15 Nov Strategic Design for Mian Mir Colony in Lahore, Pakistan
Strategic Design: New Businesses for Mian Mir Colony in Lahore, Pakistan
Prof. Dr. Brigitte Wolf conducted a ten-day workshop with students of the Department of Visual Communication Design, School of Visual Arts & Design, Beaconhouse National University, Lahore (Pakistan) on strategic design for small businesses.
In the first phase students explored current everyday business life of Mian Mir Colony, a typical low-income neighborhood of Lahore. Through interacting with members of the local community they gathered first hand information regarding their lives, opportunities and concerns. Dynamics of existing businesses were observed and possibilities for new enterprises identified. Prof. Wolf, whose expertise is in the area of Design Management and Strategic Design, subsequently supervised the students in analyzing and optimizing the observed existing businesses processes. Some students developed entirely new business concepts on the basis of needs and challenges they had identified within this community. The resulting design concepts included business models for a number of different services and retail ideas.
A small canal running through the neighborhood, functioning as sewage and public garbage dump gained much of the students’ attention. Commonly referred to as Ganda Naala (dirty, stinky canal) it gave food for thought for two student groups. One developed a scenario for a business in which the area was cleaned, covered and legal and hygienic stalls for businessmen were rented out – those who otherwise have no security and protection like for example a roof as shelter. Another group developed a whole system of community involvement through which the canal could be cleaned and the waste sold starting with an educational game involving school children. The topic of recycling inspired the concept of a paper bag manufacturing and retail business, based on leftover newspapers. The complaints of a young man working in Hafeez Centre, a crowded electronic bazaar, about the food he is exposed to there every day were linked to the request of a group of women in Mian Mir colony asking for work. A new business for a complete delivery system for home cooked food was invented. Realizing that Mian Mir Colony has hardly any open spaces for leisure time, but lots of people wishing for it gave the idea for a community centre, where games, films and a restaurant bring neighbors together. Their calculation turned out to be a promising business. Two groups analyzed existing businesses, the milk delivery service and a combined wholesale shop for cotton and wheat. For both the facilities and communication were improved. A complete no business model was the production of milk containers; they were designed to be fixed to the milkman’s motorbike. They keep large amount of milk fresh in the hot climate are easy to handle and cause no longer traffic problems. The space of the cotton and wheat shop was re-designed to make it more comfortable for customers and to separate both products in order to keep them clean from each other to protect customers’ health.
Each concept, no mater if it focused on the improvement of facilities, processes and communication or if it invented a completely new service, had to function as an enterprise, with a clear focus on the researched needs of the potential customers, in this case the people living in Mian Mir Colony. Only then the enterprise could function in a monetary way and thus motivate the owners to invest and subsequently benefit and earn their living. The project was supported by the Annemarie-Schimmel-Haus, German Cultural Centre, associated with the Goethe Institute.
Author: Prof. Dr. Brigitte Wolf
Workshop Strategic Design: New Businesses for Mian Mir Colony
Workshop Strategic Design: New Businesses for Mian Mir Colony
Workshop Strategic Design: New Businesses for Mian Mir Colony