What is the Conscience of an Institution

It comes from us, the collective. 

What is it that we dream or think or feel of its being. In its day to day fluidness. In its tomorrow to be, an orbit to sustain and the day after for its trajectory. With its presence of the dreamt, action and felt conscience.

I phrased Conscience as an entity to evolve, rather than saying Vision and Mission.

One must state and experience the Conscience of their Institution or it be an enterprise or government.

This aspect maybe the preferred state, next paradigm of future holistic humanistic sustenance, with all our choices of joys and freewill.

 Institution/Organization Design Tenets

Dealing with People expertise and limitations

Dealing with People Emotions, Aspirations, Insecurities, experiences

Dealing with People inter-work, inter-social/cultural/political relationships

Dealing with and scripting inter-engagements, interfaces for an outcome of said purpose and value through a collective intellect ( rather than personal of having a last word!! )

It’s the Design of a Story (a book which is plausible to have multiple beginnings and ends the day next) of a present and future continuous live product. That is transient like the wind, course it takes is dependent on the Designer and the engagers/ actors in the story for a sense of cherish able experience to look back and say, hey! I was part of that Story, fought my internal and external villains and participated through my work for the collective conscience of purpose, self worth and value of what it was conceived for and set the next day rolling.

Bystander

Bystander

The other day around 8 in the evening after a heavy rain, I went down to Jalahalli Village to pick up thing . The shops were alive and people around shops busy buying, chatting, a few of them…while I was buying things from this lady, a kirana shop, there was this conversation between the shop owner the man and older gent friend sitting on the chair outside (like it is seen usually). The conversation which started on general welfare I guess and moved to re exams. The shop owner was talking about how his son came back after the science exam and said how tough it was and said only 10 out of 50 will clear it, though the lady added that he was good in science! Then about Maths, the father was explaining to this welfare uncle man: the evaluation of the Maths test was more on the Method of the arriving at the solution than the correct answer type. The teachers were looking at knowledge. How the student has approached the problem because according to him they could be many ways in solving a maths problem. Uncle added today they give 90/100 even if the final answer went wrong but the method/approach good and by-hearted outflow has less value, by the teachers. Both kept mentioning about ‘knowledge’ as a factor, essential today.

They were middle conventionally educated class, in a cosmo-urban minimal area settlements who are seeing and questioning the intellectual and seeking value. Knowledge is important. And in Mathematics one can come up with a solution by way of different methods. This 5 min spent there over hearing! them was a class for me.  The parallel was in design, process/method is very important for us to come up with informed and innovative solutions.

What I am coming to (re synthesis of the above).

Design research and the ways of capturing what is or maybe.

Listening to people – Stories (this constitute a large enough ‘diaspora’)

Regard their intelligence with a broad understanding, ‘knowing the background’ (context is too large a systemic word )

‘having landed in Columbo in transit, an auto rickshaw ride of 10 min with a friendly conversation with the auto man, I gathered the socio-economic status of Sri Lanka, though I am not a economics expert.”

The take a way – conversation with people.

UD - Thinking & Approach

“A responsible activity for a sustainable future, Universal design is a philosophy and a way of democratic design thinking. It is about designing for everyone and takes into account human, gender, social, economic and cultural diversity and differences.” Katrin | Birgit | Ravi

As we all know, people come in all shapes, sizes and abilities from diverse social, economic and cultural backgrounds in most societies. There is a large percentage of disabled people in India, many who are circumstantially disabled for shorter periods, older people with age specific limited abilities, people with different literacy levels and who speak varied languages from all classes of society and culture.  

Universal design primarily addresses this diversity and is therefore not a new domain or a discipline but a way of thinking and approach towards including all users as far as possible in the design conception process.

While we all know that there are many definitions to design the essence remains the same: that of it being user/human - centric. Over the last few centuries the design of products, spaces and communication has been focusing on populist consumers who are able physically and cognitively in all respects while people with disabilities and differences are users/stakeholders in the larger whole who have not been considered most often. For example: a microwave oven has a complex functionality for people with lower cognitive abilities and the visually impaired cannot use it; school furniture cannot accommodate children with disability in a convenient manner, railway reservation form is difficult to decipher for a first time traveler from interior India, a retail mall is a difficult space for older people and disabled people to access and navigate through.

The Universal Design approach is about not making an assistive aid specially for the disabled or older people but to make communication, products and spaces which are adaptive, usable, comprehendible, safe, and more importantly visually/emotionally appealing to diverse users. A watch design could be conceived in its use and look to be as cool and classy for the visually blind and not blind people at the same time.

Sleeper Berths in Indian Trains

 









There is an unresolved problem in the Indian Railway compartments where in accessing or climbing the middle or upper berth is an exercise for older people and expectant mothers or women with a child. In the booking process there are options for selecting a lower berth preferentially however with the numbers who travel by train those of all who need do not manage to get lower berths. 

This is a concept to persuade the able to offer lower berth. This was conceived by me and my designer friend Niana who created the design.

Lower Berth No. Plate

Communication  graphic with a 'namaste' sign requesting people to offer lower berth to the aged and women with baby. This design can be implemented with out any structural changes in the existing system. This communication can also extend across the train and platforms as a reminder.

Universal Design India Poster

The Universal Design India Principles were conceptualized and formulated around June 2011 by the authors who are from diverse domains in academics and practice of design.

FAQs on UD

When I talk to people about Universal Design… the questions I have encountered and the answers I had for them, sample a few:
Q: It is Idealist
A: It is good to be idealist in inception to achieve a solution which is close to it.
Q: Will it work in India
A: Everything works in India
Q: You cannot bring any change in this country
A: UD is about bringing Incremental Change
Q: Is UD for disabled people
A: UD is about inclusion and harnessing assistive technology for all
Q: Isn’t UD fundamental to design thinking and practice
A: Yes UD is fundamental design process which business needs to align with because design most often is driven by popular needs and audience.
Q: Ok what is it then
A: It’s a Practice
Q: We (India) are condemned to be Universal (!)
A: Let there be the syrup bottle cap that is easy to open
Q: People are indifferent, undisciplined
A: Design to Discipline will be an attribute of UD
Q: It cannot be applied to all products
A: Maybe, but 50% of users are being missed out while conceiving most products, the older, women, children and the disabled.
Q: How does Business benefit from UD
A: From meaningful differentiators and value to customers