The projects here span a range of disciplines, covering research, strategy, and the design of brand identities, objects and environments.
Advance Care Planning at UChicago Medicine
Using a human centered design approach to redesign UChicago Medicine’s Advance Care Planning process
2024 Service Design
This project was a collaboration between the Institute of Design’s Equitable Healthcare Action Lab, and UChicago Medicine (UCM), to try and improve the rate of completion of Healthcare Power of Attorneys (HPOAs). While UCM has made efforts in the past to improve the rate of completion of HPOA, most of these have been disparate, with the current rate of HPOA completion far below the national average. By taking a human centered design approach, we aimed to integrate these interventions into the patients’ journey, and be designed around what patients need at any point in time.
UChicago Medicine ADAMS Center
Co-creating a service blueprint to align teams undergoing a digital transformation
2024 Service Design
The ADAMS Center is a collaboration between UChicago Medicine and MDClone, with an aim to democratize access to data across the health system.
Here the service blueprint served as a boundary object, centering the project around the experience of using the tool, and highlighting potential friction points or areas of oversight. Collaboratively co-creating the service blueprint served to balance the needs of different teams and ensure a balance between data access and HIPAA compliance.
Community Engagement as a Method to Improve Education around food
2022 Behavioral Design
1 in 4 American faces food insecurity. While there are multiple efforts to reduce food insecurity, they are often conducted by different stakeholders, and focus on only one part of a complex system.
This project combines systems mapping with behavioral design to try and use community engagement as a way to improve education around food an nutrition, while balancing the needs of various stakeholders within the system
Equitable Healthcare Action Lab
Creating a new visual identity for a growing lab
2023 Branding
The Equitable Healthcare Action Lab( at Institute of Design at Illinois Tech) partners with health systems, community organizations, and researchers to develop inclusive healthcare strategies and solutions.
As a student assistant at ID’s Equitable Healthcare Action Lab, I worked with Prof. Kim Erwin in managing the content generated from past projects. I re-organized the physical lab space, created a consistent visual language for the work, and helped set up the lab’s website.
Illinois Institute of Technology
Rethinking Illinois Institute of Technology’s
relationship with food waste
2023 Systems Design
IIT houses and feeds thousands of students, and as a result, generates a large amount of food waste. Through 4 systems maps, this projects looks at how small shifts in procurement of food, and handling of food waste, can affect not just activities on campus, but have an impact on larger systems in Chicago and Illinois.
Agricultural Trucking in America
Creating a roadmap for a more sustainable + equitable future for agricultural trucking in North America
2022 Systems Design
83% of agricultural transportation in America is done by trucks, responsible for 7% of global emissions, a number that’s expected to grow to 15% in the coming years. Any change to make the industry more sustainable is also likely to affect the livelihood of 7.4 Million people.
This project analyzes one component of the larger food delivery system, mapping the players and dynamics within the system, and looking at the impact different interventions would have on the system.
Crafting a business plan for an W/MBE owned, union aligned furniture installation company
2022 Business Design
The owners of Forward Space want to explore the idea of starting a new, minority owned union installation firm, to ensure that their furniture is installed correctly, while also helping their clients meet their ESG and diversity goals.
Banco de Crédito del Perú (BCP) / Credicorp
Creating a new organizational model to promote innovation at Peru’s largest financial institution
2023 Business Design
Credicorp is the leading financial service company in Peru, with presence in Colombia, Bolivia, Chile, Panama and the United States. But their design team was facing problems in translating the value that design could provide in driving innovation within the organization. For Credicorp to scale, and to achieve their goals of financial inclusivity, they needed a new open innovation model that prioritized design as a dynamic capability within the organization.
Telling the story of city and exploring the impact of immigration through data
2023 Data Visualization
Chicago is a city of neighborhoods, each of which has a rich history and culture. From the Ukrainian Village to the Polish and Lithuanian Broadways, to the "Black Metropolis" of Bronzeville, immigrants and immigration have played a strong role in shaping the city. This project explores the story of immigration into Chicago by transforming publicly available data into a series of explorable, interactive dashboards.
Aspect Design Digital Transformation
Creating a strategy to get ahead of the curve
2022 Business Design
Aspect Design Pvt. Ltd. is a mutli-disciplinary architecture and design firm based in Mumbai, India. Started in 2019, it has quickly grown to a full-service retail design firm, providing services from strategy and design through to FF&E and on-site execution.
As the firm grows post-pandemic, they sought to expand into different avenues of design and architecture, without diluting the experience they give their clients. This project involved the creation of a digital strategy and business plan to help them achieve their goals.
