Cases Design Thinking

Case Study 1 – Baby Incubator | Embrace
Background
Imagine that you live in a remote village in Nepal. It’s winter and freezing making the roads nearly
impassable. You’ve just had your first baby, a little girl, and she’s premature and severely
underweight. The room that you’re in, while warm to you, feels like an ice-bath to the baby. Without
help soon, she will almost certainly die from hypothermia. What do you do?
Challenge
Worldwide, about 15 million premature babies are born every year and the most common
preventable cause of infant mortality is hypothermia. As a design thinking expert, this is an
extremely worthy design challenge. This is exactly what a team from Stanford’s d.school set out to
accomplish as a project for the class Design for Extreme Affordability (often known just as
“Extreme”).
Approach
The team ended up with a novel, innovative solution—but they never would’ve arrived there if they
remained within the bubble of Stanford’s campus. They needed empathy to see the problem clearly
from the perspective of hospital staff, doctors, and most importantly, parents of the child in danger.
Initially, the design team thought redesigning existing hospital incubators to be simpler and more
cost effective would be the easiest solution. But when a team member toured a hospital in Nepal, he
noticed something strange—the incubators were sitting empty. After interviewing a doctor about
this, he learned that many homes where these babies were born were 30 or more miles away on
rough rural roads, and that the parents faced the fight for their babies’ lives at home, without much
hope of making it to a hospital.
The Extreme team used this insight to inform their decisions about the product’s direction. Instead
of a cheaper incubator (the initial concept, but likely ineffective given the evidence) they decided to
design something to help babies at home: a portable incubator, much like a tiny, heated sleeping
bag, which they named Embrace.
While prototyping the Embrace, the

team interviewed many moms,
healthcare workers, and
shopkeepers who helped them
iterate on solutions. By showing
prototypes, they learned about
critical barriers to adoption.
In a village in India, a mother

explained they believe Western
medicines are very powerful, so
villagers often halve doses. The
warmer on the Embrace had a
temperature indicator, and this
mother indicated that other
mothers would only heat it halfway to the ideal temperature. This information led the team to
iterate on the design, removing the temperature strip and changing the design to showcase an “OK”
indicator.
The team also learned that in many communities, electricity is unavailable or unreliable. So they
designed a version of the warmer that could be heated using hot water.
Impact
With these insights, the team was able to

create a product that was easy to use
correctly in the locations it was designed for.
They formed a company based on this
product, grew it to 90 people, and have
helped over 3,000 babies.By using empathy
and focusing on the people who would use
the product—in this team’s case, a literal
journey that exposed them to the feelings and
challenges of their users—the Embrace team
came up with a product that saves lives.
Case Study 2: IDEO and Bank of America’s ‘Keep the Change’ program
Background
Let’s try a thought experiment. Put yourself in the state of mind of someone living paycheck
to paycheck. For some of us who as designers spent time freelancing and waiting … and
waiting … to get paid by clients, this might not be a hard thing to imagine.
What are some of your biggest fears? Getting your water or heat shut off because you can’t
pay bills on time? Maybe things are bad enough that you worry you won’t make rent and
could get evicted.
You probably don’t have time (or the means) to worry about setting up a savings plan.
A 2013 study at Princeton showed that being in this state of mind actually impairs the
brainpower needed to navigate other areas of life.
Challenge
So how do you go about designing a banking product for someone stuck in this vicious
cycle? In 2004, the design firm IDEO tackled exactly this challenge for Bank of America. Their
target users were not restricted to people in this demographic, but the insights that lead to
Bank of America’s innovative “Keep the Change” program.
They spoke to families and individuals, learning about spending and banking habits. They
began to notice some interesting patterns.
Often, mothers were in charge of the finances. This was during the early 2000s, before
online banking and mobile devices had more or less replaced the idea of a balanced
checkbook. Some moms had a practice of rounding up the number in their checkbooks; this
made addition easier, but it also gave a small buffer in spending.
Approach
Armed with this insight and the knowledge that many of these families had difficulty saving
what money they had, IDEO came up with a service idea. People could enroll in a savings
account that would round up purchases made with debit cards. Then, the overage would be
transferred to a savings account automatically. In addition, the bank would match the
money transferred to savings to a certain dollar amount.
Impact
As you might imagine, this program became very popular—and not only with people who
had trouble saving money. Ever since the program launched in September of 2005, more
than 12.3 million customers have enrolled, saving a total of more than 2 billion dollars. Of all
new customers, 60% enroll in the program.
The amount was largely inconsequential—it was more about the change in mental state and
feeling of empowerment that these customers gained.
To a certain degree, it removed the feeling of shame that came along with being unable to
save money, which was replaced with pride at taking more control over finances.
Case Study 3: Curioucity
Background
The bulk of news stories get created without the customers (the audience) meaningfully
involved in the decisions that shape the product (the story). The audience is usually only
involved after a newsroom has put their story out into the world.
Feedback doesn’t make it’s way into editorial meetings or effect meaningful change. This
means there’s scarce opportunity for reporters to learn from audience feedback, and
there’s also no time. Most reporters have to sprint to their next assignment the second a
story is published.
The way news is made in most shops, editors are the de facto surrogate for the audience.
They simply do not have the average audience member’s perspective. And there’s just no
substitute for getting feedback from the real deal customer.
Challenge
Newsrooms aren’t empathizing, prototyping, or testing their work with their audience
before they publish. What does this mean? It means limited effectiveness. It means
newsrooms create stories they think serve their audience, but they don’t know if they’re
right until it’s too late and they’ve already made the investment. It means a lot of money
and time sunk on stories that don’t necessarily resonate with people.
Approach
A experiment was called Curious City was launched.
Emphasize: Every story we made started was with a question from the audience. In other
words, every story began with empathizing with the audience to learn about their
information gaps. What was it that they didn’t know and believed a news organization could
help them find out, or settle once and for all?
Define: After we took audience questions, we then invited them to help us define what to
cover. We did that by curating the questions we felt we had the expertise / ability to
answer, and ultimately let them decide which story would serve them best by letting them
vote. In design thinking, if you’re ever at an impasse on the direction to take, the wisdom is
always to let your customer be the referee and decide.
Ideation: Next, once the story was determined, we brainstormed, or ideated, about how we
could best answer that question. That led to a platform-agnostic approach and thinking
about what medium would best serve the story being told. Sometimes it was radio and
podcasts, other times video, interactives or comic books.
Prototype + Test: The prototyping phase was the actual reporting. Often times we brought
the audience question asker (aka “user”) along for the ride so that we could better
understand what information was most important to them. This meant we were able to do
user test as we were reporting. Instead of an editor, an actual audience member played the
role of surrogate for the rest of the audience. That audience member gave feedback and
shaped the final story as it progressed.
By the time publication came along (the true test), we were pretty darn sure that the news
story (product) we were making was relevant to our audience (customer), and that it was
what people actually wanted. And the metrics certainly reflected that.
Impact
This public-powered model produced the type of “holy grail” type stories newsrooms are
always looking for but seldom find - original, relevant and popular.
A model that’s not for everyone, or absolutely everything
This approach isn’t meant for the very quick, reactive news stories (This building is on fire!
That person just dropped out of the race!). That being said, elements of this same approach
can be applied to so many other kinds of stories a newsroom produces. In fact, it’s a great
way to generate follow-up questions and fresh angles to those quick, reactive news stories
(What materials are most flammable in modern buildings? How do the candidate’s closest
supporters and canvassers cope with her dropping out of the race?)
Case Study 4: The Good Kitchen
Background
Denmark recognizes that their aging population presents many challenges. One of these is
serving the more than 125,000 senior citizens who rely on government-sponsored meals.
Danish municipalities deliver subsidized meals to people who suffer from a reduced ability
to function, due to illness, age, or other conditions.
Challenge #1
Many of the seniors have nutritional challenges and a poor quality of life because they
simply do not eat enough. The result is both health problems and a low quality of life for the
elderly and a greater economic burden on the government. The problem only looks to
intensify as the number of senior citizens grows and future generations of seniors expect
greater choice and better service.
Challenge #2
Working in a public service kitchen was a low-status job in Denmark. In addition, there had
recently been negative press about poor or even old food being served in such kitchens
Challenge #3
The workers’ major frustrations was that they were not empowered to do what they loved.
They had chosen to work with food because they enjoyed creating things out of food, but
they were forced to prepare the same food from the same menu month after month.
Challenge #4
Receiving government assistance was perceived as a social stigma and looked down upon.
Senior citizens loss of control over their food choices made them unhappy.
Approach
In response to this growing social problem, the firm Hatch & Bloom signed on to be part of
the effort to improve meal service for seniors. They were told the project would be
straightforward: the current menu would need some updating. In their view, they already
offered high-quality food and service, so the Hatch & Bloom team’s role would be to ask
elderly clients about their menu preferences.
The Hatch & Bloom team began by digging deep into seniors’ and cooking teams behaviors,
needs and wishes, using a comprehensive research process that focused on identifying their
current situation and unarticulated needs.
They went in the houses of the senior citizens and observed the entire process of receiving
the food to unpacking to eating and even trashing the remains. They uncovered lots of new
things. But even more interesting was the cooks and their teams role in this entire process.
So they took their feedback into this survey as well.
Hatch & Bloom had invited a well-known chef to observe the kitchen in action and then to
attend the workshop. He was surprised by the kitchen workers’ skills – “They were almost at
the level of professional chefs. But they had different results because of their different focus,
not a lack of skill” – he said.
Change #1
The menus was changed from a minimalist factual descriptions of the food (like “liver,
potatoes, and sauce) to more like a gourmet restaurant menu with high quality pictures.
Change #2
Packaging design changes were made to allow for modular meals where the components
were separate, instead of being mixed together.
Change #3
A gourmet chef trained the kitchen employees to introduce more seasonal ingredients and
offered ideas for improving presentation.
Change #4
Kitchen employees uniforms were changed from being ‘old night gowns’ to a more ‘chef-
like’ uniform. This was a symbol of dignity and status, and it signaled a sense of pride.
The process also yielded a new name: Hospitable Food Service became The Good Kitchen.
Change #5
The team developed simple comment cards that drivers began to carry with them and hand
to customers, who wrote reviews of their meals and suggestions for how to prepare them.
This immediate feedback enabled the staff to gain insights into the seniors’ thoughts and
reactions to their food. The comments were read aloud at staff meetings and pinned up in a
central kitchen location. The cards motivated employees and gave seniors the ability to
influence their meals. Both groups loved the new feedback cards.
Large photos from home visits were hung on the walls of the kitchen, bringing employees
closer to their customers.
Change #6
The Good Kitchen also began publishing a newsletter that included posts from kitchen
employees, information about and pictures of new hires, and other important events such
as employees’ birthdays and the birth of a grandchild. This gave the elderly a better
understanding of what happened in the kitchen and communicated that there were real
people standing in front of the stove who took pride in what they did. 2 way communication
was further reinforced by this way.
Impact
Once the transformation from Hospitable

