Volume 1, July 2020 Design Review by ImaginXP Meet Our Team Prof. Col. Shishir Kumar is an author, motivator and a TEDx Speaker. He is an M.Tech in Industrial Engineering from IIT Delhi. He has served the Indian Army for 32 years and has been into university leadership roles for last 15 years. Prof. Abhayjeet Singh Chief Academic Officer Col Prashant Mahajan, a veteran from Indian Army with 25 years of experience in various technically challenging assignments. Alumni of IIT Roorkee and IIM, Ahmedabad, he is passionate about organistional growth, business strategy, technology and leadership. Nitesh Rohatgi has around 1.5 decades of experience in the field of Sales, Marketing, Product, Operations and Program Management. He aims to focus on the developmental growth of our sales & marketing prowess. He is also involved in the end to end organisation machinery from product development to after-sales. He believes in enabling and managing the complete value chain. Abhayjeet Singh has 1.5 decades of experience in training, development, academic management, spearheading management development programs for government, private organisations and young start-ups. He has extensively worked on introducing industry led programs for students and professionals across various verticals bringing industry and corporate connect with academia. He is into education business strategy development, pedagogy structures, faculty development, student learning and enrichment in design and future skills. Prof. Col. Shishir Kumar Director General Col. Prashant Mahajan Chief Strategy Officer Nitesh Rohatgi Chief Operating Officer Editorial I feel incredibly proud to launch the inaugural issue of ImaginXP’s biannual Design Journal. The prime objective of the design journal is to provide insights into the world of Design, Design Thinking, User Experience Design and related topics. This journal is a platform to showcase some inspiring work, experiences and portfolios. It focuses on the views, findings, and knowledge of our students, academicians, and professionals in the design domain. The prevailing circumstances are not only impacting global businesses but also the social scape. The process of digital transformation has suddenly accelerated against the backdrop of challenges of lockdown and social distancing. The enterprises are transforming to satisfy the needs of the changing consumer behaviours by linking with them virtually and the needs of the employees working from home by skilling, upskilling and stand reskilling. The need for hyper-personalisation of learning experience assumes great importance in the era of business disruptions and unfortunate laying off employees or placing them on the bench. History bears testimony that reskilling has been one of the most exercised options during business disruptions/slowdowns globally. What needs to be understood by individuals and organisations is that they cannot delay their learning needs to evolve and meet the requirements of the changing times. It gives me a sense of pride and satisfaction that team ImaginXP displayed remarkable agility in adopting and migrating to the digital platform. The team strived to provide a continuous and uninterrupted learning experience to our students in various programs in our partnering universities/ urban learning centres. Our corporate partners trusted us with opportunities to create new programs for their employees to meet their training needs in this new normal. I want to place my appreciation for the editorial board to have conceived and created this inaugural issue and contribute to sharing the learnings in these challenging times and am sanguine that this issue will turn out to be readers' delight. I would encourage all readers to contribute with their experiences and creativity in the upcoming issues. We at ImaginXP, are dedicated to the cause of empowering our youth and workforce by creating an ecosystem for knowledge and innovations armed with skills of the 21st century to propel our nation and society to the centre stage of global order. Warm Regards, Prof. Col. Shishir Kumar Director General ImaginXP Editorial I take this opportunity on behalf of the editorial team to proudly announce the inaugural issue of ImaginXP’s Design Journal which is a testimony of excellence envisioned by the Director of ImaginXP, Prof. Col. Shishir Kumar; all the heads for their valuable efforts and chiselling done by the faculty members and students. It gives us immense pleasure to present the first issue, Volume 1, July 2020 to all the students, professionals and academicians. The Journal provides an insight into the world of Design, Design Thinking and User Experience Design. It welcomes articles, case studies, white papers and portfolios on design which have relevance to design practice, theory, management, experiences and education. It also aims to publish inspirational work which will have a direct impact on design knowledge and the evolving role of Design. We’ll be publishing this e-journal every year twice, in July and December. Behind the scenes, much of the work is teamwork by all our ImaginXP heads, curriculum team, faculties and students, to pursuit the academic and professional excellence. As a team, we work, we commit, and continually strive to meaningfully represent design research, it’s culture, practices, theories, language, experiences and communities. The Design Journal is nurtured with equal measures of knowledge, compassion, and experiences. We look forward for your generous feedback in order to enhance our platform’s value in every possible way. Your sincerely, Neha Deshbhratar Editor-in-Chief ImaginXP Email : editor@imaginxp.com Content 1 Volume 1 Volume 1 Volume 1 Volume 1 1. 