Interview with Hari Nallan

Since 2004, Think Design has powered mission critical initiatives of few of the most renowned companies and brands; creating impact across 9 key sectors and millions of users. With a team of 100 people across 5 offices in India and USA, Think Design is among the largest design innovation consultancies in this world. Think Design's work is at the intersection of strategic, creative and technical thinking; and its methods have been put to use to create digital innovations in the space where customers interact with businesses to consume information, carryout daily tasks, make decisions or buy things.

Design for me, is a way of doing things. Its a method, an organisation of elements, people, ideas and techniques in a way, vision is realised.

At the moment, I like designing methods of design. I love organising thinking models and frameworks that make innovation happen. Apart from intangibles like methods and processes, I also do enjoy hands-on design of interfaces and interactions.

I like modularity. My most favourite design is Lego toys. I would choose to call it a system where modular blocks come handy in giving shape to imagination.

I designed luxury electrical accessories for India's largest electric company. The accessories are meant to be exclusively installed in office rooms of top management of businesses.

My favourite material remains sand since my childhood. I find it very soothing, stress busting and I can do anything with it when I add moisture to it.

I feel most creative when I am alone. I need space and time to introspect, reflect and imagine.

I focus on the aspect of touch. Even though most of what my company creates is virtual, I still see material in them. I see a beautiful pattern emerging while I'm typing this and I feel the keyboard working for me, delivering exactly what I'm thinking. I see this beauty in coordination and my focus is on this kind of coordination between the user and the product he is using.

I feel multiple emotions: Curiosity, Empathy, Frustration, Joy, Vigour and Enthusiasm.

I feel like I just had a baby!

A design is successful when it is oriented to its users, has unmatched quality among peers and when it keeps its promise. We often come across designs that raise our expectations through their appearance and fail to deliver even half way. A successful design will balance its promise with its outcome.

Functionality always comes first.

A designer needs to be sensitive to environment and society in the same order. S/he needs to take responsibility for sustainability and longevity of ecology and society. I do not advocate disruption through design; I'd rather advocate inclusive design.

There has always been an interesting relationship between technology and design, with one superseding the other. With technology rapidly evolving, design is going to be much more important; so much so that design would be a mainstream profession.

I find inspiration and creativity from within. Going by an old sanskrit sentence, "Aham Bramhasmi", meaning I am the infinite reality, I feel creativity is best nurtured within. Inspirations come and go; and they are transitory.

I do not box my imagination to a specific style or a generic approach. I am more interesting in designing methods of design that help produce outcome based on the present and future need of my creation.

I live in New Delhi, India. Yes, cultural heritage does have its influences on me. Once of the biggest pros is, being from a price sensitive economy, I always search for the ultimate value for money spent from the perspective of the users. Due to this mindset, I try to find functional values for my users in my creation. The biggest con of being influenced by my culture is, inability to see value in luxury.

I work with companies in consulting model. I start off with customer challenges and find ways of mitigating them through design.

Companies should select a good designer not by his skills, but by his character of empathy. I would suggest companies to spend good deal of time selecting an empathetic designer, but after that, trust them and give freedom to create.

I want to see my company in atleast 20 countries as world's most widely networked design consultancy.

I am totally a team person. Energy is multiplied when I work with people rather than work alone.

People can contact me through my email ID: hari@think.design