Design Signal™ is Crossed Design’s proprietary innovation framework to design for unspoken rules, informal systems & irrational behaviours of people of India.

Design Signal is a strategic innovation framework. It helps in creating new product strategies, concepts, process & systems by understanding people & their immediate context.

Design Signal can provide strategic advantage in two cases. First, it makes your organisation future ready through design & innovation. It lays the groundwork to predict future with more confidence and accuracy. In this case, it ensures growth, expansion & mitigates risk. Second, it helps in deconstructing the existing solution and its experiences while exposing possible problmes. Not just that, it also offers strategic solutions to design for those problems. In this case Design Signal improves experience, market share, efficiency or retention.

Design Signal assists in taking strategic design calls & decision making. As a matter of fact it is difficult to measure ROI of a confident good decision Vs a weak bad decision over a short period of time. However, this is measurable over a long period of time. Eg: How many bad ideas were killed before wasting money? How many teams were alligned to a vision through evidence instead of opinions? How many new initiatives/ideas originated within the team?

Your offering (or idea) might waste a lot of resources before it dies (or worse, gets killed by your own hands)! Well, Are you comfortable in not being the leader? Is your organisation willing to spend a lot of resources (money and time) on uncertain ideas?Are you comfortable by not having a strong vision of the future? Are you satisfied with not knowing weather your idea/product will is liked or disliked (and why)? If you answered ‘No’ to any one of the above question, then it is worth investing in.

Of course yes! There is rarely any domain that is more more centred around its people (benefeciaries) & their immediate environment than Social Development. The core idea of social development lies in behaviour change model. To design for behaviour change, it is even more critical to understand the context and the people in the context. Here we dont just talk about ‘emotional desires’ rather ‘real consequences’ are at stake. When we design incentives & motivations, we need to understand Vichaar & Viraasat. When we design capacity building programs, we need to know Viraasat & Vyavhaar. When we design systems & policies, we need to know all 4 Varnas of Design Signal.

Why not! Systems are complex to design. Multiple stakeholders, with infinite perceptions, agendas and intents, systems offer a multitude of permutations & combinations. This is where linear function stops making sense. What seems obvious to one, might be impossible for other. Design Signal helps in navigating such complex spaces. Instead of making assumptionsm it relies on providing informed decisions, it helps in aligning stakeholder visions. It also brings a comprehensive view of the system to the experts and designers while they think and chalk big ideas for long term behaviour change.

Of course yes! Goverment is created by the people for the people (citizens). But policies are created by the government for the people (Idealy for betterment of citizens). However, in large democracies like India, government, ministeries & beurocrates often operate in silos, distant from the ground realities of their citizens. This creates a systems where policies that look perfect in theory, fail terribly when implemented. Design Signal brings realities of the people to table & boardroams. This create policies which are more aligned with citizens and hence more acceptance.

Yes! This is infact the most common use case of Design Signal. Thought India is home to the Nextbillion user, entering a new untapped market is scary. Specially for global brands who are trying to establish their presence in a completely new market. India market is way different than rest of the world. Indians have turned a global sports brand (Decathelon) into a street fashion label. It has converted Ikea into a mid luxury furniture brand from a DIY brand. India has the audacity to introduce ‘pav bhaji’ into the Strabucks menu. This is a place where cultures shift every few kilometers. What works in New Delhi might not work in Hyderabad. People are different, there environment is different. Knowing your market before even opening your first franchise can save Billions of investments and reputation.