Portfolio 2021

portfolio / sameeramudgal

SAMEERA MUDGAL P O RT F O L I O 2 6 th M a y 2 0 2 1

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design research for public health

portfolio / sameeramudgal

Vihara Innovation Network

D E S I G N R E S E A RC H

W H AT I D I D

N u t r i t i o n I n d i a Pr o g r a m m e a nutrition and health initiative for maternal and child health implemented in thousand villages of Maharashtra. The consor tium was made up of NGOs and private organizations such as PLAN India, VSTF, media partners and such who w e r e c h a n n e l i z e d b y Re c k i t t B e n c k i s e r.

+ proposal phase- pitching + secondary research + field research (recce and formal) + data visualization + ideation for interventions + strategy development with partner organizations + project management + brief of concepts of all illustration material

P RO J E CT I N S I G H T S

EXPERIENCE GAINED

specific & local causes of malnutrition + M o n o c u l t u r e s o f Pr o d u c e a n d Lo w D i e t a r y D i v e r s i t y + Te e n a g e p r e g n a n c y + High prevalence of Sickle cell anemia + Cluster migration: living in poor conditions, thus children are vulnerable to most common air and water borne communicable diseases. + Re p e a t e d i l l n e s s

+ research design + tool design + project management + field immersion (rural) + illustration direction and content development

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future of collaborative consumption

portfolio / sameeramudgal

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m a s t e r ’s t h e s i s p r o j e c t

S U M M A RY humans across all ages, classes, genders, countries etc. accumulate material objects. the project connects dots between consumerism, ownership, accumulation, anti-accumulation, clutter and sharing on the levels of i n d i v i d u a l , f a m i l y, c o m m u n i t y a n d c i t y, b a s e d i n t h e c o n t e x t of Delhi. the project has tried to answer questions of how human relationship with objects can b e c o m e e a s i e r, w h a t a r e t h e contemporary opinions on possessions, what all can be s h a r e d a n d h o w.

Co l l a b o r a t i v e c o n s u m p t i o n i s explored as necessary to form the base for circular economy where sharing, which is seen as a c u l t u r a l a c t i v i ty, p r o g r e s s e s into an economy of itself. the research paved way for two interventions; Saanjha Sangrahalaya- Library of Things which focussed at a community level of collaborative consumption through sharing which was implemented in a residential colony; and SwapShop which is directed towards an individual level of collaborative consumption through barter and swapping,

DRIVING QUESTIONS implemented in a university space. these interventions/ experiments have revealed t h e g r o u n d r e a l i t y, c o m f o r t factors and emotions associated specifically with barter and sharing. At the least they add to the existing theories and speculations regarding accumulation, sharing and bar ter by revealing the unexpected limits and possibilities of collaborative consumption.

ACC U M U L AT I O N _what are urban systems and services for accumulated objects? _how do we accumulate and get rid of objects? _can we accumulate sustainably? _what is excess?

A S S O C I AT E D VA L U E S _when are objects assets and when are the liability? _what is minimalism in our cultural context? _how does value of objects change? _how are values interconnected and paired?

S H A R I N G VA L U E _what is sharing? what value does it have? _what is the past, present and future of sharing?

What all do you carry in your bag?

2.1 EXPERIMENT 1

free-floating lighter

two experiments and two in-depth case studies for understanding behaviour towards owned, co-owned and shared objects in 3 different settings.

What all do you carry in your bag?

object accumulation was explored on the level of individual, social groups and public, and the ecosystem of owned and shared objects were mapped. objects were categorized on the basis of ownership, value and function.

What all do you carry in your bag?

EXPERIMENT 2

What is in your bag?

