Govt Plans To Train India In Design, Innovation To Push User Experience

In order to enhance user experience (UX), the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI),  keeping in mind the changing UX and user interface (UI) landscape, has set up a new ‘Design and Innovation Committee’ to train Indian masses on sustainable design and innovation.

The Design and Innovation Committee will ensure that sustainable design education, which will drive growth in the long run, is imparted to the users without any biases. IAMAI with this aims to increase the awareness about the importance of design, irrespective of the industry and company.

The committee will consist of cofounder and chief of technical staff of HFI Apala Lahiri and co-chaired by Girish Prabhu, who is the founder of Sakalya Institute for Design Driven Entrepreneurship.

Lahiri, in a press release, said, “This will involve the committee taking initiatives to help the design ecosystem in India through capability building and policy advocacy.”

With this new training programme, the government plans to transform India into a design hub of the world. The body believes that institutionalised approach to develop and train Indians will help achieve this target. It clarifies that designing is not limited to graphic designing, but is an important “differentiator in a success or a failure of an organization.” Therefore, IAMAI has taken it upon itself for skilling and training the masses.

In its statement, IAMAI said, “UX/UI in a fast growing digital first economy can propel India to be a key player globally in the coming years – led by the urge to replace or replicate the complicated physical touchpoints with more efficient, unbiased and cost-effective digital interactions/ platforms.”

The statutory body also adds that as India’s relevance is growing as a consumption market, the internet-savvy customer segment, vernacular and regional complexities of the Indian digital market are putting India into the global UX design map.

The committee aims to focus on the following:

• Make designs user-friendly and simpler
• Encourage startups with the help of incubators, accelerators and other ways to take up the innovative ideas and design
• Promote design in businesses and public services by collaborating with design communities, associations, industry bodies and other government agencies and educational institutions

The government plans to apply design in the areas of sustainability, smart cities, clean India and effectively delivering public services. It has already identified intervention points to support design education by implementing measures in terms of faculty development and aptitude assessment.