2. Thematic Section: Opportunities arising due to Covid 19 ........................3-18 3. Non-Thematic Section......................19-27 4. Faculty Speaks................................28-36 Students corner..............................37-52 - India as a Futuristic Economy - Re - defining the Post Covid Physical World - Conducting User Research during the Pandemic - A Designer’s Mind at Work during the Lockdown - Nimble – A Concept for City Bus Services - What is Evolution without Emotion in the Field of Design - Persuasive Design - An Important Part of UX - Roles and Responsibilities of a UX Designer - The Role of Animation in UX - Applying Emerging Technologies in Facets of Life - Speeding Response Time Using Design - A UX Case Study - A Headset’s User Experience through Storytelling and Scenarios - Will the Covid-19 Pandemic End the Use of Cash? - The Future of Retail Shopping - Introspect, Innovate and Integrate-Skills that Designers Should Develop for the New Normal 2 5. Alumni and Corporate Connect........53-56 6. 7. Dezutainment...............................57-60 Our Programs...............................61-66 - Companies Testimonials - Alumni Speak - Student Internships - Word Puzzle - Crossword - Match The Following - Answers - Partnering University - Certificate Courses - Corporate courses Thematic Section: Opportunities arising due to Covid 19 “The role of the designer is that of a good, thoughtful host anticipating the needs of his guests.” - Charles Eames India as a Futuristic Economy An article that talks about India’s position as a digitally advanced country and how we can shape a bright future for both rural and urban areas through correct planning and by introducing emerging technologies. By : Naina Jain With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, people’s lifestyles and the nature of previously known activities have radically changed in the blink of an eye. But little did we know that this time would also serve as an opportunity to discover new interests and ease us to adopt a more digitally active way of living. There has been a clear dent on the consumerist lifestyles across the world. Health has surpassed all other needs and concerns, and people are ever so vigilant about their spending habits. Status and luxury are no longer a priority; industries stopped their manufacturing, and showrooms were abandoned overnight. The economy came to a standstill, shaking up the entire demand- and-supply chains. In challenging times like today, we’ve come to understand that the sole way of moving ahead is by embracing a more user-centric, digital transformation of the country. A variety of industries have begun replacing their workforce with strategists, technologically smart professionals, and people with user experience expertise. Today, our future may look uncertain, but if our roadmap to digital transformation is defined well, we can expect a V-shaped recovery from the present depression very soon. The Real Indian Problem India is the second most populated country in the world, and is one of the biggest sources of revenue for several global applications, products and brands. Despite that, there’s a significant section of the population that lacks access to education, infrastructure, and healthcare. People from the rural areas have been migrating to cities and town in hopes of better jobs, and such has been the norm for decades. Indeed, many past studies and reports suggest that well-managed migration is often an asset for economies and societies, particularly for the future. Cities are the epicenters of innovation and it’s the need of the hour to identify opportunities so that the migrants can maximise their contributions, thus aiding in economic and social development. Many would agree that the policy-makers and business leaders have yet to fully tap into the potential of the migrant population in cities. Unplanned relocation of the non-skilled youth in a developing economy like India often results in unemployment and is one of the leading reasons for its recent economic downfall. A change in policies is thus crucial for the empowerment of the unskilled. The question we must all ask - Why does the rural population continually remain to be a part of low-income groups? To answer that, a recent study by Census India suggests that there’s an enormous gap between the education system and employment that comes after. Much like the industrial revolution post- independence, we are now witnessing a digital revolution right. COVID-19 has forced many aspiring individuals to shift from physically demanding job roles to digitally skilled ones. While people with poor digital skills faced immediate pay cuts and unemployment, there has been a surge in opportunities for those well- versed in digital and UX strategic skills. A recent report by the Internet & Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) demonstrates that rural India has 227 million active internet users, which is 10% more than urban India’s active internet users. 