Exploring the implications of a post-truth world through an experiential engagement
2022 Speculative Design
What does the future of truth look like, in a post-truth world? This question forms the basis of an experiential future engagement, intended to show how simple decisions on what is true or what is false can stack on top of each other and lead to large scale unforeseen consequences. This also showed how the amount of information that people are presented with can overload the senses, and can be easily manipulated to drive a narrative.
Exploring Xenotransplantation through speculative objects
2022 Speculative Design
Currently ten patients die each day in the United States while on the waiting list to receive lifesaving vital organ transplants. Transplantation using non-human sources, including animals and lab-grown organs has the potential to save thousands, but brings with it a slew of ethical implications. This project uses a set of speculative objects to open up conversations about the benefits and implications of Xenotransplantation.
Museum of Science and Industry
Understanding the parent-child dyad decision making process to improve the museum experience
2022 Design Research
The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago has a clear mission to build public understanding of science, show how science impacts our society and inspire everyone to think critically about the world around us. But post the pandemic, the museum faced the challenge of staying relevant as learning and education are increasingly online/digital/virtual. This project used a range of qualitative research techniques to understand the parent-child dyad, and improve the museum experience.
Re-thinking Lego’s ecosystem to suit changing notions of “play”
2021 Design Research
As part of the Experience Modelling class taught by Mark Micheli at the Institute of Design, Palak Shah and I studied Lego’s brand ecosystem in order to understand which areas are undeserved by Lego. Working from previous user research from Kelton, we mapped the Lego ecosystem, studied different customer personas and mental models, and redefined the ecosystem and brand architecture based on the needs of individual mental models, and insights from our research.
Understanding work culture to enhance learning experiences
2022 Design Research
The Advanced Engine Control Lab at Illinois Institute of Technology studies dynamics and controls of advanced internal combustion engines.
This collaborative project was aimed at applying qualitative research techniques to develop foundational insights about the lab and the people that use it, to understand safety protocols and procedures within the lab and how COVID has impacted the culture within the lab.
How do we turn a mundane act into an automotive experience?
2021 Experience Design
MRF is the 6th largest tyre manufacturer in the world, with a wide range of offerings, and a storied association with motorsports and cricket.
For their new Tyredrome car and motorcycle service center in the heart of Mumbai, they wanted a new design that would provide a better experience for customers, while also reflecting their history and growth as a brand.
How can we create an environment that balances fun and learning?
2021 Experience Design
Dhruv Global School wanted to create a playschool classroom that would adapt to a range of different learning activities. From regular classes to nap time to group activities, the classroom needed to be flexible, child safe and child friendly.
A toy store for everyone’s inner 6 year old
2020 Experience Design
Noah’s is a chain of British toy shops with a long and storied history. But with internet and e-commerce providing stiff competition to traditional stores, the role of the toy store needed to change. The physical space needed to provide a unique shopping experience that was both distinct from, and complimentary to, the
online store.
Updating the brand identity for a multi-disciplinary architecture and design firm
2020 Branding
The pandemic was a time for Aspect Design to reflect and re-evaluate the goals and the future of the company. This led to the creation of a new brand identity, a revamped website and a full range of collaterals.
Can the shape of a bottle help a brand stand out in a crowded category?
2020 Industrial Design
Makazai is a new brand of rum from the coastal Indian state of Goa. I worked with Popping Mustard to design the bottle and visualize the final labels before the launch. I also designed a range of Point-of-Sale solutions which built on the brand identity.
How can a space reflect a promise?
2019 Experience Design
The redesign of LB Finance’s bank branches was intended to reflect the brand’s new promise of “Opportunities Unlimited”, with an open plan layout and architecture, furniture designs, and materials inspired by the tropical modernist style of Sri Lanka.
The “No-Wait” Banking Experience
2020 Experience Design
What role should a physical space play in the bank of the 21st century? That’s what Hatton National Bank, a 140 Year old bank in Sri Lanka wanted to answer. Through a combination of user research, secondary research and retail experience design, I revamped their current branches to ensure relevance and improve the customer experience.
A space that reflects endless possibilities
2019 Experience Design
In 2020, Nerolac would be celebrating it’s 100th anniversary, and sought to revamp its image, and trusted Interbrand Mumbai with the same. A large part of the rebrand included the development of a new Experience Center, to showcase the brand’s offerings, as well as new developments, technology and initiatives.
Can an airmiles brand represent more than just travel?
2019 Naming
Jet Privilege was India's largest air miles provider. It was started as a subsidiary of Jet Airways, and was always associated with the airline. When the airline went bankrupt, Jet Privilege approached Interbrand seeking to a new name and new brand to step out from under the shadows of the failing airline.
