Design re-thinking for the bottom of the pyramid: a case study based on designing business software for SMEs in india

  • Authors:
  • Visvapriya Sathiyam;Muktha Hiremath

  • Affiliations:
  • SAP Labs India, Bangalore, Karnataka, India;SAP Labs India, Bangalore, Karnataka, India

  • Venue:
  • CHI '12 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems
  • Year:
  • 2012

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Abstract

Breaking out of the traditional notion that affordability and mass consumption are the most important prerequisites for entering a large and developing market like India, we elicit alternate and equally critical factors to design products that can provide instant and long-term value to Indian consumers. These factors from a design thinking perspective are: a) sustainability cost for business viability, b) micro-localization needs for human desirability and c) infrastructure considerations for technical feasibility. Our research insights are based on experiences from designing business analytics software for small and midsized enterprises in India. However, our findings are broadly applicable to design thinkers, researchers and designers creating technology solutions for any developing market.