4 to understand this better, I conducted a small- scale qualitative survey to understand the needs, skills, problems, and mindset of people from villages in the Uttarakhand region. After speaking with almost 40 people from diverse fields such as military, agriculture, education, hospitality, and retail, it comes as no surprise that digitisation is in fact the answer to the near- future for the young and old. It was heart- warming to see an 80-year-old lady become the talk of her village ever since someone uploaded a video of her singing in the fields. About 16 out of 40 people used TikTok to post content, and almost all of them were very active on WhatsApp. We are at the dawn of the era where technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR) are rapidly growing and are used to for entertainment and education. AR is capable of providing users with an experience that is interactive and enhances the real-world experience clubbed with stimulations that can target any human sense e.g. visual, auditory, sense of touch, or smell. It is an immersive technology through which the physical world is altered and made more informative and engaging. Popular applications like Instagram and Snapchat have encouraged people to use and adopt on Augmented Reality in day to day life. Similarly, it is observed that people in the village and rural areas are more comfortable using Artificial Intelligence enabled voice commands and speech recognition in their local language to performs various tasks. Remote learning has seen a sudden boost, and the world today is working towards more skills- based development than just limiting themselves to what is in the books. During COVID-19, the number of people who moved back to their native places complained about losing their income to someone else who was more skilled. A smartphone is not just a device that connects people today, but it is a beacon of the future. Corporates, in collaboration with the government, have been working on developing highly compatible platforms such as SAP Leonardo. It will allow the people in India to connect with people from around the globe and collaborate for new opportunities. 5G can easily be classified as the next- generation network that will connect more and Additionally, there are around 71 million children, aged 5-11 years, who browse the internet by using their parents’ devices. With this, India has surpassed another milestone of getting 504 million active users. With this number, India is the second-largest country in the world, after China, which has 805 million- plus active internet users in present day. The urban population has seen a drastic downfall of about 35% in internet users, whereas the population from tier two, tier three and the remote villages have seen an increase of 45% and 65% active internet users respectively. The study also suggests that an average Internet user spent approximately 3.5 hours on the web browsing social media, news, mails, and OTT digital services. Various sectors like education, information technology, corporates, and government organisations have also undergone a digital transformation during the pandemic and are now actively adopting new and emerging technologies to help enhance their presence and widen customer reach. Post lockdown, people have started spending more time playing mobile games (such as Ludo and PubG), engaging on social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and video calling platforms like House Party and Zoom. A global study by Facebook suggests that India ranks the list with 360 million active WhatsApp users. The Opportunities that Face Us In June 2020, some of the biggest firms from around the globe such as Abbott and Google announced that they will be shifting their base from China to India. With a 1.38 billion strong manpower, there is no dearth of talent in the country. What does this mean for us? In order 5 average 4G rate at $0.26 per 1GB in the world. India’s 4G penetration now stands at 88% according to a report by Mary Meeker’s. To prove this, a recent study suggests that Bihar and Jharkhand have witnessed a 48% increase in the number of people who use the Internet. But the big question is, are we ready for all the opportunities that are in the pipeline? This is a roadmap in its development phase and it is predicted that schemes like Digital India have changed the way people look at knowledge. An introduction of tools like Augmented and Virtual Realities for education and skills development simply could enable the Indian population closer to achieving this goal. Technology such as IoT will help us map and track our users’ path, needs, behaviour, and decision-making capabilities. We can plan our future well by understanding the degradation rate of the devices and the change in consumer behaviour trends. This will encourage us to smartly recycle our resources with minimum investments for imports. Employment rates will see a rise as there will be more digitally skilled people in the country who will be able to attract businesses from around the globe without leaving their ecosystems. With a boom in E-commerce platforms such as Big Basket, Zomato, and Amazon, we are becoming more uni-directional with our needs. We are living in a world where all our needs find their way to our homes rather than us exhausting resources and time to visit market areas. Conclusion India is undoubtedly the most complex and diverse economy in the world. Inter-city migration has always been a key reason for India’s tumultuous economic changes. The current pandemic also helped us realize that the more people by giving low-cost connectivity in a more than ever efficient way. A recent 5G economy study by Qualcomm Technologies confirmed that faster, ubiquitous, low-power connectivity will make mobile networks even more essential than they are today. The government must invest in an infrastructure that is capable of catering to the demand of cloud processing power which is way beyond the speed of a human brain. It will eventually help Artificial Intelligence translate the data into a remarkable user experience. IoT works on sensors that are easily and widely available in the market at a very reasonable cost. A robust Internet helps these sensors perform tasks, store data, and understand behavioural patterns. With the help of Artificial Intelligence we are capable of