Happenings

Ingvar Kamprad And The IKEA Effect

January 29, 2018 Happenings

IKEA Founder Ingvar KampradI was moved to learn about the passing away of IKEA’s founder Ingvar Kamprad yesterday, aged 91. He was born in 1926 in Småland in southern Sweden and raised on ‘Elmtaryd’, a farm near the small village of Agunnaryd, that’s how the company also got its name IK (Ingvar Kamprad) E (Elmtaryd) A (Agunnaryd). Ingvar displayed an entrepreneurial spirit at a tender age and founded IKEA in 1943 when he was only 17, initially selling pens, wallets, picture frames, table runners, watches, jewellery and nylon stockings at reduced prices and eventually moving to retailing furniture in 1948. I once wrote about the design of a table from their catalogue which supported wireless charging which I thought integrated seamlessly with the present generation’s ubiquitous goals.

Ingvar’s journey is exhilarating, to say the least. He started his company around a rural place where people worked hard and made the most of their meagre earnings & resources. This prompted him to live and experience a simple life and develop products that supported the needs of the common individuals while keeping the costs low and focussing on good quality with frugal innovation. He often used himself as an example and to be able to feel what his customers would desire and justify the design decisions, which to me, is the greatest illustration of design-thinking.

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Padmaavat And A String of Coincidences

January 28, 2018 Happenings

With Padmaavat Sanjay Leela Bhansali has once again courted controversy and his track record over the past few years points to a scary phenomenon. Beginning with Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ramleela in which the Rajput and Rabari communities raised strong objections on the portrayal of their culture, as well as some religious groups who opposed the title of the movie proclaiming that the movie had nothing in common with the Ramlila festival and it hurt the religious sentiments of the Hindus. Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone portrayed Ram and Leela as lovers belonging to opposing factions. Amidst the uproar to ban the film in some states, the title was subsequently changed to Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ramleela at the behest of the courts and released in 2013.

In 2015, Bhansali made Bajirao Mastani and the ‘Pinga’ song in which the historical character of Kashibai played by Priyanka Chopra danced skillfully with the famed courtesan Mastani (Deepika Padukone). To the descendants of the Queen Peshwa this amounted to an insult and distortion of historical facts on the grounds that Kashibai was afflicted with arthritis since childhood and may not have ambled well let alone perform those wearisome dance moves, and the dubious costume in the music video apart, the duo had formally met only once. Furthermore, an intimate sequence of Kashibai with Peshwa Bajirao (Ranveer Singh) was also deemed as “disgusting” for depicting a private moment between revered personalities on the screen.

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India’s Republic Day Extravaganza

January 26, 2018 Happenings

Always intrigued by India and its Republic Day Parade and more than ever before since Doordarshan began live streaming it on YouTube. This was the 69th Republic Day and it was a grand show. The timezone difference notwithstanding I watched the entire programme until the wee hours of the morning with a great sense of pride. The 10 premiers of the ASEAN nations were the chief guests for the celebrations which had its moments of grandeur, but as always, my interest was ignited by the military equipment which wasn’t limited to the Bhishma T-90 tanks, the Akash SAM battery, and the BRAHMOS cruise missiles, although I would have appreciated seeing the most talked about Agni-V ICBM with a range of >5000 km, and then the military regiments in their vibrant colours putting their best foot forward in tandem. But it was the skilful acrobatic display of the BSF women cadets on bikes which were the most extraordinary. Altogether, it was a magnificent demonstration of India’s military might and cultural diversity on this special day. Jai Hind!

Canadian Tech and IT Jobs in 2018 from Randstad

January 23, 2018 Happenings

Randstad Canada sent me an email update today titled “Boost your job search in 2018”, in which they included data on Tech and IT related jobs within Canada. Randstad is one of the many staffing agencies in Toronto and they share this data every year, along with the salary range for different roles categorized by Canadian cities which helps job-seekers in tweaking your job search outlook. What surprised me was the absence of any designer/creative role in software development, so where did they go wrong? They have information for UX/UI job seekers on their website which is not part of the 2018 report though, and I have blogged about my hiring methodology to stress upon the importance of getting creative designers onboard for any product development lifecycle.

The UX Design Collective released The State of the UX in 2018 survey in which they have spoken widely about various global UX career trends and one of the key lessons was the rightful transformation of the UX Designer into ‘Product Designer’ in 2018.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]This shift from UX Design to Product Design is only accelerating in 2018. As our role and responsibilities grow inside our companies, understanding more about business and design strategy becomes inevitable.[/perfectpullquote]

Could it be that Randstad ignored this trend of UX Design vs Product Design? If the report mentions tech as “one of Canada’s best job sectors” then digital products could be the driving force behind it and generally, creative design skills should rank higher in demand on par with programmers. I believe it’s a matter of perspectives, and that Randstad got too involved in pursuing “IT/Tech” as an exclusive developer’s domain while keeping the strategic/creative angle outside its purview. Only they could tell why, but 2018 is the time to give the creative (product) designers a fair handshake!

Source: Best Tech and IT Jobs in Canada in 2018 by Randstad Canada

Thank You, Sears.

January 18, 2018 Happenings

Sears shut all its stores in Ontario, and it will subsequently cease operations across Canada later this year. I still recollect, as a newcomer, I was living right across the street to a store and the first items which I selected for my new home came from this iconic brand. I cannot imagine the convenience of a mega-store with its choice of home appliances without Sears in my neighborhood. It was rather distressing to watch that store shut down in November last year which had become a part of my regular shopping jaunts. They were on a rebranding spree and I was expecting a grand revival, but it happened too late, as suggested by the memo on their website.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Over the past 18 months, Sears Canada had embarked on a reinvention plan that had begun to gain traction with customers. Unfortunately, despite the outstanding efforts of dedicated associates across the Company, Sears Canada does not have the financial resources to provide it with the time necessary to complete its reinvention. As a result, Sears Canada is winding down its operations and shopping is no longer available online. Please see below the list of stores currently open for liquidation. We appreciate having had you as a customer, and hope you find some great bargains for you and your family.[/perfectpullquote]

Source: Thank You.