Productivity Tools

Design research project

for developing business strategy

Design research project for developing business strategy

Productivity stands as one of the Six Purpose Pilers of Godrej. This aims on how to increase people’s ability to achieve their goals and how Godrej can make it possible as a business. Productivity Tools started with an intention to understand what are the activities people love doing, what are the tools they love using, and where Godrej as a brand can get into. This page represents a glimpse of the whole project called Productivity Tools and its few diversifications.

Team

Jasinth MV, Teesta Das (Design Researcher), Richa Verma (ID, Design Researcher), Shyam Shinde (Automation Specialist)

My Contribution

Study of households pan India, Contextual research, Transcription and empathy mapping, Competitor landscape, Data Analysis using various tools, Deriving Product Offerings, Reviving knowledge on traditional best practices, Product Design, Rapid Concept Prototyping & Testing, Value Webs & Business Model, Graphic Design, Prototyping, Videography, Documentation etc.

Company

Innovation & Design Center (IDC), Godrej & Boyce, Mumbai

Key Sponsors

Godrej Cartini Scissors & Knives, Godrej Interio

Research Method

Ethnographic research, usability studies, design thinking

Project Advisors

Prof. Anijo Mathew, Farid Talhame, Sujata Sanke in collaboration with IIT Institute of Design, Chicago

Guest Faculty Advisors

Prof. Patrick Whitney, Prof. Vijay Kumar

Year 2015-17

Challenge

There were 2 simple questions: What other hand tools should we look at, for what other activities? How can we build a great brand entirely on thoughtful, beautiful, strong design?

By exploring the terrain of productivity and high performance in the context of home, what does it mean to create hand tools that enhance productivity in the home?

We needed to study different tasks in the home like cooking, decorating, repair work, or completing a school science project and prototype a series of products that make these feel less like chore and more like something to enjoy.

Hypothesis

Our hypothesis was hand tools to enhance productivity in the kitchen will have a significant impact. However, we were keen to map out other tasks in the homes that present opportunities for improvement and showcase what great design can do.

During the course of the project, we explored several areas apart from cooking but not limited to, home decorating, repair work at home, cleaning and organizing personal items, sketching, drawing, and other forms of creative expression like gardening etc, in similar ways. These areas were discovered and explored through multiple rounds of research, concept development and prototyping.

This challenge led us to explore various regions and people across India and immerse into their daily living, understanding their lifestyle and activities they are passionate about. Right from listening to the stories from the users, seeing different home spaces to understanding their behaviours gave us a good understanding not only about the people, their lifestyle and aspirations but also led us to think deeper about the hidden Indianness among them.

[Primary Research]

[Secondary Research]

Organisational understanding – Cartini
Contextual research

Phase 1

Project Reframe STAPLE

This project was commissioned by Godrej Cartini, a knives and scissors brand of Godrej. We explored productivity tools in the Indian kitchen and developed a framework that defined the value attached to the productivity tools. The framework is called STAPLE (an acronym formed with the study of Space, Tools, Activities, People, Lifestyle, Experience). It helps to design authentic productivity tools that elevate ethnic ecosystems in diverse communities.

In order to truly create productive tools, the proposal was about having a studio space that would be ideal, for authentic food lovers to come and cook their meals. In turn, the business could design appropriate and new tools based on behavioural feedback and usage. We prototyped a studio space to convey the concept.

Testing this studio space with our participants

We presented our concept to the key stakeholders in the same space and got buy-in for the next 6 months to develop first round of Staple Tools.

Phase 2

Product Proposals: STAPLE Tools

Staple Tools are the set of kitchen tools & food items that allow people to celebrate the experience in a truly Indian style. There is a small problem in our cooking-Wrong kitchen utensils, or cooking methods can reduce the amount of nutrients you glean from even the healthiest meals. We want people to use these tools as a way to learn more about India and the culture where they come from. These tools are strong narratives of the local spirit of India. People can come, cook together and explore the benefits of these and carry back their experience artefact. Several prototypes were developed, presented the brand vision to the business and design leaders of Cartini.

Tool designs were intended towards:

Fusion of health & lifestyle, so you no longer have to worry about health.