Memories

items inProof bag (Governance/ Economical)

g i ft i n g

sh aring

donating

swapping collab or ative co n sum p t i o n

Difficult procedure

Transactional

Forgotten/ Unuseful

freq uently used Potential Use/ Functional/ Emergency o ccasio nally Utilitarian used

Ro tatio nal/ ev eryday renew

b or rowing

Categorization of Objects

CA Sof E SGratification T U DY 2 and Levels Difficult ba r t a n w a a l e ( r e s i d e n t i a l ba r te r s e r v i ceMemories ) c a r t p u l l e r s l i v i n g i n Ka s h m e r e G a t e CAS E STUDY 1

and Levels of Gratification

1-2 m o nths

co-ow ned (gr ou p s)

and Levels of Gratification

Categorization of Objects

12 m o nths o r m o re 3 m o nths

assi gned valu es are f l uid and changing

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Proof Difficult Memories (Governance/ Transactional procedure Forgotten/ Economical)

ti m e s i n ce acqu i red

own e d ( In di v idual)

portfolio / sameeramudgal

procedure

seldo m used

OBJECT OWNERSHIP

Categorization of Objects

Proof Unuseful (Governance/ Transactional Forgotten/ Economical) Potential Use/

Emergency

Functional/ Unuseful Utilitarian

Potential Use/ Emergency

Functional/ Utilitarian

the life of car tpullers l i v i n g i n t h e Ka s h m e r e Gate autopar t market. the constraint on storage space and living outdoors without proper shelter led to the community sharing storage space as well as objects participatory study with cartpullers revealed relationship with objects, constraints and possibilities of sharing.

2.2

portfolio / sameeramudgal

S WA P S H O P

(par ticipants and objects they swapped)

the two interventions were based on providing a space where values associated with objects can remain ‘ f u n d a m e n t a l l y f l u i d ’, w h i l e also acknowledging individual values such as emotional or aesthetic value (which often cannot be expressed in economic terms). the service also became an alternate platform so that disconnected objects are not forgotten i n a n i n d i v i d u a l ’s m a s s o f accumulation, but rather be s h a r e d a m o n g s t e a c h o t h e r.

SwapShop as a university intervention allowed participants to be able to swap objects for anything on the table. for quality maintenance, the only two criteria wereobjects given should not be b r o k e n / e m p t y, r e p l a c e t h e v a l u e on the table, “if you think what y o u a r e t a k i n g i s p r e t t y, s w a p i t f o r s o m e t h i n g p r e t t y “.

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A N A LY S I S

USER JOURNEY

? ?

Case A wishes to declutter

!

Case C sees an object of value on the table, finds something onthe spot to swap.

Case B has a spare thing, can give away if it’s value is returned

!!!

Ca se B

Ca se A

Ca se D

s ha r e s a n d s w a p s a n eq u a l n u mb e r of o b j ec t s

s w a p s a r t wo r k he ma d e fo r a y e a r w i t h b a d q u a l i ty a i r p l a n e e a r p ho n e s b ec a u s e ‘ha s a n ee d ‘. O n l y t a ke s o b j ec t i f n ee d s

c ho o s e o b j ec t s to s ha r e w i t h e a c ho t he r

a t t a c he s p e r s o n a l n o te to s ha r e co mi c’s e mo t i o n a l v a l u e

t a ke ho b by ma te r i a l t hey w a n t to t r y b u t d o n o t w a n t to b u y

Case D are a group, helping and sharing with eachother

Number of Objects given230 Number of succesful swaps113

Categories: clothes, b o o k s a n d s t a t i o n a r y, utensils and tools, k n i c k- k n a c k s a n d edibles, miscellaneous and ar twork.

rules/objects should be functional, clean, usable

I N S I G H T S A N D PAT T E R N u s e r s s w a p o b j ec t s i n s i mi l a r c a teg o r i e s .

Ave ra g e swa ps/ d a y 24

I n mo s t c a s e s f a c i l i t a to r s ma d e s p o n t a n e r o u s d ec i s i o n and each swap was unique

Mo st d o na te d o b je ct - books Mo st swa ppe d o b je ct - c l o t he s a n d a cce s s o r i e s

g ive a wa y > swa pping ofte n p eo p l e wo u l d p u t mo r e o b j ec t s o n t a b l e a n d d o l e s s n u mb e r of swapping