Food Services to The Good Kitchen was
complete, the results spoke for
themselves. Reorganizing the menu and
improving the descriptions of the meals
drove a 500% increase in meal orders in
the first week alone. Within three
months, the number of customers had increased from 650 to 700.
One of the most important elements of the transformation has been the shift in employees’
perception of themselves and their work. Kitchen workers are now much more satisfied and
motivated. As a result, customers are happier with their food. “Good food has to come from
the heart!”
Case Study 5: Airbnb
Background
2009. Airbnb is on the verge of bankruptcy. Like many of the startups that emerged in those
days it was practically unknown.
Challenge
The company's revenue barely reached 200 dollars a week and losses were crippling its
three founders.
They realized that there was a common pattern in the 40 ads published: the similarity was in
the pictures. They weren't very good, since the owners took them with smartphones, not all
the rooms of the homes were shown and those interested had no idea where they were
going to live. People were not booking rooms because they couldn't even actually see what
they were paying for.
Approach
They skipped codes they had learned at school for a business to work and followed the rules
of design thinking: empathize, define, design, prototype and test.
They came up with a solution that not scalable or very technical: to travel to New York, rent
a camera and spend time with the customers in their homes to take good pictures of the
houses.
A visit to the homes solved what the three founders had been unable to solve in front of
their computers for months. Meeting customers in the real world was the best way to deal
with the problems and come up with smart solutions.
They decided to replace the stars with hearts, making users reward the service from there
‘heart’.
Impact
The simple fact of replacing a star with a heart increased business by more than 30%.
Airbnb has gone from making 200 euros a week to revolutionizing tourism: more than
1,500,000 ads in 192 countries and 34,000 cities with a total number of roomers in excess of
40 million in 2015.
Case Study 6 - Apple
Background
The early days of Apple (which was cofounded by Steve Jobs on 1976) are characterized by
its first personal computer that was delivered with Apple OS. During this time, Apple was
dominating the market because there were no other manufacturers of this type of
computer as computers were used only by governments or large companies. However, in
1985, Steve Jobs was forced to leave the company. This marked the start of a chaotic era in
the company’s strategy and product development.
Challenge
In the period 1985-1997, Apple struggled to achieve market success, especially after Jobs’s
departure and increasing competition from other giants such as IBM, which decided to
enter the PC computers market. During this period, Apple faced number of challenges
including:
• Unstable strategy due to the change of executive teams

• Unclear vision about Apple’s competitive strategy, especially after IBM entered the
PC market
• Unclear vision about selling OS licenses, which would put the company in
competition with Windows operating system
• Large number of failed products (such as Newton PDA) and few successful ones
(such as PowerBook)
• Products not unique in the market
• Confusion and uncertainty among Apple consumers, resulting from this strategy
Approach
Apple is one of the leading companies in the field of innovation and this couldn’t have
happened without the company adopting design thinking. Design thinking is a solution-
oriented process that is used to achieve innovation with considerations about the consumer
at the heart of all development stages.
After Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, he started to apply the design thinking
characteristics. The vision discussed below was used to form Apple’s strategy from 1997
until today. Steve Jobs applied design thinking by focusing on:
• People’s needs and desires, rather than only the needs of the business
• Building empathy by helping people to love Apple products
• The design rather than the engineering work; designers consider both the form and
the function of the product
• Building simple yet user-friendly products rather than complex hard-to-use products
Excellence in Execution
In this part, Steve tended to improve the execution process by closing 2 divisions,
eliminating 70% of the new products and focusing on the higher potential products,
reducing the product lines from 15 to just 3, and shutting facilities to move manufacturing
outside the company. Apple also launched a website for direct sale of its products and
started to take an interest in materials and how products are manufactured within a
consumer-driven culture.
Platform Strategy
Apple streamlined their product portfolio to a family of products that can be

produced much more quickly while keeping the existing design elements. Also, the
company targeted product that require less repair and maintenance.
Iterative Customer Involvement
The consumer experience should be integrated into the design and development stages
through participating in usability testing. Also, the design for interfaces should focus on the
user experience.
Impact
In addition to the function of the product, the form should beautiful, which can be achieved
through continuous innovation and development. Apple also focused on the materials and
manufacturing process and took a bold approach to trying new ideas rather than sticking
with the ordinary design forms.
Apple’s history with innovation provides a clear lesson about how design and innovation can
turn company failure to market success and a leading position in a competitive market.
Design thinking helped Apple to innovate while placing their consumers at the heart of the
process.
Case Study 7 - Netflix
Background
Within the past decade, there isn’t a better example of a business that has pivoted on the
basis of customer preferences, wants and needs than Netflix. And there’s no better example
of a business that didn’t move as per consumer preferences than Netflix’s competitor
Blockbuster.
Challenge
You had to drive to Blockbuster to get the latest new releases on video or DVD. Similarly, in
its early days, Netflix was a service that delivered movies to customers direct to your
doorstep by mail. That was until cable companies started offering movies as a packaged
service. Why would someone order from Netflix and wait a few days when they could watch
a movie anytime?
How both companies responded to this shift defines why business leaders must constantly
engage with customers to drive innovation and stay relevant.
Approach
Netflix used design thinking to become an on-demand streaming site in response to cable’s
competition and to its customer needs and expectations.
But as opposed to cable companies, Netflix didn’t stop here. Recognizing the value of design
thinking to constantly hone its business model, Netflix teams were encouraged to look for
new opportunities to delight customers as a way to drive better engagement and new
revenue.
Change #1
In 2011, Netflix began to create its own content, original movies and series, which changed
the entertainment landscape. Recognizing that customers were hungry for better and more
provocative content, groundbreaking shows like - Stranger Things, Black Mirror, and Orange
is the New Black - were created – shows that were far too provocative for primetime
networks but that were devoured by viewing audiences.
Change #2
In 2016, Netflix changed again, rebuilding its initial interface to capture customer attention
from the second they landed on the site. Instead of offering still images or series posters,
they added trailers that launch as the customer starts scrolling.
Change #3
Netflix also leveraged artificial intelligence and predictive analytics to create a unique
experience for each viewer based on that customer’s viewing habits: “Because you
watched…” It not only transformed the customer experience on Netflix, it transformed
customer expectations for every other entertainment company.
Impact
The last Blockbuster in the country closed this year and recent headlines report more and
more people are ditching cable in favor of using only Netflix and an antenna for local
stations.
Netflix landed on all of these innovations by using design thinking to empathize again and
again with its customers, and by recognizing that the only way to remain relevant was to
stay grounded in exactly what each and every customer wants to experience when using the
service.
So the next time you are tempted to think that your business is fine, relying on the same old
strategies to deliver future success, remember this story. It all happened in less than a
decade.
That’s the power of design thinking.