Crafting a dine-in experience for the pizza delivery experts
2018 Experience Design
Domino’s Pizza is one of the largest fast food chains in India with over 1200 outlets. But they’re known more for their “30 minutes or free” delivery than their dine-in experience. As part of a team at FITCH, we re-designed the space, optimized the kitchen layout and set the template for a full revamp of all 1200 of their restaurants.
Can a name evoke emotion without straying into cultural stereotypes?
2018 Naming
Jubilant Foodworks had achieved incredible success with their chain of Domino's Pizza franchises across India. They were seeking to replicate the same QSR format for an Asian themed restaurant. They approached FITCH to create this new brand and restaurant from the ground up.
How do we make the most bespoke tobacco experience?
2017 Experience Design
A major tobacco producer wanted to create a new, unique, premium tobacco store. The goal was to highlight their top brands, while also educating customers about the intricacies of tobacco, and what makes these blends unique. The result was Taste Expressions, a store that showcases what goes into making a cigarette, and allows customers to try their hand at creating their own unique blend.
Can a bottle look sporty, but still have a wide appeal?
2017 Industrial Design
Enerzal was a new sports drink from FDC. The company was known for their Electral brand of Oral Rehydration Powders, which are usually taken to replace lost salts when sick. Enerzal was intended to be a more general use sports drink, and FDC wanted a brand identity and bottle to set it apart. FITCH worked on the new brand identity, and as part of the team, I was tasked with creating a new bottle that fit the brand’s sporty aesthetic.
Capturing the South Indian Coffee Ritual
2016 Industrial Design
Filter coffee plays an important part in South Indian households, with dedicated tools and rituals. While Nescafe’s “Sunrise Insta-filter” range combines the convenience of instant coffee with the taste of filter coffee, they needed to convey the same to hardcore filter coffee drinkers. I designed a range of point-of-sale solutions that evoked the tools of filter coffee while communicating the benefits of Insta-filter.
HUL Laundry Category Management
Re-imagining the supermarket detergent aisle
2016 Industrial Design
Hindustan Unilever (HUL), was facing a problem: Indian customers are used to using only a single product for their laundry needs. Customers didn’t see the need for fabric conditioner. HUL needed a solution that would effectively communicate the advantages of a “post-wash” fabric conditioner; while reducing clutter in the detergent aisles of supermarkets.
How do we change an iconic package without losing what makes the brand distinct?
2016 Industrial Design
Nestle wanted a newer, more premium pack, for it’s Polo brand, "The Mint with the Hole". The designs played around with the existing brand language, including the iconic shape, the existing packaging, and the fun, quirky tone of voice.
Redesigning Vodafone’s iconic Top 10 Table
2016 Industrial Design
The Top 10 Table was an iconic element in Vodafone’s retail identity, drawing in customers to try the latest devices. But as Vodafone shifted their focus from selling physical devices to selling services, the table needed an update. As the industrial designer on the team at FITCH Mumbai, I was tasked with updating the table to reflect Vodafone’s new focus, while reducing the amount of rework of existing fixtures, and working with the existing retail design language.
A brand identity that conveys culture and values
2015 Branding
The United Retailers Joint Advisory and Action is a retail consultancy that helps small, family-owned businesses maximize their profit margins. They wanted a brand identity that balanced strength and formality, with approach-ability.
Creating the brand identity for a marketing consultancy
2015 Branding
Atraxia is a Marketing consultancy from the south of India, that provides a competitive, cost-effective Marketing Mix Modelling (MMM) solution for small and mid-sized companies. The new consultancy aimed to stand out by tailoring their solution to smaller companies, and pairing the MMM with other bespoke solutions and marketing consulting. To reflect the founders’ decades of experience in the field, they sought a name and brand identity to match.
How do we make pencils fun in a digital world?
2016 Industrial Design
Hindustan Pencils, is a ubiquitous pencil brand in India, and every child has used their famous hexagonal, red-and-black pencils at some point. The brand was facing competition from newer, bolder competitors, and wanted a re-fresh of their identity. Alongside that, we created these little 3D-printed pencil holders. They could be used as a toy, a desk-accessory, or used to build a larger shop display or installation; all built around the distinct shape of the pencils.
How can toys educate children about other cultures?
2014 Industrial Design
A simple children’s toy born out of a sketching exercise. I was inspired by the forms of the whirling dervish dancers of Turkey, and wondered how it would translate into a traditional spinning top. The result was a simple children’s toy, that also appeals to adults who are interested in foreign cultures.
A collection of logos I’ve created over the years
2014 - Branding
From corporate clients to punk rock bands, every single one of these logos has been a labor of love.