2.3

portfolio / sameeramudgal

L I B R A RY O F T H I N G S

( o b j e c t s d o n a t e d a n d s h a r e d i n t h e c o m m o n s p a c e o f r e s i d e n t i a l c o l o n y, b y r e s i d e n t s )

library of things formed in a residential colony in New Delhi collected objects which the residents had in their g a r a g e / a t t i c . i n t h i s w a y, t h e intervention tried to solve the problem of under utilization and increasing accumulation. the experiment was organized in an unused portacabin inside t h e r e s i d e n t i a l c o l o n y. the objects were categorized as /kitchen equipment /mobility aid /books /toys and games /tools and miscellaneous

Provider A

Provider B

Provider C

/old baby products-

/rarely used hawan

/medical crutches,

pram and toys

kund (ceremonial fire

bought earlier during

/ g r a n d m o t h e r ’s o l d

bowl)

an accident, now out

wheelchair

/ s o n s ’o l d b o o k s a n d

of use

skates

the service provided a space to store unused/extra objects on the condition that they would be shared with other residents. most donated objetcs in descending order were / books and toys from parents whose children have outgrown them / kitchen equipment which are rarely used / mobility aid and walkers / gardening equipment and tools

User A

User B and C

/borrowed old cycle

/borrowed badminton

donated by resident

rackets

to run errands nearby

/used the portacabin Library of things as a reading space /practiced how to skate

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L.A.B.S service design project

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portfolio / sameeramudgal

‘u n i v e r s i t y a n d t h e c i t y ’

BRIEF how do we connect the new c a m p u s o f A m b e d k a r U n i v e r s i t y, Delhi (AUD) opening in Ka r a m p u r a w i t h i t s s u r r o u n d i n g neighbourhood, while creating services which are sustainable/ mutually beneficial and utilize the resources of the par ties? the study conducted mapping exercises and interviews with stakeholders from the university and the neighbourhood, to identify needs and strengths of both spaces and to make sure the university doesn’t grow out as an isolated blind spot for the residents. the attempt was also to find a service which would cater to the students or staff o f t h e u n i v e r s i t y, a n d w h i c h i s relevant for them.

THE AREA

Ka r a m p u r a , s i t u a t e d i n t h e Ce n t r a l - We s t D e l h i r e g i o n .

M A P P I N G O P PO RT U N I T I E S after mapping the existing and potential services of the area and the principles of the a f o r e m e n t i o n e d u n i v e r s i t y, the project narrowed down to working with small and medium businesses. the neighbourhood had a number of micro, small and medium businesses which were facing problems specific t o t h e i r i n d u s t r y. f o r e x a m p l e the autopart repair shops caused environmental issues, tailor shops had surplus of abandoned clothes, and medium businesses were mostly trying to remain trendy and expand their product range. when these problems were clubbed w i t h t h e u n i v e r s i t y ’s a i m o f encouraging hands-on and interdisciplinary education, the service idea of L.A .B.S came up.

Lo c a l i z e d A d v i c e f o r Businesses and other Services is a student exposure and consulting society which takes up businesses and their problems for a period of two months and provides consulatation at a minimal cost.

micro, small and medium businesses in the area- Autopart repair shops, stationary shops, tailor and garment shops, free food services, dharamshaalas

Sharma ji

S h a r m a j i ’s w o r k s h o p

S h a r m a j i ’s product

Query from potential client “m y p r o d u c t w h i c h i s a m o t o r c y c l e s p o k e s e l l s r a r e l y. h o w d o I i n c r e a s e m y clientele?” “is there another product which I can venture into with the same skillset and resources?”

3.1

portfolio / sameeramudgal

S E RV I C E B L U E P R I N T

Lo c a l i z e d A d v i c e f o r B u s i n e s s e s a n d o t h e r S e r v i c e s

L.A.B.S was prototyped with a group of MBA students of t h e u n i v e r s i t y, m e n t o r e d b y professor of Marketing. although the idea was only tested in-studio and could not be taken back in the neighbourhood. the proposed service journey is as presented.

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portfolio / sameeramudgal

for Urban Underpriveledged

Imarti cloth is used as a tool to dispense batter into hot oil and form spiral shapes.

