D efforts, careful scrutiny of failed as well as successful projects, and an active presence on the ground. It will be critical for MNCs to establish goals

Unmesh Kulkarni is the design and innovation leader for Asia for Philips Consumer Luminaire and is based in Shenzhen, China.

He is responsible for devel-oping new home lighting solutions focused on wellness, energy efficiency, and renew-able sources. Before moving to China, Kulkarni was a senior design manager at Philips Design in India, where he supported new business initiatives for emerging mar-kets and managed a number of successful local and global design projects. Before joining Philips, he co-founded Design Matters, a design and innovation consul-tancy. He holds degrees in industrial design and mechanical engineering, and is a visiting faculty member and coach at vari-ous design schools. He specializes in peo-ple-focused product and design strategy, design innovation, and social innovation process for several industry sectors includ-ing healthcare, consumer products, light-ing, and professional equipment. He has received number design awards such as the IDSA-IDEA Award; Red Dot (2008), INDEX: Award (2009), UNESCO–Water Digest Award (2008-09), and the Central Silk Board of India Innovation Award (1996).