Everyday need, used by all, modern indian take on our kitchen tools which can simplify prepping.

Methods of cooking simplified.

STAPLE EXOTIC

Another off-shoot which we were able to prototype and the launch was an indoor grow-kit. While the pain points around growing plants by non-experts were the focus, the proposal and investment in this direction also highlight the ability to grow local plants more easily. We called it as STAPLE EXOTIC.

Visit STAPLE EXOTIC project page

Final concept after several rounds
of prototyping & testing

This offering is about enabling users to grow healthy-safe locally-grown vegetables indoors. Our offering is an easy to start hydroponics kit for gardening enthusiasts. The business model canvas for the same was also proposed.

Toolkit

RESEARCH METHODS

We have used various design research methods and models along the journey in every phase as per needs. These helped us to analyse the large data, find insights, formulate ideas and articulate the concept to the stakeholders. Following is a snapshot of few.

Mind mapping

Mindmapping acts as a visual aid of the thoughts running in the mind of all team members. We used it in the beginning of the project to clarify and come to a common start about how we would like to explore the topic of Productivity Tools.

Whole view model

The Whole view model helps in answering the basic business questions of What, Who, Why and How.

Card sorting

Card Sorting is an exercise which was used during the user interviews. It helps as an ice breaking technique with the user, and gets them to relax and openly share what they would like to, based on the images that they select.

User interviews

The interviews with users are conducted in their homes so that they may feel relaxed and can share more freely. It works better than conducting face to face interviews in cafes or workplaces, where the context for the discussion is lacking. In the home, the stories shared by the users become more visually relatable and therefore more convicing and true.

Themes and theme tracking

Based on observations noted from interviews, themes are generated, which is usually a connotation of the observations.

Theme tracking helps weighing the common observations vs uncommon ones. Higher number of observations under a theme, could have multiple more point of views.

Visual library & categorisation

A visual library has clusters of photographs shot at User homes that would help in visually relating to observations spoken/heard about. we were able to find many un-said observations about users.

Insight Matrix

Insight Matrix is a method of rating insights in a matrix of 99×99 using a scale of 0,1,2,3. It helped in revealing clusters of insights, which have similar rating and helped further to form “Meta-insights”

Competitor- Complementor’s study

The study of various companies in the similar landscape, revealed their product level offerings and overlaps between their and Godrej’s offering.

POEMS and 5E framework

Both the framework helped us in mapping the user experiences in any store visit. They helped in understanding the company’s offering and use of various means to deliver, deliberate experiences to the user.

Territories

Territories is a framework used to map activities that came up from user research and it helped in identifying which ones should the sponsor work in.

Product landscape study

Frequent local store visits revealed various brands selling kitchen productivity tools. Price points, packaging, product quality, making were few benchmarks that were noted.

Era analysis

Era Analysis is a framework used during secondary research in the initial phase which helps in putting the observations under factors or scenarios such as: social, technological, political, economic, environmental etc.

Brainstorming and ideation

Brainstorming and ideation is a common method in any innovation project. We brainstormed creating ideation sheets and sketching ideas in a short time. The constraint of time and need for a visual representation helps in identifying unexpected ideas from team members who are usually not so good at visual skills.

Paper modelling and prototyping

Paper modelling and prototyping are ways of making physical representations of the ideas on paper. They help in quick user validations on concepts, idea-sharing, presentations etc. Paper Prototypes help in further visualising the details in concepts.

Brand mapping

The brief included the creation of a brand that was based on a simple yet unique design language. We created mood boards of the product/space language and identified brand positioning through this exercise.

Ecosystem generation

After ideation and creating individual offerings, the intention of an ecosystem is to help in creating a holistic story for the user. An ecosystem consists of several concepts which will impact a user at different points of time.

Offering blueprint

Offering Blueprint was a matrix of the selected concepts with their front end and User value along with their back end and Business value. Using this framework, helped in easily understanding the core of all the concepts in one format and evaluate or add what we felt could be missing in the concept.

“Jasinth has a great sense of collaboration. Working together he took the lead in the design details and because of that we were able to get ahead in the game."

Teesta Das Design Strategist | UX Researcher | Service Designer