Select Research and Writings
The Curious Case of a High Heeled Shoe
Research Paper, Presented at the 6th International Conference on Innovative Product Design and Intelligent Manufacturing Systems (ICIPDIMS) hosted by NIT Rourkela on 4/ 5 December 2024. (Paper to be published in a scopus indexed proceedings in 2025)
* Image Source has been cited in the Paper
The paper titled 'The Curious Case of a High Heeled Shoe' was an inquiry into products that have dominated the market over time. It included providing a historical lens to a singular product (that of a high heeled shoe), understanding its evolution and subsequently examining the causes of its prevalence over centuries (despite the apparent discomfort). Thus underlining the need to address psychological concerns of the user.
The Color of Colors
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Research Paper, Presented at the 5th International Conference of the Indian Disability Studies Collective (IDSC) on the theme 'Crip Encounters, Disability and Contemporary Conversations' at the Cotton University, Guwahati, Assam, India
* Image Source has been cited in the Paper
This paper explores a collaborative and interdisciplinary project conducted at the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, aimed at sensitising designers and educators to the nuances of inclusivity, and accessibility with a particular focus on hidden disabilities. Color blindness, or color vision deficiency (CVD), remains a largely misunderstood condition, both in terms of its physiological implications and its experiential reality. Specifically, the project addresses red-green color blindness (Protanopia), examining its implications, causes, and the critical need for contextual awareness within design education. Adopting a Disability Studies perspective, the research highlights the significant gaps in design education regarding the inclusivity of individuals with color blindness, particularly within a design school setting where color perception is central to pedagogy. The project consists of two primary components: a documentary film and a graphic system design. The documentary captures the lived experiences of a color blind design student, offering an intimate exploration of how color blindness shapes their navigation through a color-centric academic and social environment. This film raises essential questions about what is truly rendered invisible by color blindness-whether it is the colors themselves or the sociocultural meanings ascribed to them. By foregrounding these lived experiences, the film aims to foster empathy and understanding among design educators and peers. The second component, a graphic system design, was strategically developed to create a heightened sensitivity and awareness of hidden disabilities within the NID community. Analyzing the foundational "color module" of the design school curriculum revealed a lack of inclusivity, which extended to NID's digital, physical, and educational spaces. Addressing these shortcomings, the project curated design interventions tailored to the specific needs of a design education environment. These interventions were crafted to not only raise awareness but also encourage systemic changes that promote inclusivity. This paper outlines the research methodology, from the project's conception to the collaborative process that engaged students in designing different deliverables. It also presents the outcomes, including the reception of the documentary and graphic system, while critically reflecting on the broader question: "Are we truly inclusive of all disabilities?" By examining these efforts, the paper emphasises the urgency of rethinking design education to accommodate diverse abilities and challenges the field to adopt more inclusive practices that account for hidden disabilities like color blindness.
IFB Fresh Catch Brand Refresh
Master's Thesis - Published by National Institute of Design, 2024
The Masters' Thesis involved an intense 7 month work which culminated into a rebrand project for IFB Industries Ltd. The Design process was a double diamond design process. Primary Study was conducted on Market, User, Brand, Product and Competition Level. Whereas Secondary Study was conducted on Colour, Packaging and Printing Level. Tertiary study included a historical and trend mapping. Many visual iterations were designed and finally in the narrowing stage iterations were selected to be worked upon further. With the selected iterations came printing, logo, type, icon and illustration changes - as well product photo changes for which photoshoot was conducted. Subsequently the same process was applied for design of new identity and website.
The entire project is theoretically documented in the Thesis Publication.
* Image Source : Author
Reinforcing the Culture of Reading: Case Module for Bhilar, Satara
Bachelors Thesis - Published by Savitribai Phule Pune University, 2019
In 2017, Bhilar - a small village in the Satara District of Maharashtra was named as India’s first village of books. An initiative put forth by the Education Minister, the project was an attempt to reinforce the culture of reading especially at rural zones of the country and make books accessible to everyone. The concept, while borrowed from a Welsh town, started with a board of members and was executed with detail. However, it failed to live up to the expectation of many and created very little impact to solve the root cause of decline in the culture of reading.
It can be assumed as is evident that the project heavily lacked a sound Design Advisory and that project ended up being a juxtaposition of the inspiration (Hay on Wye) on an existing setting without prior study of the context.
The thesis, over 6 months, critically analysed this project from conception through present and tried to speculate a scenario where a project like this had third party Design/Architectural suggestions, thus stressing the need to have more designers in government related projects and initiatives.
The methodology adopted for this study included primary and secondary sources and findings from a previously conducted thorough research of the same from an architectural perspective. Finally the thesis concluded with built intervention proposals and a policy level plan.
Post thesis submission, more research was conducted with Shyam Joshi (Convener for the Government Initiative) and Carlos Fernandes (Goa State Central Library)
* Image Source : Author
Not Available to Read online but available upon an email request to the author
Tribe, Community, Art...and Belongingness
Write up as a part of Science and Liberal Arts Class 2022
The SGNP- one of the largest protected forest areas to be included under the limits of a metropolis has been facing an array of issues for past few years. In a densely populated city like Mumbai where 50% of the population lives on 8% of the land and where the rate of population growth increases by more than 1% ever year – It goes to say that PA’s come under massive stress.
SGNP encompasses not only a significant amount of flora and fauna – which act as the city’s lungs, but also indigenous communities and tribes who reside within the PA’s. It has had problems of rapid development, inter-species conflict, illegal and mining, deforestation and poaching. But in more intangible way, it has faced other sensitive issues of Adivasi identity, threshold poverty and ideas of custody with re-charting of boundaries over and over again. These issues are rooted deep in the fabric of dense urban area. They not only transcend all definitions of a problem, but are part of a much larger system that is intertwined with caste, politics, corruption and rapid development. Moving forward with a sustainable development policy is the need of the hour, but ignoring this crisis is and subjecting it to a trivial matter is also morally wrong.
Not Available to Read online but available upon an email request to the author
Cognition and Navigation in Architecture: Perception of Children for spaces designed for them.
Bachelors Dissertation - Published by PVP College of Architecture, Pune 2018
This paper discusses about the importance of understanding the psychology of the user before designing any space for him. Most often it happens that the spaces that are designed are not in a way they are actually perceived. The research is to analyse the architecture of a space used by children based on the perception of the children, not on the presumption of adults. Pertinent to the educational growth of children is the simulation they receive from their environment. When a child is deprived of valuable sensory experiences it can negatively influence their growth. It is suggested that children who are deficient in understanding spatial relationships have also learning difficulties in other school subjects. This research mainly focuses on the decoding and analysis of exercises conducted with a specific user group and a case study. Finally, the effects on children’s functioning are discussed in terms of designing and planning buildings and landscape for the children. As children are the active participants of their home and school environments, the present study
focuses on a pilot study which is conducted at a primary school in Pune with the 5th to 7th standard students. Therefore, the aim is to discover children’s landmark recognition and preferences of outdoor spaces in terms of their school space routes, playing areas and reveal the underlying syntactic structures of the spaces as well.
* Image Source : httphttps://freepost4u.blogspot.com/2016/02/abhinav-vidyalaya-english-medium-school.html?m=1#google_vignette
Other Miscellaneous Writings
Other Miscellaneous writings are in two parts.
1. Formal Writings which include Research Papers, Scholarly Articles, Essays, Critical Analysis and Classroom Submissions on the themes of Art, Design, Architecture, History, Anthropology.
2. Informal Writings include Essays, Travel/Film/Book Reviews, Experiences etc. on the open themes.