Case Study 8 – Safal
Background
WHEN APPLES WERE BEING COMPARED WITH ORANGES.
All the naturally ripened produce at the 400 plus stores of Safal in Delhi NCR were being
literally outshone by fruits and veggies getting carbide ripening and dips in industrial dyes at
the hands of raydiwaalas and mandis.
Ironically, washing and ripening fruits and veggies with chemicals and dyes made them
appear greener, fresher and more appealing to the human eye. The situation was not good
for anyone’s health, let alone the alarmingly dwindling sales at Safal stores.
Challenge
In the 25 years since it was established, Safal went from being the benchmark of freshness
to “ration shops” for fruits and vegetables. How did this happen and more importantly how
can we use Design Thinking to bring it back to it core value statement – Safe. Real. Natural?
Approach
Before we began changing perception, we had to investigate the facts. Where’s the produce
sourced from? How do the trucks deliver them? What’s the motivation levels of the
concessionaires to put out fresh produce? How do we change the ethos of the brand from
just being about the lowest price? How can the stores encode freshness in a way that rivals
the impermanence of the daily vegetable vendor?
To semiotically [Semiotics (also called semiotic studies) is the study of signs and meaning making. Semiosis
is any activity or process that that communicates a meaning to the sign's interpreter] encode freshness
and impermanence [the state or fact of lasting for only a limited period of time] at the stores were
allied with nature to create an authentically fresh ambience.
Change #1
A swing-out gate with a daily fresh produce in-stock display communicated freshness
available for purchase.
Change #2
Crates and display systems made of wood and wicker along with hand-written prices carried
a country side look further signifying freshness.
Change #3
Store profitability for franchisees was addressed by working out an franchisee motivational
model. Workshops were organised to train them in merchandising, customer handling and
feedback centric mindset. Also they were sensitised about the supply chain part of the
process. Knowledge which they could in turn use to educate and convince the consumer
about its freshness.
Change #4
We directed the communication agencies to create a new conversation – not about price,
but about provenance [the place of origin or earliest known history of something.], not about
availability but about the farmers who grew this and changed the perception of the brand.
Impact
It was the kind of multi-disciplinary approach, that resulted in the sales rocketing from
200kg/day to 650kg/day in the pilot store. Keeping an eye on all problems/opportunities,
but never losing sight of the big picture is an attitude which never goes stale.
Case Study 9 – Gurkha
Background
The Gurkha is an all terrain vehicle with a cult following in India. The vehicle has a legendary
association with the army, an iconic name and a design modelled on the Mercedes G-
Wagon.
Challenge
The Gurkha fan base has not grown as desired over the years. The same old look made the
sales stagnant and the company felt a urgent need to bring in modern contemporary
changes both internal and external to move be in sync with the current times.
Approach
To expand its tribe, Force undertook a human centric approach to designed a new Gurkha
which is a significant step up from its predecessor both in terms of engine power,
refinement, creature comforts and ride quality.
Built for adventure, the Gurkha is fierce in its natural habitat of the mountain, river, snow
and desert. With its refined capabilities the Gurkha is the true enabler for adventure, and it
wanted to deeply own this space. The core essence of True Blooded Adventure became
Gurkha’s promise.
Change #1
It crafted new unique personas for the Gurkha that would help unlock growth and build a
distinct narrative for the brand. The Gurkha logo was enhanced with the Kukri placed on the
right to naturally mimic the motion of the Kukri. The logotype was fine tuned to improve
readability.
Change #2
A new 4x4x4 mnemonic was designed to express Gurkha’s unmatched capability across all
four terrains
Change #3
The snorkel and gills that are strongly associated with the Gurkha was made central to the
visual language.
Change #4
The Gurkha badge was brought to the front grill to proudly display its heritage and iconicity.
The new visual language makes the brand’s communication unmissable and distinctly
ownable.
Impact
The new Gurkha is designed for purists. It’s built for real adventure, one that is tough, raw
and primal. With its launch and positive reviews it’s only a matter of time that Gurkha’s
tribe grows stronger and tougher.
Case Study 10 - ACC Cement
Background
ACC CEMENT: FROM BAGS TO RICHES

ACC is a leading producer of Cement and RCC mix along with many other construction
related products. It also has exports to many countries.
Challenge
How to command a premium for a product that’s actually a commodity? How to bring the
purchase decision back from the dealer to the individual home builder? How to make
vertically stacked cement bags in warehouses communicate with home builders, labourers
and masons alike? How to command a premium for dusty bags of cement? How to take this
conversation out of warehouses without escalating advertising spends?
Approach
To find answers, they used the design thinking approach and focussed on the entity that
was at the heart of it all: The cement bag. As they tracked its journey from procurement to
weaving of bags, from railway rakes and trucks to tempos and handcarts, from dealers to
individual home builders, from contractors to masons, they discovered a holistic relay of
ongoing industry
convention “errors”
that needed to be
addressed by design
thinking as opposed
to redesigned
packaging.
Change #1
To avoid any loss in translation with the mason or his

uncle, we created large, simple mnemonics to spell
out each variant’s end-use in sign language.
Change #2
These bags were being stored vertically, one on top of

other, where you could only see their sides. So, not
only did they make the variant apparent on the bags’ sides, they designed a vertical
tessellation [A tessellation or tiling is the covering of a surface, often a plane, using one or more geometric
shapes, called tiles, with no overlaps and no gaps.
] pattern.
Here each bag played its part in creating a whole ACC brand wall visible from even 40 feet.
Change #3
Tracking the cement bag’s journey had also revealed

some other areas of stress. Like oozing bags, due to
iron hooks used by loaders. We prototyped solutions
ranging from rubber ended hooks and clamps. We
identified that lack of regular servicing of filling
valves was a leading source of bag bursts and dust on
bags. The ACC team ensured a revised servicing
schedule to prevent clogging and to avoid bursting of
cement bags.
Change #4
New Spill resistant material was developed to make them spill resistant.
Impact
It was this shifting of perspective

from product focus to human
centredness that resulted in an
EBITDA impact of 19 crore for
ACC in one region, in one quarter
alone.
CASE – 11: The Mumbai Dabbawala Story
Many business schools in India and abroad, including Harvard, use this well-
known case study in operations and supply chain management. Dabbawala model
was applauded by the likes of Prince Charles and Richard Branson because of its
Six Sigma level of accuracy. What makes this case so special and appealing?
Let’s take a look at this:
They collect hot meals from customers’ homes across the city and deliver them
to schools and workplaces throughout the day. Known for its smooth, dependable,
and long-lasting delivery system, they have a long track record of success.
Their operation is intertwined with the rail network in Mumbai, which sets the
pace and helps with the delivery schedule. The dabbawalas use a simple coding
system that is easy and convenient for everyone. In addition to having a specific
code for the neighbourhood where the Dabba will be delivered, they also have
characters indicating the delivery address and who will be making the delivery.
They work in self-organised teams of 25 people each. While delivering their

dabbas, the most experienced ones serve as supervisors. Every dabbawala
negotiates with his customers on an individual basis.
It may seem surprising, but one of the reasons for their success is their reliance
on human capital rather than technology. They are highly motivated because they
understand how important their work is. If they don’t deliver, someone
somewhere will miss his lunch. For them, delivering food is akin to serving God!
In a first, Flipkart has teamed up with the Mumbai Dabbawalas to deliver goods
to customers in the city.
CASE – 12: Samsung: Going from `Make for India` to `Make for
the World`
This business case study discusses how Samsung’s manufacturing and R&D
strategies formulated for India can help it succeed internationally. When Samsung
launched its “Make in India” initiative in the mid-2010s, it took advantage of
government SOPs to encourage multinationals to establish manufacturing
facilities in India. In addition, its Indian R&D centres came up with innovative
products after studying Indian customer needs and taking into account customer
feedback.
The case discusses some of the products launched under the “Make for India”
initiative and describes their impact on the company’s market position in great
detail. As a result of these and other government incentives, Samsung ramped up
its domestic production over time. With its “Make for the World” initiative,
Samsung announced that it would relocate its manufacturing operations from
other countries to India, where it would ship its products worldwide. Is it likely
that Samsung will make India its sole Asian manufacturing hub in the future? Is
it possible that its customer-oriented products will help it outperform the rest?
The case is set up to accomplish the following teaching goals:
 Build international brands by devising strategies.

 Examine the government’s methods for promoting domestic manufacturing.
 Recognise the significance of multinational corporations (MNCs) being aware of
the specifics of the local market when expanding into new regions.
 Importance of product globalisation to capture market share.
 Recognise the importance of product design innovations in the global
marketplace.
 Supply chain management issues.
 Locate opportunities to reduce costs and speed the launch of new products in the
market.
 A study of multinationals’ perspectives on the advantages and disadvantages of
domestic manufacturing.
CASE – 13: Byju’s – A leader in EdTech
The case concerns the rapid expansion of the Bengaluru-based Indian e-learning
platform Byju’s (Think and Learn Private Ltd). Founder and CEO of the EdTech
start-up, Byju Raveendran previously worked for Pan Ocean Shipping, a UK-
based shipping company. For 12 long years, Raveendran helped his friends get
through the Common Admission Test for Management Courses in India and then
built Byju’s learning app. BYJU – The company’s main product was the Learning
App, which users could download on Android devices from Google Play and iOS
devices from the Apple App Store. The app provides comprehensive learning
programmes and special programmes for students preparing for competitive
exams and for students in grades 6 to 12 in India.
Since its inception in 2015, the startup has received funding from the Chan
Zuckerberg Initiative and Chinese internet giant Tencent. Byju’s turned profitable
in 2019 after three years of annual growth of 100% (2016-18). In July 2019, its
valuation increased to US$5.5 billion, making it the world’s most valuable
EdTech company. It remains to be seen if Byju’s strategies that worked in India
would be successful in other markets as the company enters international markets.
 Realise the importance of educational technology in India’s educational system.

