Join the Conversation: Inspiring Narratives and Driving Actions for Mindful Design in the Post-AI World
This week, I had the privilege of addressing a full house at the IGNITE conference in Hyderabad, where I exchanged thoughts on ‘Leveraging Social Imagination to Expand the Influence and Impact of User Research.’ The active participation of the audience — a vibrant group of User Researchers from across India — made it evident that they were eager to explore ways to assume more strategic, influential, impactful, and purposeful roles as Designers and Researchers in the future. The interactions between the audience and me were characterized by high energy and curiosity.
To conclude the session, I summarized the discussed points and introduced my book, “Being & Belonging: A Journey of Curiosity and Imagination,” as a reflection of the questions and concerns I have pursued throughout my 50-year journey as a design student, designer, and researcher. Encouraged by the audience’s positive response to my ideas and the book, I am now planning to organize a series of community dialogues in multiple cities around the world to further engage with diverse groups and continue this important conversation.
I firmly believe that the timing of my book is serendipitous, considering current events. The potential for designers to play a significant role in society has never been greater. During my two-and-a-half-year sabbatical from business, I focused on examining the ground-level realities affecting people and their mindset in the post-Covid and post-AI world. Through these observations, I concluded that as researchers and designers, we must broaden our communication channels beyond conventional client interactions.
By connecting directly with everyday people at community events, we can actively participate in shaping social imagination. In line with this perspective, I have spent the past two and a half years traveling and connecting with diverse communities both in-person and online, listening to their stories, and sharing my own. The outcomes of this approach have been diverse: two books of poetry grounded in my design sensibilities, an illustrated children’s book, and my latest book — written in a biographical style — detailing my journey of curiosity and imagination.
This latest book reflects my curiosity about how everyday people perceive, understand, and practice design in their lives, influenced by my participatory design approach. Moreover, during my sabbatical, I undertook an oral history project called “The Legacy of India’s Imagination.” In this project, I recorded and edited dialogues with eminent personalities from various fields, such as art, architecture, education, literature, rural development, cinema, linguistics, journalism, and social causes. I’ve completed 60 dialogues and uploaded the playlist to YouTube. Additionally, I’ve collaborated with dancers, music composers, anthropologists, healers, and academics to develop multimedia artifacts for meditative reflections.
Through these engagements, I am convinced that future opportunities for designers lie in actively shaping social imagination and contributing to transformative community initiatives. In the community dialogues I am planning around my book, I look forward to engaging the audience in conversations about how design is practiced and perceived by everyday people, emphasizing the importance of understanding these perspectives to create meaningful and inclusive design initiatives for social impact.
The event structure will be built around a conversation about my book, “Being & Belonging: A Journey of Curiosity and Imagination.” Instead of acting as a speaker, I will serve as a moderator facilitating a public dialogue on the significance of design in everyday life.
Who will you meet at the conversation:
The core audience for this event would consist of designers, architects, filmmakers, authors, and writers with an interest in the social impact of creativity. Attendees are encouraged to contribute their own thoughts and stories about harnessing creativity to shape new narratives, ideas, and actions. Additionally, the event will cater to a wide range of curious individuals who typically attend book reading sessions and lectures by creatives and ethnographers.
I hope you can join an online global launch that I’m planning for Saturday, March 22nd, 2025, at:
- 8:00 am in San Francisco
- 11:00 am in New York
- 3:00 pm in London
- 4:00 pm in Paris
- 8:30 pm in India
Please use the link provided below to indicate your interest in attending. As the book launch approaches, I will send a follow-up reminder to confirm your attendance.
For those living in Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, or San Francisco and interested in attending an in person book discussion, please feel free to DM me, and I will keep you updated on the schedules.
Click here to sign up for the global launch on March 22nd.