translating these data patterns within milliseconds. A revolutionary technology known as blockchains can be further integrated to secure all the transitions without the fear of losing them. A study by CNN suggests that people who have always lived in rural areas have limited knowledge and a very rigid belief system. If trained properly they are quick learners and are easier to train when compared to the vast number of people in the urban setups. With remote education being the next big thing, using technologies such as fast internet, strong connectivity, availability of devices, and screens will help uplift the rural infrastructure and bring them under the limelight. This will further help in bridging the gap between the rural areas and global services providers. The organisations can then, with the help of Asymmetry of Information, collect all the data of the devices and design strategies to fight situations like pollution due to unplanned disposal and production, emotional imbalance in society, and even pandemics. A Digitally Bright Future Sundar Pichai, the CEO at Google; and Caesar Sengupta who is globally heading the Next Billion Users Project have envisioned many emerging economies for their Next Billion Users project. With the recent Google India initiative, Mr. Sundar Pichai plans on investing $10 Billion in the Indian economy. Jio has bridged the gap and has helped companies like Google to achieve the Next Billion dream by reducing the per GB cost. India now has the cheapest 6 traditional ways of working will no longer help us in shaping a successful future. User experience and behavioural design are essential solutions for rapid development. Right investment models that concentrate on creating content in the field of emerging technologies (such as creating virtual classrooms and teaching subjects with the help of augmented and mixed reality) will create more diverse opportunities for people from different walks of life. On the other hand, with the increased acceptance of E-Commerce facilities, digitisation is set to replace the physical markets by 2030. We can imagine a more sustainable and well-planned future with the help of technologies such as the Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, and Blockchains. 5G will easily help the nation transform itself into a global supreme. References 1. Talluri, R. (n.d.). Unleashing the full potential of 5G to create a massive Internet of things. Network World. https:// www.networkworld.com/article/3160851/unleashing-the-full-potential- of-5g-to-create-a-massive-internet-of-things.html 2. How to unleash the full potential of the IoT. (2019, March 26). Building a better working world - EY - United States. https://www.ey.com/en_gl/ consulting/how-to-unleash-the-full-potential-of-the-iot About Author : Naina Jain UX Faculty | Designer | Entrepreneur A passionate educationist with teaching experience in some of the prominent design institutes of India and an entrepreneur who is an active member of social initiatives such as Healing Forest and Do-no Trash. She founded a Design studio and has worked for the Government of Uttarakhand, Rajnath Singh (Honourable minister of Home Affairs of India), Government of Arunachal, some of the top multinational companies like Bain and Company, DSM, TEDx, PSBT and many more. Her skills include team building, quality of work, progressive thinking, spontaneity and rapid design thinking. Connects : linkedin.com/in/nainajain25 DID YOU KNOW? The first Google doodle was designed as an “out of office” message in 1998 7 Student’s Artwork "Encephalon" By : Anshul Kumar DIT University By :Shubhi Agarwal DIT University By : Tushita Bhatia DIT University “Mind full of unsaid things” By : Anshul Kumar DIT University "Encephalon" "Story of a wild child" Social Spaces Social behaviours during the pandemic have changed mostly out of emergency. From here on, the way people participate in social activities and do business will drastically change too. Response strategies to the pandemic have called for a radical shift in the long-standing design principles of shared physical spaces, and the mechanical and digital elements within them. As organisations are learning to readjust, digital adoption has accelerated. This digital expedition will be more relevant to some industries than others. The retail and travel industries are pressed to get customers back into common public spaces safely while staying mindful of handling capacity and sanitation. But for customers, they will need to see, smell and feel that stores are in-fact “sanitised”. Stores, restaurants, hotels, banks and common public spaces must make each day’s cleaning efforts explicit. This could look like digitised cleaning logs and dashboards that are regularly updated to ensure shoppers that the store undergoes a thorough cleaning multiple times a day. The scent of bleach may be a new psychological parameter to instil reassurance. Another factor to consider for shopping malls is designing for in-store digital experiences. Innovations such as virtual “dressing rooms”, in place of the standard changing rooms, should fit right into the new post-pandemic model. Banks, including HSBC and Barclays, have been using speaker recognition technologies as a means of authenticating a customer’s identity. ABI details the following use cases in one of its Smart Cities and Smart Spaces Quarterly Updates: 1. Drones: communication and implementation of social distancing rules; delivery of medical supplies 2. AI-based remote temperature sensing (Kogniz Health) 3. Autonomous last-mile delivery (Beep, Navya, Nuro, Waymo, Postmates) 4. Digital twins: holistic, real-time visibility for resources and services (Siradel) 