 Observe the business models of educational technology start-ups.
 Determine whether or not educational technology in India is well-accepted.
CASE – 14: Oneplus – A Chinese success story in India
The focus of this case study is the success of Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus
in India. In December 2014, OnePlus launched its first smartphone in India, and
within four years, it had become the country’s most popular premium smartphone
brand.
According to the case study, OnePlus’s strategy in India was to launch high-end
smartphones at affordable prices, build a strong community, focus on customer
service, and use clever marketing techniques. Obsession with product design and
quality, branding, and customer engagement was OnePlus’s core strength. An
emphasis on viral marketing and community interaction, including social media,
to spread the company’s message.
OnePlus faced several challenges, despite its phenomenal success in India.

Competition, scaling offline, price-sensitive Indian consumers, low smartphone
penetration, and an economic slowdown were all factors that contributed to the
decline. Furthermore, OnePlus risked losing price-conscious customers as its
phones became more expensive. Vikas Agarwal , OnePlus India’s General
Manager, faced several challenges as India remained a critical market for the
company. These included increasing the adoption of OnePlus devices in India,
expanding offline, crushing competition, and maintaining OnePlus’ dominance
in India’s premium smartphone segment.
 Evaluate the expansion and entry of OnePlus into India.

 Recognise the significance of India as a market for OnePlus.
 Find out what helped OnePlus become so popular in India.
 Consider OnePlus’s key growth market, India, and the issues and challenges it
faces there.
 Consider how OnePlus can maintain its position as a leading player in the Indian
premium smartphone market by looking at the company’s plans.
CASE – 15: Tesla’s convertible bonds
This business case study looks at how Tesla, Inc., a company with a credit rating
below investment grade, has successfully issued convertible bonds and funded its
electric car business at a low-interest rate since 2013. However, things changed
over time. Tesla’s stock price soared, and some speculated that this could spell
the end of the company’s use of convertible bonds. A new low-cost, long-term
source of financing for Tesla’s business is now on the CEO’s radar.
 Become familiar with convertible bonds and other financial instruments.

 Bonds and debentures are two different types of investments.
 Recognise the benefits and drawbacks of long-term financing via convertible
bonds.
 Look into the various funding options available to startup businesses.
CASE – 16: Shopify support for building online stores
From sole proprietors to multinational conglomerates, businesses of all sizes have
used Canada-based Shopify’s SaaS (Software as a Service) e-commerce platform
to launch online shops. Web builders, safe payment methods, templates, search
engine optimization (SEO), analytics, and a slew of other tools were all available
through the company. Shopify’s web builder was easy to use, even for people
with no coding or e-commerce experience.
Despite offering a feature-rich solution, Shopify has received criticism for the
high costs that merchants must bear to set up a website of their choosing.
However, Shopify by 2020 was hosting close to 377,000 online stores and
boasted customers like Budweiser, World Wildlife Fund, GE, Amnesty
International, Tesla, and Encyclopedia Britannica.
 E-commerce sites have specific business goals, system functionality, and

information needs.
 The quality of an e-commerce website may be affected by the features offered by
e-commerce solution providers.
CASE – 17: Flipkart
Flipkart, the first Indian e-commerce company valued at a billion dollars, was
founded in 2007 with a small investment of Rs 4 lakhs. Flipkart exploited a large
group of consumers eager to experience the convenience of online shopping.
Flipkart’s success is largely due to the following factors:
 Its warehouse and inventory management system give it a solid backend to work
from.
 Focus on resolving delivery and defective product issues promptly. The
company’s co-founders believe that discounts are not enough to satisfy the
customer’s expectations of timely service and efficiency.
 Next, we’re going to see a lot of innovation. Cash-on-delivery and credit card
payments at the doorstep are additional options that give customers more
flexibility and convenience.
 Flipkart added the ‘surprise and delight’ factor to customers’ shopping
experience. They were given offers that Flipkart tailored to their specific needs
and preferences. That’s what the company’s Big Billion Sale was all about. In the
eyes of many, the retailer was accused of making a hasty leap into the unknown.
Flipkart maintained its goodwill by sending an apology and explanation letter to
all its customers for its mistakes in managing site traffic and the demand-supply
gap for its products. It made enough amends to regain the trust of its supporters.
CASE – 18: Kingfisher Airlines – A lesson from failure
Vijay Mallya’s dream bird, “Kingfisher”, was devastated by some reckless and
risky decision-making on Mallya’s part. Due to bankruptcy and non-payment of
loans, Kingfisher, operating since 2005, was forced to shut down at the end of
2012. The airline owed a debt of $1 billion to a consortium of 17 banks.
How did the glitzy airline go out of business despite its increased brand
recognition and loyal customer base?
 When Kingfisher was first launched, Mallya intended to be a value-added airline.

After launching Kingfisher Red, the airline later positioned itself as a low-cost
carrier (the spun-off fleet of Air Deccan).
 Air Deccan’s acquisition for the start of operations was a failure. In most cases,
attempts to gain visibility on high-traffic international routes (like Bangalore to
London or Bangalore to Silicon Valley) failed. The takeover of Air Deccan,
which had been in crisis for three years, resulted in a loss of more than INR 10
billion (US$160 million).
 As a result of the frequent changes in senior leadership and the absence of a long-
term CEO or MD, the airline suffered.
 Many of the airline’s planes were grounded in 2011 because of engine problems.
However, even as the company overhauled the engines, market conditions and
rising fuel prices significantly impacted yields.
 Customers would rather fly with other low-cost airlines. Hence, withdrawing
from the low-cost segment (Kingfisher Red) was ineffective in attracting new
customers to the company’s premium segment (Kingfisher).
The airline continued to lose money year after year due to external and internal
issues. It wasn’t just a lack of a clear vision and a firm positioning strategy that
kept the airline from resuming operations; a lack of understanding of consumer
behaviour led to Mallya’s various decisions, such as suspending international
operations and raising fuel surcharges.
CASE – 19: IPL – The right pitch at the right time
The Indian Premier League (IPL), conceived in 2007, is a perfect example of
controversial marketing. BCCI’s Indian Premier League (IPL) generated
excitement usually seen in basketball, soccer, and baseball franchises. In addition
to attracting cricket-crazy Indians, what else did the Indian Premier League do to
become a global brand?
 Fast-paced action and 3.5 hours of movie-like entertainment are the key selling
points. Twenty20’s commercial potential has been demonstrated by the IPL’s
involvement in high-stakes matches.
 Indian Premier League (IPL) is popular worldwide, and the presence of
international star players influences the level of support and interest. In Australia,
for example, Shane Warne’s contribution to the success of the Rajasthan Royals
is widely recognised.
 The IPL’s popularity can be attributed largely to its coverage in the media. All
year long, the season is covered by local, national, and international media
outlets, even when the season is closed.
 The involvement of celebrities such as Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, and Shilpa
Shetty as franchise owners and promoters added a lot of glitz and glamour to the
show.
 The auctioning off of players and franchises, using cheerleaders, the opening
ceremony, and live concerts, are all part of the IPL’s marketing strategy.
The IPL has expanded by leaps and bounds, but the IPL has also been embroiled
in several controversies involving corruption, match-fixing, and mismanagement.
The BCCI can sustain IPL success with improved administrative efficiency, strict
oversight, and increased player awareness.
CASE – 20: Procter & Gamble – “Double Down’ Strategy during
COVID-19 Pandemic”
According to this case study, Procter and Gamble used the strategy of “Double
Down” during the COVID-19 pandemic to increase its brand visibility. When the
US government implemented a lockdown after the coronavirus outbreak, people
began stockpiling essential supplies in anticipation of a lockdown. As a result,
retailers could not keep enough of the most popular products in stock. Businesses
reduced their media spending in anticipation of the economic downturn.
However, despite the uncertainty, P&G decided to increase its marketing
investment to increase its brand visibility. Though the market and economy were
slowing, did P&G’s advertising strategy succeed?
 Understanding consumer behaviour and the reasons for panic buying is critical to
better understanding your customers.
 Consumers’ behaviour patterns change during times of crisis.
 To remain competitive in the event of a pandemic, assess the company’s business
strategy.
 Analyze the company’s media strategy to increase media expenditures, especially
during the pandemic.
 Investigate the issues and difficulties that the company might have encountered
in implementing its strategies.
CASE – 21 : Hindustan Unilever Limited: “Providing the Right
Work-Life Balance”
HUL, India’s largest Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) company, has
implemented several programmes to help its employees achieve a healthy work-
life balance. HUL’s HR policies are examined in depth in this case study, which
shows how they aided employees in carrying out their professional and personal
responsibilities more effectively. HUL’s efforts to meet the diverse needs of its
female employees are explained in great depth. There are references to the
company’s efforts to stay on top of new-age employees’ evolving needs. Will
HUL continue to be an ‘Employer of Choice’ in India?’
 Understand the term “quality of work-life” (QWL).

