5 Minutes with… Honey Bajaj
Honey Bajaj, a creative innovator, credits her childhood experiences with shaping her inventive mindset, such as early exposure to technology and resourcefulness in creating projects like a floppy drive robot.
Speaking with LBB’s Tom Loudon, she discusses the empathetic approach behind inventing the Embrace baby warmer, emphasising the importance of understanding user needs and challenges, particularly in developing countries.
She also goes deep on the future of digital craft and user experience, highlighting emerging trends like voice interfaces and vernacular content that are poised to transform digital engagement and brand strategies. She also discusses being a member of the Digital Craft Lions Jury for 2024, which recognises excellence in technological artistry and digital user experience.
LBB> Have you always been a creative person, even as a child?
Honey> My parents greatly influenced my childhood experiences, which shaped me into a creative person. I was fortunate to be exposed to technology and practical skills at a very early age. Weekends were spent with my dad, as we would take apart and repair landline phones and sometimes even fix the cathode ray tube on our computer monitor back in 1992. This early exposure to technology and my parents’ creativity played a significant role in shaping my innovative mindset.
One of my most cherished memories dates back to 1998, a time when floppy drives were becoming obsolete. For a science fair, I embarked on a project that would test my resourcefulness and ingenuity. I created a robot using all the floppy drives we had. I wasn’t familiar with concepts like reuse or recycling, so my focus was on developing something with what was available and being inventive. The experience of working with limited resources and constraints added to my creative flair and instilled a sense of determination in me.
LBB> Can you share the story behind co-inventing the Embrace baby warmer and its impact on global infant health?
Honey> Embrace has helped over 700,000 babies with a life-saving portable incubator. The years I spent building Embrace were some of the most influential in my career. In 2010, I joined the founders of Embrace, who had moved to India from Stanford University to develop an extremely affordable infant warmer. Their vision was to create an organisation dedicated to giving children in developing countries an equal chance for a healthy life.
In 2011, we took on a new challenge at Embrace. We decided to empower mothers by providing a Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) jacket and a warmer. Research has indicated that KMC is a safer and more effective method for mother-child bonding. To assess the feasibility of this idea, I role-played the scenario, practising kangaroo mother care with a doll for four hours. Sitting in the KMC position exhausted me, and the off-the-shelf jackets were very uncomfortable. I realised we were still missing something and went to the field to gather insights.
During field research, we heard fascinating stories and pain points from mothers about how KMC was not a necessity. We gained deeper insights into the multitude of problems that rural women faced. Many felt embarrassed if people walked in while they were breastfeeding or felt drained because they had to perform household chores in addition to caring for the baby. The insights helped us define the question we sought to answer: “How can KMC make a mother feel comfortable?” Our research analysis found that mothers needed their own space and an opportunity to take care of themselves and enjoy motherhood, thereby leading to the creation of new solutions that were well-received by mothers.
LBB> How did receiving the Inventor of the Year award in 2016 influence your career and approach to innovation?
Honey> Personally, I was deeply honoured and filled with gratitude that my work was being recognised. This recognition has instilled in me a renewed sense of confidence and determination to return to India after graduation from MIT and work on projects and products that truly matter.
Professionally, the award has been a game-changer. It has opened numerous doors, positioning me as an expert in my field and significantly enhancing my credibility. I continue to receive comments from individuals who have discovered my work through that award and express a desire to connect. It has truly expanded my network in ways I could never have imagined.
LBB> How has your training in design thinking shaped your approach to leading design workshops and projects?
Honey> According to IDEO, design thinking is an idea, a strategy, a method, and a way of seeing the world. There’s no single definition of design thinking, and it has grown beyond the confines of any individual or organisation.
My journey with design thinking has been filled with numerous insights and learnings. I’ve had the opportunity to witness the profound impact that design thinking tools can have on both people and organisations, such as my journey at Embrace. Embrace is a product and an organisation which imbibed design thinking tools to instil innovation. However, I’ve also seen instances where these tools are misunderstood, leading to superficial results, such as large-scale manufacturing setups where skill and complexity play a vital role more than the impact design thinking tools can bring.
Design thinking is just one approach among many. Designing and problem-solving are skills that require practice and unlearning. Through my observations and experiences on this journey, I’ve developed various approaches that equip me to lead design workshops and projects effectively.
LBB> How have your diverse educational experiences influenced your perspective on product design and user experience?
Honey> My academic education and the diverse tapestry of my life experiences, passions and challenges have deeply influenced my approach to design. These elements synergise to shape user experiences that transcend the ordinary.
Growing up in a small town, I have a deep-rooted awareness of inclusion and sustainability issues. This perspective informs my product design approach, prioritising environmental impact alongside human-centred considerations.
LBB> As the design and digital products lead at Accenture Song in India, what are your primary goals and initiatives for driving consumer experience and innovation?
Honey> As a leader at Accenture Song in India, my primary goal is to bring customer experience (CX) and innovation to life.
Our main initiative is to thoughtfully consider every aspect of experience design and strategically coordinate for consistency. From building systems to setting up marketing operations, every touchpoint is an opportunity to enhance the customer experience meaningfully.
Creating experiences that achieve our client’s goals is challenging in the continuous digital shifts. Therefore, we strive to be truly effective by centring our efforts around the users’ life-centric experiences while also meeting our clients’ business goals.
LBB> As a member of the Digital Craft Lions Jury for the 2024 Cannes Lions Festival, what do you look for in digital craft submissions?
Honey> The Digital Craft Lions celebrate the pinnacle of technological artistry. Submissions must exemplify exceptional form and function within a digital context, showcasing flawless design, masterful execution, and delivering an outstanding user experience across all digital platforms to advance the brand. However, what truly distinguishes entries is their ability to transcend mere artwork by effectively translating conceptual intent through craft and demonstrating tangible impact. As a juror, I am looking for projects that serve a purpose beyond aesthetics, contributing meaningfully to the digital landscape.
LBB> What emerging trends or technologies do you believe will significantly impact digital craft and UX in the next few years?
Honey> Emerging trends and technologies underscore the importance of both human-driven and data-driven approaches in crafting exceptional user experiences. Human intuition and qualitative insights are essential for grasping user needs, while data-driven analysis provides empirical guidance for decision-making.
Among the many trends like micro-interactions and generative AI, voice and vernacular content stand out as particularly promising for digital craft and UX. Voice interfaces offer natural and intuitive interaction, while vernacular languages cater to diverse linguistic and cultural preferences, enhancing engagement and accessibility.
Brands can reap significant benefits by embracing voice and vernacular, leveraging tools and platforms across the industry, including Google and Amazon. These resources streamline voice search integration and support for vernacular languages, enabling brands to deliver personalised experiences to a wider audience.