5. Real-time dashboards and data sharing: use of smartphone data crowdsourcing for location tracking. Many affluent cities are enjoying the benefits of a digital-only lifestyle in the form of immediate adoption of e-Government services, e-Health and tele-consultation, remote work, online education, and e-Commerce, thereby resulting in a striking downfall of traffic levels, city congestion, accidents, and air pollution. In China, Hangzhou based elevator manufacturer XIOLIFT has launched a voice- controlled elevator to mitigate the spread of contamination as people return to work. The In early 2020, mankind was forced into living in a world grappling with a pandemic, the Covid- 19. Anxiety and despair have been dominant ever since as small and large spaces alike are readjusting to a ‘locked down’ lifestyle. As a result, we are getting to see public and private organisations being pushed to their limits, particularly those with business models and services built along the standard of shared public spaces. What’s more, it’s evident that the ordinary physical experiences people once enjoyed without a second thought are now being considered selectively. For residents of high-density urban properties, access to safe and uncrowded open spaces and outdoor leisure areas have become, and will likely remain, a key factor when deciding where to live. Providing safe shared access to indoor and outdoor spaces through seamless integration of digital platforms will become a key requirement for urban space planning. The following paper attempts to shed light on how digitization and emerging technologies can efficiently address peoples’ practical needs of communication, entertainment, work, socialisation and consumption in their physical spaces. Re - defining the Post Covid Physical World By : Eshayat Taskin 8 voice-controlled elevator operates much like a smart speaker. Users can use its customized wake-up command “Xiaoxi, Xiaoxi” and alert the elevator of which floor to go to. One can also operate the elevator commands with regards to weather, music, and other entertainment options. Bubble Architecture Studio by Paulino Poveda hypothesised hexagon-shaped flooring modules that can each accommodate one person. The architecture is furnished with technology that helps people connect thermal bracelets to heat-mapping technology. The bracelets measure vital bodily signals such as heart rate and temperature and will alert the user of any concerns. If the user is found to be symptomatic in any form, the floor will turn red, and the user will be escorted to an isolation module where they will be joined by a health worker. EPAM Continuum has envisioned a similar model in a more ethical manner. The Screen Door health-check experience project uses fast thermal imaging, radio signals, and computer vision to detect early signs of COVID-19. Screen Door combines sensors and algorithms to identify elevated heart rate and respiration rate. Most importantly, it considers a respectful human-centred service design without raising an alarm or public shaming. This systems- thinking strategy will guarantee the security of public settings while supporting a culture of respect and empathy. From all these models and examples it is evident that when public space designs connect the ordinary with the novel, it is possible to create more seamless experiences. Reimagining the Office Organisations and businesses around the world have risen to the occasion to also remodel the workspace. It has become everyone’s priority to safeguard their employees by adopting decisive business-continuity plans. Before the pandemic, the office space was held crucial for enhancing productivity, professionalism, and time-bound performance. Densification, open-floor designs, and co- working were front-facing strategies. However, with the lockdown, senior managements were unanimous in accepting effective technologies for videoconferencing and digital collaboration such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts. Indeed, the office of the future is digital and virtual. Across industries, leaders were keen to adapt to a work-from-home culture in order to reevaluate the functionality of a physical office space and whether there even is a need for one. According to McKinsey’s research conducted in the US to measure the change in office environments, 41% reported being more productive than they had been before, and 28% were reportedly just as productive. The future of the physical office will also prioritise health and sanitation over all else. It will be imperative to redesign workspaces that enable physical distancing and restrict movement in congested areas (for instance, elevator banks and pantries). Futuristic technology will play a central role in enabling workers to function in their office buildings. Facebook has been working on launching something of a futuristic desk platform, where virtual screens float in the air, and people can resize them to their needs. Facebook said the emerging technology is part of a modern computing platform that would combine augmented and virtual reality and connect them with new devices to create “infinite workspaces” that could allow co-workers to collaborate in virtual meeting rooms. It goes without saying that digitisation is only as effective as it is personalised. ‘Codec Avatars’, a concept of lifelike virtual avatars of employees – is a unique concept Facebook is working on to enhance social interaction, by “helping social connections in VR become as natural and familiar as those in the real world”. Corporate offices will be seen investing in the power of contactless technologies to prevent disease transmission. Zaha Hadid Architects’ response strategy for the Bee’ah waste management company in Sharjah, UAE may just be a preview of the immediate future. It is prepared with what ZHA calls ‘contactless pathways,’ wherein the workforce will rarely need to touch any physical touch-points with their hands. Office doors open automatically in response to motion sensors and facial recognition. Elevators - and even a hot beverage - can be ordered through a smartphone. 