Summary of Buffalo Grid Project
Introduction
In 2017, Buffalo Grid sought to adapt its mobile phone charging technology from rural India to urban audiences in New Delhi. This project involved user-led research to identify innovative opportunities for their services.
Key Points
• The project aimed to find strategies for making Buffalo Grid's technology suitable for urban users.
• An ethnographic research mission was conducted in New Delhi, incorporating user interviews and field observations.
• Interviews were held with a diverse group, including a chai shop owner, a job-seeking maid, a student with safety concerns, and a bank manager, capturing their technology usage and charging needs.
• Visual tools helped overcome language barriers during conversations.
• An aspiration workshop with design students generated ideas for a desirable technology service, focusing on safety, accessibility, and reliability.
• The final deliverables included a strategic roadmap that outlined actionable steps and a future service strategy tailored for urban customers.
• This work was part of the Innovate UK Design Foundations program to promote human-centered design.
Conclusion
The project successfully transformed Buffalo Grid’s product into a service that meets urban users' needs, highlighting the importance of user-centered research in developing effective technology solutions.
Source of Newspaper Clipping: Maharashtra Times dated 12th August 2025
