Publications

Abstract: Behavioural design has emerged as an important domain of design research and practice. However, there is a need to better distinguish behavioural design and subsequently map its unique features and challenges. In answer to this need, this work examines the evolving role of behaviour in design and contrasts this with eleven in-depth behavioural design cases. This has resulted in our identification of behavioural design as a new paradigm of design, with a number of unique characteristics. Based on this, we propose a model of behavioural design. Furthermore, we identify three critical barriers to behavioural design in practice, and suggest ten mitigating enablers. Together these findings provide implications for further development of theory, practice, and education in behavioural design. 

Abstract: Behavioural design has emerged as a critical new area of research and practice. However, despite the development of extensive lists of possible problem features and suggested solution principles there is little guidance on how these should be connected. Therefore, in this work we systematically examine interactions between major problem features and solution principles, based on an analysis of 218 behavioural design interventions drawn from 139 cases across design domains and foci. This forms the basis for a number of contributions. First, we bring together behavioural and designerly perspectives on problem characterisation via two proposed problem features: change demand and behavioural constraint, related in a two-by-two framework. Second, we synthesised recommendations from across domains and foci to operationalise a list of 23 solution principles relevant to designers. Third, we link these insights in a proposed Behavioural Problem/Solution (BPS) matrix. Further, we identify a number of potential systemic challenges in the reporting and evidencing of behavioural design interventions. Together, these insights substantially extend both theory and practice surrounding problem-solution mapping in behavioural design, and form a foundation for further theory development and synthesis in this area. 

Abstract: Paternalism is an instance of someone making a decision on behalf of someone else. A professional designer can exhibit paternalism through conceptualizing, defining, and selecting current or preferable situations or while finalizing outcomes for stakeholders. Paternalism is thus, a critical ethical dimension related to the design profession. The design academy and community must theorize paternalism if we are to avoid or reduce it. Paternalism may be present at three critical junctures of design decision making. Our three-layer framework examines paternalism as it relates to design process decisions, decisions about participation in design, and normative framework decisions. The circular model represents the hierarchy of paternalistic decision making: any effort to overcome paternalism at the (inner) design level or (middle) participatory level will be ineffective if it is present in the (outer) normative layer. We discuss the extent of possible exhibitions of paternalism and the challenges to avoiding it in decisions at each layer, and contrast these briefly with overtly paternalistic design approaches, such as design for behavior change. We find that design may be inherently paternalistic, at times may need to be that way (in certain contexts especially, where expertise is required for decisions to be made accurately), and that it is up to the individual designer whether they exhibit paternalism in their design decisions or not. 

Abstract: Base of the (economic) Pyramid (BoP) represents a population living under severe resource constraint s. Design for BoP has crucial responsibility of achieving the well-being through fulfillment of specific needs. At BoP, design has to shoulder this additional responsibility due to absent or severely constrained mechanisms to translate the functional product into well-being. This paper proposes a design scope for the BoP using normative approach from developmental economics, and then compares it with the pervasive product centric scope. Author defines product centricity as a design scope that considers resultant product as sufficient outcome of design and evaluates the extent of product centricity in prevalent design approaches. 

Abstract: Industries often prioritize markets with high sales volumes and profit margins, showing little interest in developing technologies for low-income communities where demand and purchasing power are both low. More often, designers and researchers from various academic institutions voluntarily invest part of their professional engagements in developing technologies to enhance the livelihoods of low-income communities. However, academic professionals face several challenges, primarily due to their limited bandwidth in terms of their time and expertise. In this research, a methodology called action research was employed to identify the challenges faced by the above professionals in developing technologies for low-income communities and to propose strategies to address them. Seven identified challenges were classified under the four categories based on design projects spanning over nine years (2014–2022). As a result, a design framework comprising 12 strategies, grouped into four broad categories, is proposed. All 12 strategies were validated through their implementations in one of the projects of the Rural Technology Action Group. 

Abstract: People living under $2 income per day, referred as Base of the Pyramid (BoP), face undesired situations like lack of nutrition, health, education etc. Design as a process of changing current undesired situation to a desired situation has failed. A crucial reason behind these failures is lack of normative basis to identify and understand the absent or unsatisfied stakeholder. Currently stakeholder analysis in the design is heuristic. This paper uses a normative framework of Capability Approach (CA) for the stakeholder analysis. A brief discussion on stakeholder theory and analysis is used to identify gaps in the literature. The constructs of the CA are discussed for its suitability to the purpose. Along with methodological details, data generated from the stakeholder interviews, focus groups in a case study of dissemination of improved cook-stoves is used to interlink the theory with the practice. The scope of this work is in identifying and investigating the motives of the stakeholders in the involvement in the product. Though a lot of insights to discern and manage crucial stakeholders is inbuilt in the methodology, this work does not claim explicit coverage of these aspects.

Abstract: The base (BOP) and the top (TOP) of the world income pyramid represent the poor people and the people from developed countries, respectively. The design of products for the BOP is an important ingredient of the poverty reduction approach that combines business development with poverty alleviation. However, the current understanding of the design for the BOP is limited. This study, using a protocol analysis, compared design processes for the BOP and TOP markets. The results indicate the difference between the design processes for these markets in terms of the design strategy employed by the designers (i.e. problem driven, solution driven strategy), their requirements handling behaviour, and their information behaviour. 

Abstract: Medical diagnosis requires the undertaking of decision-making tasks of varying complexity. A significant source of such complexity is the objective factors that represent the inherent task characteristics and the clinical context in which the task is undertaken. While existing task complexity research has mentioned these inherent factors, it has not explicitly stated the identifying criteria required to identify these factors from collected qualitative data. There is also a critical gap persisting in terms of a well-defined protocol to measure objective task complexity in a clinical context. This study proposes a protocol to estimate the objective complexity of diagnostic tasks in an emergency medicine setting. To do this, we expanded a prior task complexity conceptualisation framework that states 27 inherent task and context-dependent factors and defined the identifying criteria for each of those factors. The protocol was developed through a site study at an emergency medicine department in India. This protocol can be used by behavioural designers, human factors researchers and medical experts to evaluate the complexity of diagnostic tasks in emergency medicine and potentially other healthcare settings.