9 Global real estate company Cushman & Wakefield has adapted to the challenge of continuing to work in a physical space with their new Six Feet Office design strategies. The Six Feet Office is a state of the art transformation to ensure social distancing. By installing signals around its office to track employees’ movements via their mobile phones, the infrastructure can potentially send alerts when six-feet rules are breached. While adapting to such advancements, the immediate need of the hour will be for organizations to manage which employees necessarily need to come to the office, how often the office is sanitised, whether the airflow is sufficient. In-office videoconferencing should no longer involve a group of people huddled around a screen. Seamless in-person communication, remote collaboration spaces (such as virtual whiteboards), and asynchronous working models will quickly move from futuristic ideas to becoming the standard organisational norm. These adjustments may not only enhance how work is done but also reduce overheads and encourage savings. Companies should take a fresh look at how much and where space is required and how it promotes avenues for collaboration, productivity, and cultural exchange. The coming transformation will practice an assortment of space solutions: owned space, standard leases, flexible leases, flex space, and remote work. Home- the Safe Haven Before the pandemic, a majority of urban communities chose to live in dense residential neighbourhoods because of the convenience of proximity to work, schools, and the benefits of shared resources and amenities. Living in shoebox apartments at the expense of being close to sought-after destinations (such as museums, restaurants, and clubs) offered solace and respite from living in cramped spaces. However, since the impact of Covid-19, residents are particularly concerned about the health and safety risks that come with shared physical touch-points. We were previously used to twisting doorknobs, pressing buttons, and tapping touch screens to navigate our immediate living spaces. But now, visibility, clear communication, and immediate response are growing concerns for people to feel secure in their homes. Where you live now is also where you work, hang out, ‘eat out’ and attend concerts. This has renewed the significance and the design of the state of the home environment. Urban space planners and designers have come to recognise the need to redesign residential spaces with the versatility to transform it into a space that supports work, inculcates learning, while also addressing comfort and social needs. For residents now, living at home has to meet the perfect balance of ‘community’ while also retaining ‘individuality.’ As some citizens settle into long-term remote working, they’ll need to make spatial changes to their apartments powered by technology. Homes will have to be restructured to include a workspace. Australian design firm Woods Bagot launched its ‘Split Shift Home’ design to respond to this need. The unit offers features like moveable walls, a space for cultivating plants and crops, and extra office and food storage spaces. Movable walls can be built into units to divide or expand spaces. Sensorial controls inspired by immersive luxury-hotel-like experiences can install softer lighting, music, and even scents to signal the end of the workday. For many affluent city dwellers, having a way to visualise, track, and gauge current traffic and hygiene conditions of a public space could enable people to plan their days around commotions, such as disinfection or containment zones, and avoid moving during certain specific times. Technological advancements like using smart surfaces in public areas to alert supervisors and residents when they need disinfection are key to helping residents continue a safe and secure life within their spaces. Certain other features could look like real-time status dashboards to display traffic conditions and measure risk density in an area through heat maps. With e-Governance bridging the gap between people and the government through contact tracing apps, the state and ruling bodies will have direct ways to address, correct and warn citizens. With health becoming a universal 10 priority, fixtures like doorknobs, mailboxes, elevators, hallways, and parking lobbies will need regular disinfecting of which residents will be notified through smart-apps. Update residents about “safe zones” through lighting and environmental displays to show which areas have been recently disinfected will be another emerging practice. The hard lessons we learn from the pandemic will have lasting effects on communal living. Using a human-centered approach to spatial, service, and technological innovation should design for the current dubious moment and prepare for the next normal. Taking novel designs and services forward will create opportunities for more human-to-human and human-to-nature interactions. Such advancements will make domestic living even better on the other side of the pandemic. The purpose of the local markets has also reinvented itself during this crisis. Consumers have regained interest in supporting their local economy due to mobility restrictions. People are now making fewer trips to grocery, drug