An introductory deck that outlines Quicksand's (quicksand.co.in) human-centered design process and approach using actual projects to illustrate the value we add to clients looking to provide products and services in India, the Global South and beyond!

1. New Delhi | Bangalore | Phnom Penh | New York
Strategy & Innovation
powered by human centered design

2. Quicksand is a strategic innovation
consultancy headquartered in India,
and working in emerging markets.
We are driven by a passion for human
centered design - a powerful approach that
transforms insights into potent opportunities
and high impact outcomes.

3. Our work spans a
diversity of sectors
and geographies
CONSUMER TECHNOLOGIES
Google, Facebook , Nokia, Samsung, IDEO
CONSUMER GOODS
Unilever, Coca-Cola
FINANCIAL SERVICES
IDFC, GIZ, The World Bank
WATER & SANITATION
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, PATH
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
HEALTH
Evidence Action, Design Singapore
EDUCATION & LIVELIHOODS
Cisco, International Youth Foundation
ENVIRONMENT
ACRA / European Union (EU)
SOCIAL INNOVATION
Nesta
CULTURE
British Council, Dutch-Culture, Goethe-Institut

4. We work with global corporations to envisage
new business opportunities.
UNILEVER | Disruptive innovations for the BoP in
China, India, Nigeria and Indonesia
PLAY VIDEO

5. We work with international development partners
to drive social impact through innovation.
BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION | Tackling the
urban sanitation crisis in low-income communities
PLAY VIDEO

6. We explore and incubate open networks for
creativity and collaboration.
UNBOX CULTURAL FUTURES SOCIETY | Creating India’s
foremost platform for interdisciplinary collaboration
PLAY VIDEO

7. Quicksand’s articulation of the human
centered design process is summarized
through three simple, yet powerful
phases
01 MEETING PEOPLE
02 TELLING STORIES
03 CRAFTING EXPERIENCES

8. > Who are the people impacted by our work?
> What are their perceptions and attitudes?
> What drives their aspirations and behaviors?
01 MEETING PEOPLE
Framing an opportunity through the lens of peoples’ needs or
desires is our entry-point in the innovation journey.

9. MEETING PEOPLE
A research and design study to understand the manner in which
technology enabled Government to People (G2P) payments
impact the lives of end recipients.
The goal of the study was to capture a rich, nuanced picture of
the end-recipient experience in semi-urban, rural and tribal
locations in Andhra Pradesh; proposing design responses that
can enrich the quality of the G2P payment experience.
User Centered Innovations
for G2P Transfers
CASE
CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor)
World Bank
India, USA
CLIENT

10. > How do we build empathy for users amongst diverse teams?
> Can we narrate insights as accessible, inspiring stories?
> How can we harness the collective creativity of teams?
02 TELLING STORIES
Stories have the power to bring together teams and provide a
rich, fertile ground for insights, ideas and inspiration.

11. TELLING STORIES
A product development study to conceptualise a
comprehensive business and product strategy for Unilever’s
household care category (toilet cleaning, surface care and hand
dishwashing) in India, China, Indonesia, Nigeria and South Africa.
Efforts to address the unmet and unsolved home care needs of
low income consumers were focused around field research,
ideation, concept generation and co-creation of products and
business models with users and experts in each of these
markets.
Disruptive Innovations for
BoP Consumers
CASE
Unilever
India, Singapore, London, Italy
CLIENT

12. 1. Ethnographic Research : Deep dives in
households in various geographies in Africa
and Asia
2. Co-design Workshops : Bringing a workshop
setting alive with artefacts and tools from the
context
3. Fatta Boxes {Inspiration boxes} : Rich-media
outputs that bring the research alive, delivered to
brand teams in different geographies
4. Quick Concepts : Live visualisations and quick
sketches illustrating ideas for a product-service
prototype
CASE : Disruptive Innovations for BoP Consumers, Unilever
TELLING STORIES

13. > How do we prototype opportunities as experiences?
> Can we accelerate the pace of innovation development?
> How does a diverse team deliver a coherent experience?
03 CRAFTING EXPERIENCES
A well designed product or a system is a standout experience first. Articulation
of this experience can create a clear roadmap for how an opportunity may be
brought to fruition.

14. CRAFTING EXPERIENCES
Developing a low cost household water treatment and storage
product (HWTS) that can mobilise uptake and sustained use of
water filtration products and practices amongst the rural poor.
The product development phase was preceded by an in-depth,
six-month longitudinal study of people’s water practices. By
placing product surrogates within consumer homes the team
was able to gather pertinent insights at each stage of product
use. The study findings informed the design and development
of a reference product which was a collaboration between
design, engineering, technology and manufacturing teams
spread over India, US and China.
Low-cost Household
Water Treatment and
Storage Products
PATH
USA
CLIENT
CASE

15. Innovation for emerging markets
requires a convergence of imagination,
relevance and responsibility.
A human centered approach is well poised to
facilitate the process of understanding a
cultural context, creation of new knowledge
and shaping coherent, meaningful experiences
on the basis of it.

16. Mapping our human centered approach to a
potential engagement reveals three critical
milestones of product-service development
Generate insights and
opportunities through
ethnography,
participatory research
and synthesis.
Insights &
Opportunities
MEETING
PEOPLE
Build concepts and
innovation pipelines for
various business
streams through expert
engagement, creative
ideation and
collaboration.
Concept
Development
TELLING
STORIES
Creating lo- & hi-fidelity
prototypes to test
concepts with users
and build an
implementation plan
based on user
validation.
Prototyping &
Validation
CRAFTING
EXPERIENCES

17. People are the heart of our practice.
Ayush is one of the co-founders
of Quicksand and leads the
studio in new business, strategy
and project management.
Ayush was granted the
prestigious Yale World
Fellowship in 2012 for his
advocacy for transformative
roles for design within public
policy.
Babitha - a partner in Quicksand
and with experience in the
education sector - leads
Quicksand's social innovation
projects. Babitha anchors
Quicksand's Bangalore studio
and is advisor to the Victor
Papanek Foundation.
Kevin's a corporate
communications and marketing
expert. He leads the outreach
efforts for Quicksand, with a
focus on the development
sector. Kevin also leads the
business development for
Quicksand in America.
Kapil is a filmmaker and
photographer, and one of the
co-founders of Quicksand. Kapil
leads the creation of rich media
ethnography at Quicksand, and
is also the co-founder of Blind
Boys - a community photo-
network.
NEW DELHI BANGALORE
PHNOM PENH NEW YORK
Our multi-disciplinary teams and global networks harness
creativity, analytical rigor and empathy for users.

18. We are part of the REACH Global Design Research
Network - a consortium of leading design research firms.
www.globaldesignresearch.com
Amsterdam
Astana
Bangalore
Barcelona
Budapest
Cologne
Copenhagen
Hong Kong
London
Moscow
New Delhi
Paris
Pittsburg
Singapore
Tokyo

19. Founded on principles of open dialogue
and honest enquiry, our approach is
uniquely positioned to address the
challenges of cross-cultural innovation.
Quicksand services organizations,
institutions and communities with a
commitment to advancing human
experiences.

20. www.quicksand.co.in
hello@quicksand.co.in
@helloQS
linkedin.com/company/quicksand-design-studio