 Look for new developments in the QWL field.
 Investigate the effect of allowing employees to work from home on their overall
satisfaction with their work schedules.
 Develop strategies for retaining and managing talent.
 Create a plan to increase the diversity of your workforce.
 Examine HR policies to stop discrimination based on gender.
CASE – 22 : Starbucks and Exclusivity
In 2008, Starbucks announced that it would be closing 600 of its locations in the
US. Starbucks stores had been gaining new features, such as wi-fi and music, but
they had begun to lose their warm “neighborhood store” feel for a chain store
persona. According to the Harvard Business Review, Starbucks is a mass brand
attempting to charge an exceptional price for an event that is not any more
extraordinary. As a result, to compete with its price-conscious customers,
Starbucks would have to either cut costs or reduce the number of stores to regain
its image selectiveness.
Starbucks’ growth has been hampered by three issues, according to the HBR
study: alienating early adopters, attracting an excessive amount of attention, and
moving too slowly forward with new locations and products. According to
Harvard Business Review, Starbucks should have remained a privately held
company and grown at a moderate pace to maintain its status as a top brand.
CASE – 23 : The Uber way – “Forecasting in the Platform
Economy”
Uber’s forecasting process is examined in-depth in this case study. For
forecasting, the company relied on its own Time Series data. Time Series is a type
of dataset that includes data collected over a set amount of time. You can measure
time in seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, years, and even millennia. Analysis
of time series data and regression analysis were used to forecast demand for Uber
cabs. Additionally, the use of different variables from different sources lends
credibility. This analysis relies heavily on the selection of variables. It is
important to combine data from various sources for the analysis to be useful.
 To gain a fundamental understanding of Uber’s business model and the platform

economy.
 Learning how to wrangle data properly is the first step in data analysis.
 Importance of value forecasting.
 For a better understanding of how to use time series forecasting.
 To better understand how you can use various data sources to enhance the
analysis.
CASE – 24 : JPMorgan Chase & Co. – “Creating a Next-Gen
Banking Experience Powered by Digital Technology”
This business case study examines JPMorgan Chase’s digital initiatives to create
a next-generation banking experience powered by technology (JPMC). JPMC
employed 50,000 technologists worldwide and spent $11.5 billion on technology
in 2019 to stay relevant in the face of shifting customer expectations and the
growing popularity of digital banking. Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMC, took on the
challenge of increasing the reliance of banking operations on digital technology
in 2006.
JPMC’s digital initiatives included the “mobile-first, digital everything” strategy,

which was an important part of the company’s evolution over time. Big Data,
Cloud computing, Artificial Intelligence, Mobile and Electronic Payments,
Machine Learning, Blockchain, Robotics, and Cybersecurity are discussed in
detail by JPMC. With the help of several FinTech companies, JPMC has been
working on various new technologies for its banking operations and preparing for
future competition from both banking and non-banking entities. Amidst all of its
technological innovation, JPMC faced an ever-increasing threat from banking
organisations aligned with technology companies. As a result, it made a concerted
effort to use digital technology to combat the competition.
 Use digital technology to examine the impact of traditional banking processes on

