Turian Labs
Design Research & Strategy
Studying smartphone demographics to provide actionable insights for tech companies to improve and develop existing products
RESEARCH CONSULTANCY
Turian Labs, Pune
MODES OF RESEARCH
In-depth interviews, diary studies, empathy mapping, customer journey mapping, usability studies and testing, concept validation
SCOPE OF WORK
User Experience Research;
Business Strategising;
Megatrends
DURATION
RESEARCH LOCATIONS
Jan 2019 - Nov 2019
India: Across Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities such as Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Lucknow, Bhopal and more.
International: Indonesia, Brazil
ABOUT
I worked as a design researcher under Google’s Next Billion Users initiative to understand pivotal aspects of smartphone user behaviour in the context of developing countries. Several quantitative, qualitative and mixed research projects were conducted to understand how first-time smartphone users were interpreting their apps, what factors influenced their decision-making and how their expectations from apps reflected their aspirational values in life.
A majority of these research projects were conducted during the peak of the pandemic, providing glimpses of how the pandemic had affected the lives and businesses of members of lower-income brackets in India, Indonesia and Brazil. As a design researcher, I took up the entire spectrum of research: recruiting participants for our studies, moderation, note-taking during interviews, in-depth data analysis and creating comprehensive reports for our clients.
Kindly note that all the following projects classify as NDA projects, therefore minimal information about the company name and its objective has been provided.
USER EXPERIENCE RESEARCH
File Manager
A 6-month long study across several Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities to understand how first-time smartphone users were managing storage on their phones with a Google application.
The research project explored users' equation with phone data, memory collection, usability studies (Customer User Journeys), comparative studies alongside competitor apps and concept validation to better understand their expectations from a file-managing app.
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USER EXPERIENCE RESEARCH
Video Calling Application
A research study conducted across India on a tight timeline to understand how users were using different video calling applications as a means of communication during the pandemic.
The project was carried out to understand the nuances of how users approach video calling across several different applications, how the concept of video calling evolved due to the lockdown and how user needs and expectations from a video calling app had evolved because of this. The project provided a macro understanding of how the pandemic had a direct impact on users' equations with their loved ones, and how their definition of communication developed during this period.
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RESEARCH STUDY
Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on SMEs in Developing Countries
A research study conducted across India, Indonesia and Brazil to understand the impact of COVID-19 on Small and Medium Enterprises over the span of 3 months.
The project was conducted during the peak of the pandemic wherein we would check-in with the participants about their business on a weekly basis. The objective of the interviews was to learn the different ways businesspeople were creating solutions to keep their businesses afloat through innovations in their products, marketing and their online presence. The businesses ranged from food and beverages and fashion to the medical industry.
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UX Research and Usability Testing
Online Learning Platform for Developers
A research study conducted across India and Indonesia to understand how app developers approached online learning, troubleshooting development doubts and community building.
The project was conducted to study the online learning habits of developers and to test the validity of Google's development learning platform. Research provided insight into the different use-cases of development e-learning platforms, the evolving needs of an online learner due to the pandemic, the impact Google's platform had on its users and the level of awareness among participants about the purpose and capabilities of the platform.
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Megatrends Research
The Future of Business Post Covid-19
Futures-thinking to recognise emerging opportunities, customer-bases, and evolving product languages to future-proof businesses and provide them with newer avenues to expand.
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