and convenience stores but are spending more per visit- a trend that can be observed as ‘larger shopping baskets but fewer trips’. Shoppers are choosing to have products shipped to them through click-and-collect options. This was evident in Big Basket’s revenue in March being 20% higher than normal days. Grofers saw an 80% surge in the orders and the amount spent by shoppers rose by 48%. However, despite the growing popularity of the online stores, consumers still want the guarantee and immediate fulfilment that come with the brick-and-mortar stores. A whopping 90% of India’s $700 billion retail market is made up of neighbourhood kiranas, and families depend on open-air/wet markets for their basic food needs. In India, despite the expansion of big FMCG brands and plush supermarkets, the vast majority still buys 65% of their essentials from kirana stores as they are more likely to trust someone in their immediate vicinity. A model that has emerged from the pandemic is tapping into the potential of a localised ecosystem i.e going hyperlocal. It’s a business model that connects local offline markets to customers through a digital platform. It enables a customer to immediately purchase products or request for services at the click of a button. Hyper-localisation is a great model for Indian households as there is a tendency to develop deep, familial ties with vendors, shopkeepers and service providers within one’s locality. Millions of people living in gated communities depend on the Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) to combat the crisis locally. India’s RWAs and residential housing societies have a strong foothold over community’s safety, spread of information and operations. Hyperlocal startups could capitalise on this opportunity by exercising a framework to bring together hyperlocal data and storytelling on one platform. This is rightly being exemplified by apps like MyGate. Over 1.6 million homes in India use the MyGate app to perform day to day functions like authorising entry of delivery officials, paying maintenance bills, raising a ticket to the facility manager, scheduling health checkups. The app has partnered with several companies for express delivery of groceries and medicines, collecting digital payments, prompt delivery of e- papers. This in turn has also created opportunities for local vendors who may set up their stalls inside the society to sell for a couple of hours everyday while the RWA officers monitor the flow of buyers from different houses. In real life, large and small companies have been delivering directly to customers through third-party eCommerce touchpoints (as being practiced by Swiggy Grocery). They are using social networking platforms to expand their customer base, thereby leveraging smaller secondary sales points or selling through third- party generalists, and working with packaging suppliers that employ safer methods of delivery. Farmers have wide scale opportunities to connect directly with consumers now, as aided by the Kisan Sabha App, thereby removing the middleman. In an attempt to restrict physical contact between people, major public spaces and social centres may have shut down but the purchase of food and essentials has remained inevitable. Open markets and grocers will remain a vital foundation of food consumption and distribution across the globe. Closing them would only impose financial constraints on the more 11 vulnerable groups. The future of retail shopping likely looks cashier-less. As coronavirus hit hard, Amazon saw an opportunity and began licensing cashier-free technology to retailers. The technology features computer vision, sensor fusion, and deep learning, all of which empower shoppers to place items in carts and simply walk out the door when they are done. The Just Walk Conclusion The one thing Covid-19 has taught everyone is that life as we knew it will not remain the same. What we need now is sincere governance and strategies that will promote health and security through design advancement of our physical spaces. Designers can then serve to formulate and re-engineer our cities and towns towards good health, revitalised streets, and more resilient neighbourhoods. As the conversations around undoing the densification of places unfold over the coming months, it is important not to scapegoat the user experience of next generation urban space planning and architecture. References 1. Tactical urbanism: Reimagining our cities post-covid-19. (2020, June 4). ArchDaily. https://www.archdaily.com/940877/tactical-urbanism- reimagining-our-cities-post-covid-19https://www.epam.com/insights/ white-papers/how-to-design-integrated-experiences-for-the-post- pandemic-world 2. This is how coronavirus could reshape our cities forever. (n.d.). World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/05/ coronavirus-change-cities-infrastructure/ 3. Reimagining the office and work life after COVID-19. (n.d.). McKinsey & Company. https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/ our-insights/reimagining-the-office-and-work-life-after-covid-19 4. Screen door: https://www.pandemictechnews.com/2020/05/12/ screen-door-a-safe-innovative-human-centered-approach-to-opening- up-public-spaces/ About Author : Eshayat Taskin (MSc Clinical Psychology) As a dynamic and creative individual, Eshayat has demonstrated experience in the fields of early childhood education, special needs and mental health. Her interests include arts, design, and creative pedagogy. Her passion for exploring how human behaviour and social psychology apply in learning, culture and human development has brought her into the field of designing curriculum and educational material for UX. Conne