the modern world
 In the present and future, how important is mobile banking?
 Recognise the methods financial institutions use to overcome the difficulties of
implementing new technology.
 Explain the difference between incremental and disruptive/breakthrough
innovation using the banking industry as an example.
CASE 25
The Guardian: The benefits of design thinking
There are several ways of viewing the benefits of design thinking within an organisation. As a
process it is a wonderful catalyst for change and evolution. Internally it is a great way of building
collaboration between oft-siloed teams, to create a space for the productive sharing of ideas and
building of innovative solutions that have the broadest possible support at their inception. It is a
process that translates the sometimes disparate languages that different parts of an organisation
use to communicate into a single clear narrative that everyone can understand. At The Guardian
many of the challenges are now tackled from the start with cross-functional teams. Each part of the
business is invested in discovering and deploying the solution – from the lofty heights of strategy to
the coal face of customer transaction flows. Within these teams each now has a much-improved
respect and understanding of the range of skills and how each brings great value to the organisation.
A practical example of the success of design thinking has been the evolution of the navigation on the
website. You will observe that the current rendering is headed by five key sections or ‘pillars’. Prior
to this the top layer consisted of a much larger list that reflected the internal structure of the
newsroom and the traditional departments within the journalistic function. Through a process of
design thinking we discovered that it was much more simple and powerful to reflect the broader
understanding and needs of the readers by reducing this layer to a smaller set of sections. The result
was a remarkable increase in traffic to these pillars. We had simplified that first onward journey of
discovery by describing it in terms that were easy to understand at that first moment of contact and
need.
The experience of design thinking-lead collaborations across an organisation also serve to improve
constructive dialogue as future challenges arrive. Design thinking can also help create the right
environment for real and much broader understanding of the voice of the customer. It helps move
beyond the monologue of research and, if incorporating prototyping and testing, begins an ongoing
process of dialogue with current and potential customers. It helps shift the dial when undertaking
innovation and discovery from the bias of instinctive thinking to the inclusivity of empathetic
thinking.
The methodology and paths to discovery defined by using design thinking as an approach pivot
around an understanding of the customers’ needs and motivations. Design and design thinking has
at its heart the motivation to solve problems. Sometimes this can be a simplification of a complex
journey people need to regularly take, a physical journey, an ecommerce journey or a journey
through ideas. It can be about solving problems of time and choice.
Time is one of the most valuable commodities for people. Understanding how design can speed up
customer’s ability to make choices or informed decisions is of huge value. Often the variety and
range of the products and services we offer can be daunting and discourage making a choice. At The
Guardian we have done extensive discovery work and testing to understand how we can simplify or
prioritise the choices we show to our customers when it comes to the range of subscription or
membership products we offer. We used design thinking to try and place ourselves in the customer
“moment”, or in fact, the range of customer moments. Design thinking helps distil the options down
to those that bring the most value to the most people in that moment, and helps prioritise
presentation for that moment, and eschews complexity that serves only marginal options.
The earliest stages of design thinking are about understanding the emotional value you bring. If you
sell chairs you understand the customer doesn’t worry about a chair being a mean of supporting
weight, that’s a given: you understand you are providing a place to rest, to think, to feel at home.
Our design thinking begins with the understanding that ‘the news’ and our journalism is not simply
about knowing stuff, it is about feeling secure, feeling you are the person you want to be, about
feeling empowered to make change in your world. This is the value that draws people to have the
kind of strong emotional relationship with the brand that draws them to make a financial
commitment or contribution.
With asking for contributions to support our journalism, we address our readers directly,
acknowledging the need for developing new revenue sources for media organisations, that we
answer to no proprietor, and making sure they don’t feel that any contribution is too little. We
found that our pitch worked best alongside our journalism – it is most natural for readers after they
had read a story to be asked to contribute, and also only fair to ask then as well, instead of putting
up barriers in front of their content.
Another consideration is location with different payment methods, currencies and languages around
the world and we need to make it easy for readers to act and be in control once they’ve decided to
contribute. They decide how much, how often and how to pay, which means they have to make
several decisions on top of paying. We have gotten obsessive over the process, to try to make it as
intuitive as possible.
The most crucial thing is to communicate the process in a language they understand. Much of the
value of process can be shrouded in the language of the seasoned practitioner. It is really important
to outline the process and define the process in the context of real problems not theoretical ones.
To be colloquial rather than technical. All good designers learn to communicate their ideas in the
language of the consumer and not of the practitioner. To demonstrate the empathy of the solution.
If you show that design thinking is a tool that can be used by all and that those leading the process
are there to guide and support rather than impose, you should be able to get the rest of the
organisation to feel they are empowered as collaborators through the process.
The biggest barrier to culture change is that most people feel anxiety and resistance to change that
is imposed upon them. People don’t feel invested in the process that leads to the change and so fear
the consequences to their daily patterns and working practices. They resist ideas for which they have
not been party to the formulation. The processes and practices of design thinking should be wholly
collaborative. They should give a voice to a breadth of opinion from across the organisation, and
they allow space for the wider organisation to take part in defining the moment of change. Now,
even though not all ideas that emerge will move forward, everyone should at least be reassured that
they have been considered and constructively explored to such an extent that the value of what
does define the culture change is understood to be of greater priority.
The redesign that heralded our move to tabloid and the marketing campaigns that accompanied it
were guided by the clear statement of The Guardian’s purpose by our editor Katharine Viner. It
made seismic change easier to envisage, discuss, problem-solve and rally around within the financial
and format constraints. The tabloid won numerous design awards, and our reader-centric design
thinking crucially made it easier to listen where it counts. And later, in response to feedback that
made it clear there was a strong emotional connection to the blue masthead, we listened and
reinstated it.
Design thinking at its best should be a central process that runs through the whole of an
organisation. It should be collaborative and inclusive across different functions. The assumption is
that design thinking is only about the product that comes out at the end, or that it is about the
practicalities of the actual design, but it is in fact a methodology of analysis. First an analysis the
status quo within an organisation, across disciplines, then an analysis and understanding of
customers (internal and external). This should help synthesise challenges both with the products and
the processes involved in creating and presenting it. With these realised, the solutions for these
challenges should have broad buy-in and so help overcome many of the moments of impasse and
inefficiency that come from misunderstanding, slow productivity and can lead to disruptive circular
discussions around process.
Questions –
1. How can an organisation use design thinking to implement culture change within the
organisation?
2. What are the steps taken in this case to implement Design Thinking effectively?
3. How can design thinking help tackle process and productivity issues?
4. How can design thinking deliver value to customers?
5. How does design thinking help to increase an organisation’s productivity?
CASE 26
How Design Thinking Transformed Airbnb from a Failing Startup to a Billion Dollar
Business
In 2009, Airbnb was close to going bust. Like so many startups, they had launched but barely anyone
noticed. The company’s revenue was flatlined at $200 per week. Split between three young founders
living in San Francisco, this meant near indefinite losses on zero growth. As everyone knows, venture
investors look for companies that show hockey stick graphs, and according to co-founder Joe
Gebbia, his company had a horizontal drumstick graph. The team was forced to max out their credit
cards.
At the time, Airbnb was part of Y Combinator. One afternoon, the team was poring over their search
results for New York City listings with Paul Graham, trying to figure out what wasn’t working, why
they weren’t growing. After spending time on the site using the product, Gebbia had a realization.
“We noticed a pattern. There's some similarity between all these 40 listings. The similarity is that the
photos sucked. The photos were not great photos. People were using their camera phones or using
their images from classified sites. It actually wasn't a surprise that people weren't booking rooms
because you couldn't even really see what it is that you were paying for.”
Graham tossed out a completely non-scalable and non-technical solution to the problem: travel to
New York, rent a camera, spend some time with customers listing properties, and replace the
amateur photography with beautiful high-resolution pictures. The three-man team grabbed the next
flight to New York and upgraded all the amateur photos to beautiful images. There wasn’t any data
to back this decision originally. They just went and did it. A week later, the results were in: improving
the pictures doubled the weekly revenue to $400 per week. This was the first financial improvement
that the company had seen in over eight months. They knew they were onto something.
This was the turning point for the company. Gebbia shared that the team initially believed that
everything they did had to be ‘scalable.’ It was only when they gave themselves permission to
experiment with non-scalable changes to the business that they climbed out of what they called the
‘trough of sorrow.’
“We had this Silicon Valley mentality that you had to solve problems in a scalable way because that's
the beauty of code. Right? You can write one line of code that can solve a problem for one customer,
10,000 or 10 million. For the first year of the business, we sat behind our computer screens trying to
code our way through problems. We believed this was the dogma of how you're supposed to solve
problems in Silicon Valley. It wasn't until our first session with Paul Graham at Y Combinator where
we basically… the first time someone gave us permission to do things that don't scale, and it was in
that moment, and I'll never forget it because it changed the trajectory of the business”
Gebbia’s experience with upgrading photographs proved that code alone can’t solve every problem
that customers have. While computers are powerful, there’s only so much that software alone can
achieve. Silicon Valley entrepreneurs tend to become comfortable in their roles as keyboard jockeys.
However, going out to meet customers in the real world is almost always the best way to wrangle
their problems and come up with clever solutions.
Gebbia went on to share how an early design school experience also shaped his thinking about
customer development, “If we were working on a medical device, we would go out into the world.
We would go talk with all of the stakeholders, all of the users of that product, doctors, nurses,
patients and then we would have that epiphany moment where we would lay down in the bed in the
hospital. We'd have the device applied to us, and we would sit there and feel exactly what it felt like
to be the patient, and it was in that moment where you start to go aha, that's really uncomfortable.
There's probably a better way to do this.” This experience pushed Gebbia to make ‘being a patient’ a
core value of their design team.
The desire to always be the patient is immediately felt by all new team members. “Everybody takes a
trip in their first or second week in the company and then they document it. We have some
structured questions that they answer and then they actually share back to the entire company. It's
incredibly important that everyone in the company knows that we believe in this so much, we're
going to pay for you to go take a trip on your first week.”
While Airbnb is data driven, they don’t let data push them around. Instead of developing reactively
to metrics, the team often starts with a creative hypothesis, implements a change, reviews how it
impacts the business and then repeats that process.
Individual team members at Airbnb make small bets on new features, and then measure if there’s a
meaningful return on the bet. If there’s a payoff, they send more pirates in that direction. This
structure encourages employees to take measured, productive risks on behalf of the company that
can lead to the development of major new features. It allows Airbnb to move quickly and continually
find new opportunities.
As part of the onboarding process at Airbnb, the company encourages new employees to ship new
features on their first day at the company. It earns them their sea legs and shows that great ideas
can come from anywhere. This approach yields results in unexpected ways. For example, one Airbnb
designer was assigned what seemed like the small task of reevaluating the “star” function. In the
original Airbnb product, users could ‘star’ properties to add them to a wish list — a basic feature.
Gebbia recounts the story:
“Our new designer comes back and says I have it. I go what do you mean you have it? You only spent
the day on it. He goes, well, I think the stars are the kinds of things you see in utility-driven
experiences. He explained our service is so aspirational. Why don't we tap into that? He goes I'm
going to change that to a heart. I go, wow, okay. It's interesting, and we can ship it so we did. When
we ship it, we put code in it so we can track it and see how behavior changed.”
Sure enough, the simple change from a star to a heart increased engagement by over 30%. In short,
let people be pirates, ship stuff and try new things.
When you’re building product at a startup you’re always moving a million miles an hour. It’s tough.
You need to ship. Gebbia tries to balance this reality with the need to think in new ways by
constantly pushing his team to think bigger. He notes, “Anytime somebody comes to me with
something, my first instinct when I look at it is to think bigger. That's my instinctual piece of advice.
Think bigger. Whatever it is, blow it out of proportion and see where that takes you. Come back to
me when you've thought about those times 100. Show me what that looks like."
Questions –
1. Explain how has onboarding helped in implementing the changes desired and making every
new hire ready for his journey ahead?
2. Why Designers Need to ‘Become the Patient’ to Build Better Products?
3. What is the “let people be pirates” philosophy?
4. What was the turning point in the process?
5. What impact did design thinking had on the overall growth of the company?
CASE 27
How to respond to tech trends.
So this year, Colin and Hecht launched a spin-off of their design studio and consultancy called Future
Facility, which aims to help companies rethink how they approach connected products.
“We came to a realization that every product with a button will become connected to the Internet–
it’s an inevitability and will become an overcomplicated situation,” Hecht says. “If that is a reality,
there are two routes you can take as a designer. One is to completely ignore it and say, ‘That’s not
for me, I’ll stick to furniture design.’ Or you could say, ‘There’s a bit of a beauty and an important
part a designer can play as an editor and a form-giver for digital content.’ We felt compelled by that
second option.”
Today, sensors have become so small and inexpensive that it’s possible to hitch them onto nearly
any product. The raft of products touting themselves as “smart” is almost a parody, which has led to
a bubble of dumb, connected devices. Brands are aggressively eager to adopt this technology, even
if it doesn’t make absolute sense. This technological “keeping up with the Joneses” mentality runs
the risk of sacrificing user benefits. Future Facility is abiding by the mantra of just because you can,
doesn’t mean you should. Here’s how they’re helping brands hit reset.
When Colin and Hecht founded Industrial Facility 15 years ago, the problem facing many consumer
brands were analog products saturated with features. The new and improved, triple-action,
streamlined, “insert action here” attributes weren’t about providing benefits to customers. Rather,
they were gimmicks intended to compel consumers to pay more, thinking they’re getting more out
of the purchase. Case in point? The ballooning number of blades on a razor.
“You might have a product with 20 buttons, but you may only need two,” Hecht says. “Products
were ‘featured’ beyond what was necessary and the market was determining it, not the customer.”
“Do you want to live in a home where each of your products is shouting about what it can do?”
Their industrial design work for brands, like Muji, centered around “removing the rubbish,” as Hecht
describes it, and paring down a product to the essential traits it needs to be livable, functional, and
beautiful. This is the same approach they’re taking with technology.
“When networking came, we saw the repeat of the same mistakes,” Hecht says. “The difference is
it’s now digital. You have a fridge telling you what you’ve got and haven’t got and advice on recipes.
It’s this silliness of data and information which leads to these pseudo features–things that are good
for sales brochures but meaningless when you’re using them on a day-to-day basis.”
Colin frames the problem more bluntly: “In the end, do you want to live in a home where each of
your products is shouting about what it can do?”
When Braun and Oral-B enlisted Colin and Hecht to help them come up with an IoT electric
toothbrush, the manufacturers initially wanted to develop a sophisticated data-tracking tool that
could sense how well users were brushing each and every tooth, tell them about their gum
sensitivity, and play music. The designers convinced them to instead think about how additional
technology could solve a couple of really big frustrations with the product.
“A toothbrush is already loaded with guilt, that you’re not doing it properly or enough,” Colin says.
“The companies weren’t thinking about the customers’ experience. They were thinking about the
toothbrush the same way you would an athletic activity tracker, that it records and processes
information.”
Instead of adding to a user’s neurosis about brushing, Colin and Hecht wanted to give them less to
worry about. The two features they decided would be most useful were around charging the
toothbrush and ordering replacement heads. At home, the toothbrush charges on a dock through
induction but also comes equipped with a USB hookup for use on the road. The other problem to
tackle was ordering replacement heads. You notice that the brush is worn down when you use it, but
often forget to order a replacement after you leave the bathroom. To solve that problem, the
designers built an app that the toothbrush connects to via Bluetooth. Pressing a button on the brush
sends a reminder notification to your phone to buy replacements. “We’re curators of technology
and looking for what’s realistic and what’s pleasurable and beneficial to users,” Colin says of the
philosophy guiding their design decisions.
One of Future Facility’s biggest tasks is helping tech companies–which often have prolific research
and development departments–translate their proprietary knowledge into consumer-facing
products. “We’re interested in how to make technology every day and easy to reach as opposed to
engineers thinking about a ‘blue sky’ [scenario],” Colin says. “Our job is to make them ready for right
now.”
One of Future Facility’s earliest projects in this realm was for Blackberry, which had just acquired the
automotive operating system company QNX. The brief involved creating an interface between a
smartphone and a car using the QNX platform in order to better connect the driver with the vehicle’s
machinery.
A scenario that Colin and Hecht used as a jumping-off point was car rentals and car sharing–
situations where drivers are often placed in a vehicle that they aren’t comfortable with and whose
features are not immediately apparent. This becomes especially challenging–and worrisome–when
“check engine” lights flash. The app Colin and Hecht developed would tell users what the problem is
and how to fix it. For example, if the car needed more windshield wiper fluid, an augmented-reality
feature in the app tells people where exactly the reservoir is. You pop the hood, pass the phone over
the engine area, and it signals where to look.
To Future Facility, the definition of a good connected product is one that can do everything a non-
connected product can do but also communicate what state it’s in and, if it’s in trouble, what that
problem is and how to address it. “It has a self-awareness that generic products don’t,” Colin says.
With this project, Future Facility wasn’t inventing any new technology or knowledge–it already
existed within Blackberry and QNX. Rather, it was finding a way to make it apply better to drivers.
Hecht and Colin think that companies tend to take on futuristic, conceptual projects because they’re
less risky than trying to apply that thinking to a marketable product today.
“As a designer, if you come into a project with a premise and an idea that could be implemented
immediately, it can be very threatening to a company because they don’t know how to execute it or
if it’s going to be beneficial,” Hecht says. “When you discuss it as a conceptual concept–as something
that’s potentially part of the future–then it’s not threatening and their guard is lowered as a
company and they’re more willing to engage in a relaxed manner. We don’t invent ideas that don’t
exist already–we’re almost giving an idea of what the future can be when it’s informed by today.”
Some companies approach Colin and Hecht because they think they “have” to participate in the
networked products trend. Colin’s advice? Sometimes you just have to say no. “Don’t be led by the
sugar cube down the path,” she says. “There are lots of ways you can think about [connected
products] . . . It’s about helping companies develop a natural sensibility for themselves as they move
forward.”
One of the companies that fell into this camp is Wästberg, a small eight-year-old Swedish lighting
brand. Because of its work with LEDs, which are packed with electronics, the company felt
compelled to make an IoT product. Instead of making a connected product for the brand–which
would have required significant investment–Future Facility suggested a product that supports the
connected devices many of us already carry. Colin and Hecht noticed that you often need a power
source at the same time as a light source in work spaces, hotels, airports, and at home. The w152
lamp resulted from the collaboration and features three USB ports that can charge tablets, phones,
and laptops without an additional adapter.
Questions –
1. Explain how Future Facility improved the existing tech in products?