Tandoor ka

is washed and changed everyday.

of a certain thickness so that It is made of one it can ooze out single layer of from the hole accurately. has a hole in the middle through which the batter is squeezed out. into a more sophisticated tool by adding a small nozzle made of brass in it to squeeze the batter in a

It is made of 4 layers of cloth. the inner most layer is made of thick jute, coiled in a spiral. it is then wrapped around a cotton cloth, which is again wrapped around another cotton cloth. the outer most layer is mostly made with kitchen cloth which gives its distinct checked red and white appeal.

Cloth in Functionality A narrative of cloth in material culture

Imarti ka

dough to the inner walls of the tandoor (Oven).

कपड़ा

IMARTI (Fried Fermented dough) Technique

Tandoor cloth is used

this photo essay explored ‘c l o t h ’ a n d d e l v e d i n t o different meanings and forms t h a t a c c o m p a n y i t . Re s e a r c h and exploration yielded cloth as a tool, a means to accessible free food, as s h e l t e r, i n s e m i o t i c s , a s a means of bar ter and trade and such. The brief was narrowed down to form a 10 page book which explored cloth as a tool in two situations, jalebi / imarti ka kapda and tandoor ka kapda.

Tandoor ki Roti (Bread) Technique

GLIMPSE OF BOOKLET

IMARTI (Fried Fermented dough) Technique

a photo essay

Imarti cloth is Fermented dough) IMARTI (Fried used as a tool to is washed Technique and changed dough) dispense batter Fermented IMARTI (Fried into hot oil and everyday.

Technique form spiral Imarti cloth is ofwashed a certain shapes. used as a tool to is thickness so that Imarti cloth is and changed dispense batter it can ooze out It is made ofand one is washed used as aoiltool to everyday. into hot fromchanged the hole singlespiral layer of and dispense batter form accurately. everyday. into hot oil and of a certain shapes. has a spiral hole in the thickness so that form middle through ofcan a certain shapes. ooze out It is made of one it which layer the batter thickness so that from the hole single of is is squeezed it can ooze out It made of out. one accurately. single layerinofthe from the hole has a hole middle through accurately. intoaahole more has in the which the batter sophisticated middle through is squeezed out. tool bythe adding which batter a small nozzle is squeezed out. made of brass into a more in it to squeeze sophisticated the batter in a into abymore tool adding asophisticated small nozzle material of the tool byofadding made brass cotton. acloth small nozzle in it toissqueeze made of brass the batter in a in it to squeeze the batterofinthe a material cloth is cotton. material of the cloth is cotton.

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cloth in functionality

material of the cloth is cotton.

Tandoor ki Roti (Bread) Technique Tandoor cloth is used dough to the inner walls of the tandoor (Oven).

It is made of 4 layers of cloth. the inner most layer is made of thick jute, coiled in a spiral. it is then wrapped around a cotton cloth, which is again wrapped around another cotton cloth. the outer most layer is mostly made with kitchen cloth which gives its distinct checked red and white appeal.

“All objects, all phases of culture are alive. they have voices. they speak of their history and interrelatedness, and they are all talking at once!”

Camille Paglia

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branding and visual design

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EXHIBIT DESIGN

MEDIA VISUALS

“the last Super” and “floaty” were submitted as exhibition concepts for Bacardi, developed for a corporate event.

Floaty was selected, and went for fabrication.

a new branch of Social by I m p r e s s a r i o o p e n e d i n Va s a n t Ku n j , D e l h i a n d t h e t h e m e w a s Wa b i S a b i . f o l l o w i n g v i s u a l s were created for the media event. the first concept was of creating four artworks, each of 16x24 inches, made up of smaller cards which would be personalized and given to each media professional. the artworks would be paper w a s t e , g l u e d t o g e t h e r.

the second concept was an I n d i a n i n t e r p r e t a t i o n o f Wa b i Sabi where broken and burnt pottery form various pottery villages of Delhi would be collected and presented as an exhibit, each containing a personalized card for media professionals.

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portfolio / sameeramudgal

thank you

Sameera Mudgal behavioral researcher design thinker futurist

8447141024 h t t p s : / / w w w. b e h a n c e . n e t / s a m e e r a m u d c 7 3 8 h t t p s : / / w w w. l i n k e d i n . c o m / i n / s a m e e r a - m u d g a l - 4 0 1 8 8 8 6 8 /

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