our services
toolkits
Creating a ready resource pool is the true hallmark of every innovative organization. we customize, tailor and create from scratch a library of maps, checklists, flowcharts and logic diagrams, as well as outline best practice methodologies, case studies, books and articles to help your team (internally) and your clients get a stronger handle on the work they do.
social innovation, enterprise& nonprofits
This is a particular favorite of ours!!
We work with nonprofits, social innovators / entrepreneurs (for and nonprofits) and individual projects focused on social and environmental good (CSR and the likes!).
We provide strategic design and planning for projects aimed at collective benefit using innovative tools. This could include internal streamlining, content building via messaging that showcases your idea to optimum potential, impact assessment to show your value. This is in addition to tailoring our other services to suit the specific needs of a socially innovative organization.
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This comes from more than a decade of Aparna's work and research in the field, bringing sound understanding and providing a solid backbone to even the most complex social issues, so long as innovation is in your focus!
innovation capacity building
content building
Every organization, big, small or a one-person show has the ability within to innovate. I tailor immersive brainstorming sessions and workshops to bring out that innate ability.
Identifying problem points and finding out areas of potential opportunities and then tailoring appropriate methods and tools to solve to take you from an organization with the potential to innovate to an organization that is innovative!
We view a website as not a reflection of your organization but as a central and intrinsic element. We do not therefore limit ourselves to designing things just so it looks pleasant and eye-catching.
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Our content building ensures:
- the message being sent out is in according to your work and ambition
- resonating with your target audience and extended stakeholders
- SEO optimization to increase visibility
- help you craft case studies
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We design websites but are happy to work with you if you have an in-house designer or with an external agency. We are laser focused on ensuring you are viewed as a serious contender in your area of work and that the message being sent out accurately describes you and your ambition.
toolkits
Having a set of ready resources for internal teams and clients is a sign of an innovative organization. Having ready references and checklists, logic diagrams and brainstorming tools on hand gives team members proceed with their work with less guidance and allows them to think freely knowing they have tools and resources to back them up. Ready resources help unblock the mental gridlock, get conversations going, save time and allow the team to work with the task on hand.
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There are several tools available online for free (and paid) but knowing which ones to use when is key. Additionally, each organization is unique and has its own unique set of requirements.
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We work to adapt and design from scratch a range of toolkits and design kits to help with this.
core consulting
Immersive discussions and strategy sessions to solve problems / design a project using innovation as the driver. Focus would be on identifying problematic areas, expected outcomes and then finding appropriate tools to innovatively solve the problem. A lot of emphasis is laid on asking the right questions, we focus on identifying methods to first understand the problem, ask questions and then co-create a strategy with you to find solutions.
The same goes for new project ideas. Designing the innovation process, getting team members comfortable with the non-linear process of innovation-driven logic and making sure frameworks are flexible enough to incorporate new ideas is all part of our consulting approach.
training & workshops
Half a day introductory session
An introductory session outlining what creative problem solving is, how it is useful and a general introduction to various methods.
Has some interactive elements.
Full day introductory session
A comprehensive session outlining what creative problem solving is, how it is useful and an in depth introduction to various methods, outlining relevant methods for various situations.
Has several interactive elements and more hands-on.
2 or 3 day Immersive sessions
Over several smaller sessions, we introduce the idea, discuss in depth the need and importance including best practices and examples.
Over the next sessions, team members get practical hands-on experience disseminating various problems using design thinking and other tools.
Leadership exchange
Targets leadership and introduces them to the importance of innovation and how creative problem solving tools can shape the course of the organization and how it aligns itself with their own goals and is not an add-on element.
Can take the form of a seminar or an interactive session.
Team building
exercises
Our team bonding sessions are a marked departure from anything you have experienced or seen! We have adapted design thinking and other edgy tools to enhance bonding, communication and generate an interest in innovation at all levels in the organization.
outcomes, broadly speaking...
These workshops are aimed at helping organizations develop an innovative mindset.
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Broad outcomes would be:
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Getting comfortable with risk taking
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Understanding the importance of rapid idea generation
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Learning to ask the right questions
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Communicating better and staying on task during communicating
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Getting comfortable with failure and understanding the importance of talking about it
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Identifying your own creative style
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Recognizing barriers to innovation and stopping it
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Understanding the importance of collaboration (internal and external)
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Creating an atmosphere where people feel free to ask questions (for leadership)
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Using the right tools for the problem
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Learn critical and objective thinking
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The thinking....
We work with the same degree of dedication to each client, irrespective of their size & give each project the same 100%, pushing you (and ourselves) to bring optimum results for your project. (See also the Testimonials section on the homepage!)
Human centric
Everything is human scale here. We think in terms of people, living beings. Your clients, your team, leadership, entrepreneur, innovator- they are all people for us. We work with personas, understand their daily life, their preferences, habits, work styles in order to understand the problem.
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We spend time talking to people, using personas, doing quick observational studies, conducting rapid thinking sessions to generate rapid ideas trying to get to know them. This leads to asking the right questions, which we know is the key to finding the right answers!
Mapping Systems
We work with you to create a whole-systems map, to help you understand all the players in that system, and how they are all related. This is even more critical for nonprofits and social innovators/entrepreneurs as the problems they face are a result of no one person, organization or even sector!
Creative Thinking
There are infinite ways to do this! We use Design Thinking and related tools and techniques. We encourage our clients to develop empathy toward their team members and clients/customers, (not the same as being sympathetic to their plight or exhibiting a thorough understanding). You may be a for-profit engineering concern, but your product is ultimately used by people, and while sometimes this is hard to achieve given that not all services and products are direct customer facing, having a design thinking-empathy driven approach is extremely beneficial in getting results, as has been demonstrated across sectors over the last two decades.
Visual thinking
We want our clients to get visual! It is not at all unusual for us to ask our clients to draw things for us- from maps, to stick figures to entire story boards, we are big on drawing. This in itself is a freeing activity, but also gets quick results every time!
Seeing before deploying
We build rapid prototypes, be it a physical model or an interaction before deploying a pilot test or rolling out the final version.
This sometimes feels weird, especially for those who do not have a physical product, but that is no constraint for us. This is a very critical part and oftentimes we can catch errors and mistakes even on very rough prototypes...