2. Explain Blue Sky Thinking.
3. How has saying no helped companies working with Future Facilities?
4. Explain the concept of less is more.
5. Explain the growth of Oral B through Design Thinking.
CASE 28
Design Thinking at Innogy
In Innogy’s innovation hub, venture developers either cooperate with an existing start up – or pitch
their own ideas for a viable business model. In 2015, Itai Ben-Jacob went for the latter and developed
the idea for innogy’s eCarSharing project in a design thinking workshop.
„I first came into contact with design thinking when I needed an idea”, Itai Ben-Jacob explains. In 2015,
he intended to explore one of innogy’s innovation focus areas, ‘urban mobility.’ Together with fellow
innovation hub members he organized a series of design thinking workshops to wade through the
expansive topic of urban concepts – one of them focusing on mobility: “We wanted to understand
urban mobility – what does it actually entail? What type of business should we start?“
Itai Ben-Jacob and a colleague, a trained design thinking coach, prepared and facilitated the
workshops. Participants came from different backgrounds – the team consisted of Innogy employees
as well as external experts from mobility businesses, researchers, representatives of the municipality,
and external start ups. Together, the participants attempted to work out the scope of “urban
mobility”: “We tried to understand which blocks this topic consists of, and which problems lie within
these blocks. For example public transport – which problems exist here? How big are they? Who
suffers from these problems?”
The problem? The ‘chicken and egg’ dilemma of eMobility. Energy providers don’t develop the
charging stations network further because there are not enough e-cars. On the other side, car
manufacturers don’t produce e-cars because there are not enough charging stations.
In this problem definition phase, they approached the potential customer base: “We had experts who
brought their experience in, and we spread surveys through our channels”, Itai Ben-Jacob explains.
“We got good responses there”, he says, but his personal ‘Aha moment’ happened during the problem
redefinition: When they “dissected problem areas into smaller ingredients and identified which
internal resources we have. For me, something just clicked in that moment: On the one hand there’s
a huge problem, on the other hand we have resources that are underutilized, and we can use them to
solve this problem – and now we need to find a solution that connects all the dots.” The problem? The
‘chicken and egg’ dilemma of eMobility. Energy providers don’t develop the charging stations network
further because there are not enough e-cars. On the other side, car manufacturers don’t produce e-
cars because there are not enough charging stations. By linking the existing – but underutilized –
innogy charging stations network to the problem, Itai Ben-Jacob and his colleague Christian Uhlich
developed the solution of eCar Sharing: A project in which innogy provides local communities, local
businesses and citizens access to flexible, electric mobility solutions. Users can book eCars on the
internet and pick them up at the innogy charging stations – an offer that’s especially attractive for
municipalities or companies that wish to provide their employees with eco-friendly eCars but are
unwilling or unable to maintain their own vehicle fleet.
Innogy established their innovation hub in the second half of 2015, with the mission to „create a
sustainable energy system for new generations to live in a world worth having“. Believing that an
organization cannot support the mainstream customers and push for disruptive technology at the
same time, innogy launched the innovation hub as an independent body within the company. Thereby,
the hub could be embedded among emerging customers in need of disruptive technology.
While working with creative methods is the common mode in the innovation hub, employees in other
parts of innogy are new to design thinking. They may explore the method through trainings, for
example by booking workshops with LRN LAB (learn lab), a business unit within the in-house
consultancy of innogy. Founded internally in the beginning of 2017, LRN LAB consults innogy
employees as well as external customers in the context of digital transformation with the help of
different methods and tools. “Design thinking isn’t the only method we do trainings on, it is one of
several”, senior consultant Nadja Krombach explains. Agile, Scrum and Lean Startup are further topics
that employees are eager to explore, for example in the innogy departments of IT, Human Resources,
and Retail.
Tackling their own challenge in a design thinking method training, the LRN LAB team focused on the
question: How might we help managers handling insecurities or decision-making situations? Design
thinking helped them to consider extreme user groups: Next to executives, the team interviewed
pilots, air traffic controllers and extreme mountain climbers to learn about their decision-making
strategies in stress situations. Based on these insights, the LRN LAB team developed a competence
model prototype. The competence model demonstrates which competencies are crucial in decision-
making situations and can be used as a basis for developing new training formats.
“On the one hand, we do ‘train the trainer’ settings, where we train the innogy colleagues so they
transport their knowledge into the company”, Nadja Krombach says, “and on the other hand we do
workshops where we apply design thinking with a real case.” The LRN LAB crew aims to solve concrete
business challenges with DT in these workshops, but the setting also depends on the time frame of
the customer.
Questions –
1. Explain what problem Innogy solved using design thinking?

2. Explain Blue Sky Thinking.
3. Talk about the innovation centre?
4. How has employees participated in Design thinking?
CASE 29
Design Thinking: the New DNA of the Financial Sector
The banking industry has become increasingly concerned over the challenge that emerging fintech
startups pose to banks’ traditional ways of doing business and the threat that they present to revenue
streams. In response, many banks have created internal innovation labs to counter these risks. “Design
thinking” has become an important tool in the effort and is being used to explore how banks can boost
their growth by applying the approach in a rapidly changing environment and an era of de-banking.
There is no easy answer to the threats facing banks. The industry faces multiple challenges: a wave of
digital disruption, an increase in regulatory demands, and changes in customer preferences, to name
a few. For fintech startups and emerging technology firms, these challenges represent substantial
opportunities, offering numerous technology solutions to various pain points along the value chain.
For legacy banks, the reaction has been more cautious, particularly as they try to assess specific fintech
solutions and whether the technology represents a real trend or a fad. But whatever the assessment
of the old guards in the banking sector may be—whether they think the new fintech players are to be
trusted, or whether they believe the new trends are just a passing vogue—banks recognize that the
risk of doing nothing is simply too great to allow for nonchalance.
The common response of the banking sector has been to seek innovation to face the disruptive
challenges. A recent joint IESE-Oliver Wyman study found that 95 percent of the analyzed banks have
created innovation labs within their organizations to adapt to a changing industry landscape. For
example, JPMorgan Chase launched the Branch Design and Innovation Center in the United States,
while Citigroup has established its Innovation Labs in the U.S., Mexico, Ireland, Israel and Singapore.
Significant investment has gone toward attracting new talent, such as designers and artists—skills and
professions not typically associated with the banking industry. This trend can be seen in industry hiring
profiles. A LinkedIn job search using the term “design” within the financial services sector in the United
States revealed that 15,403 related jobs were available, with 15,087 having been posted in the
previous month, in September 2016.
The results suggest that while the financial services industry and design are not usually thought of in
the same breath, that is changing, and firms are trying to use design thinking to adapt to a changing
environment.
Although many people believe that design thinking means going into a room with Post-it notes and
having relaxed brainstorming sessions with no clear objective, the reality is very different.
Design thinking is a tool for innovation, one that uses a consumer-centered approach to put nuanced
consumer needs at the core of the innovation process. But along with considering the needs of the
consumer, design thinking also takes into account the organization’s ability to deliver innovation in
terms of its feasibility (do we have the necessary technological systems to implement this idea?) and
its viability (is there a commercial market?).
Research has established a relationship between the use of design thinking and firm performance.
According to the Design Management Institute’s Design Value Index, “a market capitalization-
weighted index comprised of design-driven companies, shows 10-year returns of a remarkable 219%
over that of the Standard & Poor’s 500 index (“S&P 500”) from 2004-2014.”
We found in our analysis of several banks—such as Deutsche Bank, BNP Paribas, Auckland Savings
Bank, and OCBC Bank—that design thinking not only has a positive impact on customer relationships
by improving the user experience but also can improve the bank’s value proposition, activities, cost
structure, and revenue streams.
Increasingly, companies are becoming better at measuring the impact of design on bank activities: Key
performance indicators that in the past were difficult to identify—such as increases in visits, cost
decreases, and sales increases—have become easier to isolate. However, further research is needed
to better understand how design thinking is changing banks’ human architecture at the business-unit
and individual level, and the barriers to implement design thinking in the sector.
While the banking sector is going through a time of clear disruption, this does not necessarily
represent the end of banking, but rather the evolution and emergence of a new bank species, one
with design thinking baked into its DNA. By enhancing its presence in banking, design thinking will not
only have a positive impact on customer relationships but also add to the value proposition of the
banks and lead to a sustainable source of revenue growth.
Questions –
1. Explain what problem Innogy solved using design thinking?

