Design for the Base of the Pyramid

The proportion of the world's urban population living in slums is projected to increase from 33% in 2003 to 45% in 2025. If the growth of these areas is left unchecked, they will soon be home to the majority of city dwellers on the planet.

Related projects
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Background

The Institute of Design's Design for the Base of the Pyramid (DBOP) project began with an exploratory phase (Phase I), conducted in the summer of 2003 in Chicago and in three cities in India.

This is an initiative to develop human-centered design strategies and concepts for new products, services and businesses capable of generating sustainable economic improvement in the lives of people living in the vast base of the global economic pyramid.

Funders and partners

Funders

TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs)- seed grant (November 2004)

Underwriters Laboratories - seed grant (October 2004)

Institutional partners

Satyam Foundation, Hyderabad, India

Human Factors International India Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai, India

Society for Human and Environmental Development (SHED), Mumbai, India.

Advisors

Cynthia Figge, Co-founder,
EKOS International

Allen Hammond, Vice President,
Innovation and Special Projects,
World Resources Institute (WRI)

Anjali Kelkar, Senior Manager,
Design Research (Asia)
Philips Design

Sam Pitroda, Chairman & CEO,
C-SAM Inc. and
WorldTel; former Indian
Minister of Technology
Missions and chairman
of Indian Telecom
Commission, Govt of India

Steven Smith,
Senior Managing Director,
Ritchie Capital Management

Bibliography:

Small Business Cell Phone Entrepreneurs in Peri-urban India
by Anjali Kelkar
Institute of Design white paper, May 2006.
Download document (application/pdf, 1.30MB)

Designing for the Base of the Pyramid
by Patrick Whitney
and Anjali Kelkar. Design Management Journal (Fall 2004): 41-47.
Download document (application/pdf, 585.46KB)