2. Explain “De-Banking Is Not the End of Banks, It’s the Beginning of Design Thinking”.
3. How the banks are incorporating design thinking in their DNA?
4. How has design thinking helped banks to have a customer centered approach?
Case Study 30- 44
Case 30: How Pepsi has turned design thinking into its strategy
https://hbr.org/2015/09/how-indra-nooyi-turned-design-thinking-into-strategy
https://www.mygreatlearning.com/blog/design-thinking-pepsicos-secret/
https://www.thedrum.com/news/2015/09/04/how-pepsico-leveraging-design-thinking-build-
its-brands-future-societies
Case 31: How Nike uses design thinking as an effort of their talent development
https://www.dukece.com/insights/how-nike-uses-design-thinking-develop-talent/
Case 32: How Apple uses design thinking for their product development
https://www.mygreatlearning.com/blog/design-thinking-is-apples-success-mantra/
https://www.designorate.com/design-thinking-case-study-innovation-at-apple/
https://medium.com/macoclock/how-apple-used-design-thinking-38afb6770a6
Case 33: How Starbucks used design thinking to increase sales
https://booklets.app/booklet/design-thinking-success-story-of-starbucks
Case 34: How Nordstrom used design thinking to build an app
https://www.entreversity.com/hypothesis-driven-nordstroms-flash-build-for-app-development/
https://youtube.com/watch?v=2NFH3VC6LNs&feature=share&utm_source=EKLEiJECCKjO
mKnC5IiRIQ
Case 35: Bank of America kept its consumer by using design thinking
https://thisisdesignthinking.net/2018/09/feeling-in-control-bank-of-america-helps-customers-
to-keep-the-change/
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZDg1BfzYmAU&feature=share&utm_source=EKLEiJECCKjO
mKnC5IiRIQ
Case 36: GE Healthcare made the experience of CT Scan fun for children
https://thisisdesignthinking.net/2014/12/changing-experiences-through-empathy-ge-
healthcares-adventure-series/
https://youtube.com/watch?v=FkJD9bYS-
As&feature=share&utm_source=EKLEiJECCKjOmKnC5IiRIQ
Case 37: Design thinking as a method for urban planning
https://thisisdesignthinking.net/2016/05/designing-out-crime/
Case 38: Oral B used it for product innovation
https://www.dt-seminar.net/content/summerterm2022/cases-2022/childrens-toothbrushes-
design-thinking-oral-b/
Case 39: AirBnb uses design thinking for it business strategy
https://review.firstround.com/How-design-thinking-transformed-Airbnb-from-failing-startup-to-
billion-dollar-business
https://thisisdesignthinking.net/tag/airbnb/
Case 40 : Following One School District's Approach to Innovation for the 21st
Century
https://www.design-thinking-association.org/explore-design-thinking-topics/external-
links/following-one-school-districts-approach-innovation
Case 41: Designing Waste Out of the Food System
links/designing-waste-out-food-system
Case 42: Design Thinking in HR at Deutche Telekom
links/design-thinking-hr-deutche-telekom
Case 43: Tackling the Opioid Crisis at the Human and Systems Levels (How the
Lummi Tribal clinic used design to address opioid overdoses)
links/tackling-opioid-crisis-human-and-systems-levels
Case 44: How Design thinking help The Guardian
links/guardian-benefits-design-thinking
CASE 45
Enetrprise Design – Human Centerd Design

Case – Amul : Utterly People First
https://startuptalky.com/amul-case-study/
CASE 46
Wicked Problems : Why the Suspension Bridge in Gujrat Collapse ? – The Anatomy of a
Wicked Problem
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/gujarat-morbi-suspension-bridge-
collapse-8239336/
CASE 47
Wicked Problem : How HexaHealth is solving the Wicked Problem of Efficient and Relaible
Health Care In India .
https://www.hexahealth.com/about-us
https://www.omidyarnetwork.in/blog/why-we-invested-in-hexa-health
CASE 48
Ideation and Inspiration

Case : Story of Product Designer Sandeep Sangaru
https://www.architecturaldigest.in/story/sandeep-sangaru-wins-the-jsw-prize-for-
contemporary-craftsmanship-2020/
CASE 49
The Knowledge Funnel

Case : How Be Real is the answer to Instagram. Facebook’s blinded by success of it’s
algorithms and lacked the “explorative mindest”
https://in.mashable.com/apps-and-software/29856/bereal-is-what-casual-instagram-wants-
to-be
CASE 50
Levels of Design Processing

Case : How Paper Boat Appeals to ALL Three Levels
https://startuptalky.com/paperboat/
CASE 51
Strategic Innovation
Case : How Banyan Tree is Innovating Plastics Recycling .
https://www.forbesindia.com/article/2022-climate-special/banyan-nation-recycling-at-
scale/76657/1
CASE 52
The Value of Empathy and Power of Story Telling – The Beauty of Empathy
https://www.shopify.com/in/blog/sugar-cosmetics-dtc
CASE 53
The Value of Empathy / Constraints as Creativity/ Story Telling

Case : Ikea : Democratizing Design
https://about.ikea.com/en/life-at-home/how-we-work

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Case Study 1 – Baby Incubator | Embrace

While prototyping the Embrace, the

In a village in India, a mother

With these insights, the team was able to

A experiment was called Curious City was launched.

A model that’s not for everyone, or absolutely everything

Once the transformation from Hospitable

• Unstable strategy due to the change of executive teams

Apple streamlined their product portfolio to a family of products that can be

Iterative Customer Involvement

That’s the power of design thinking.

WHEN APPLES WERE BEING COMPARED WITH ORANGES.

ACC CEMENT: FROM BAGS TO RICHES

To avoid any loss in translation with the mason or his

These bags were being stored vertically, one on top of

Tracking the cement bag’s journey had also revealed

It was this shifting of perspective

They work in self-organised teams of 25 people each. While delivering their

The case is set up to accomplish the following teaching goals:

 Build international brands by devising strategies.

The case is set up to accomplish the following teaching goals:

 Realise the importance of educational technology in India’s educational system.

OnePlus faced several challenges, despite its phenomenal success in India.

The case is set up to accomplish the following teaching goals:

 Evaluate the expansion and entry of OnePlus into India.

The case is set up to accomplish the following teaching goals:

 Become familiar with convertible bonds and other financial instruments.

The case is set up to accomplish the following teaching goals:

 E-commerce sites have specific business goals, system functionality, and

Flipkart’s success is largely due to the following factors:

 When Kingfisher was first launched, Mallya intended to be a value-added airline.

The case is set up to accomplish the following teaching goals:

The case is set up to accomplish the following teaching goals:

 Understand the term “quality of work-life” (QWL).

The case is set up to accomplish the following teaching goals:

 To gain a fundamental understanding of Uber’s business model and the platform

JPMC’s digital initiatives included the “mobile-first, digital everything” strategy,

The case is set up to accomplish the following teaching goals:

 Use digital technology to examine the impact of traditional banking processes on

1. Explain how Future Facility improved the existing tech in products?

1. Explain what problem Innogy solved using design thinking?

1. Explain what problem Innogy solved using design thinking?

Case 33: How Starbucks used design thinking to increase sales

Case 34: How Nordstrom used design thinking to build an app

Case 37: Design thinking as a method for urban planning

Case 39: AirBnb uses design thinking for it business strategy

Case 41: Designing Waste Out of the Food System

Case 42: Design Thinking in HR at Deutche Telekom

Case 44: How Design thinking help The Guardian

Enetrprise Design – Human Centerd Design

Ideation and Inspiration

The Knowledge Funnel

Levels of Design Processing

The Value of Empathy / Constraints as Creativity/ Story Telling

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