Design Internalisation Practice Pack
Problem identification in everyday Indian objects
Design Task
Submit your work here before 21st June, 2026. 7:30 PM
How to Use This Pack
Step | What to Do | Output |
1. Observe | Pick one ordinary object or situation from Indian daily life. Do not choose a fancy product. | A clear problem moment |
2. Identify | Ask: what is not working, who is affected, and why is it happening? | One visible daily-life problem |
3. Visualise | Create one page split into problem and solution. No text, no labels, no captions. | Before/after drawing |
Core Question Bank
Use these questions to find a real design problem before jumping to a solution.
Observation Question | Use It To Find |
What is the person trying to do? | User action |
Where does the action become slow, unsafe, dirty, confusing, painful, or awkward? | Problem point |
What workaround is visible? | Hidden design opportunity |
What does the object assume about the user? | Behaviour mismatch |
What happens before and after use? | Transition problems |
Who else is affected apart from the main user? | System problem |
Problem Categories
Category | Look For This | Quick Test Question |
Safety | Injury, damage, slipping, falling, overheating | Can someone get hurt? |
Access | Hard to reach, open, hold, carry, remove | Is use effortless? |
Visibility | Unclear instruction, hidden control, confusing sign | Can a new user understand it? |
Storage | No proper place, clutter, crowding | Does everything have a home? |
Hygiene | Leakage, smell, dirt, wetness, touch discomfort | Does it create hesitation? |
Comfort | Pain, effort, awkward posture, fatigue | Is the body comfortable? |
System | Many objects, people, or routines failing together | Is this bigger than one object? |
Practice Set A
Pick any topic.
Your goal is not to describe the object.
Your goal is to find one visible problem that can be shown without text.
Object / Situation | Problems to Look For | Practice Prompt |
Tiffin box in school/coaching bag | Leakage, smell, food mixing, books getting dirty | What happens after 2 hours of travel? How can you show damage without words? |
Wet umbrella indoors | Dripping water, slippery floor, awkward storage | Where does the rain problem continue after entering inside? |
Chappals outside home/temple/classroom | Scattered footwear, blocked entry, pair confusion | How can you show searching, blocking, and organising visually? |
Tangled chargers near study table | Wire mess, overload, wrong charger confusion, phone falling | What makes this a safety + organisation problem? |
Water bottle in side pocket of bag | Bottle slipping, leaking, weight imbalance | What movement makes the failure visible? |
Public dustbin | Waste around bin, animals, smell, overflow, dirty lid | Is the problem people, bin, location, or maintenance? Show the system. |
Milk packet cutting/pouring | Spilling, awkward grip, no pouring control | How can you show the exact moment of spill? |
Confusing switchboard | Wrong switch, no labels, dark-room confusion | How can you show a user pressing the wrong switch without text? |
Slippery bathroom floor | Wet/dry mix, soap, fall risk, no drainage clarity | How can you show danger before an accident happens? |
Mini Drill: 30-Second Problem Spotting
Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 |
Choose one image/object | Write mentally: what is failing? | Now sketch: current situation / improved situation |
Practice Set B
Object / Situation | Problems to Look For | Practice Prompt |
Heavy school/coaching bag | Shoulder pain, poor access, mixed items, posture strain | Can the drawing show weight and discomfort clearly? |
Tea glass/kulhad too hot to hold | Heat discomfort, spilling, unsafe grip | Show fingers reacting to heat, not text saying hot. |
Vegetable bag from market | Tomatoes crushed, bag tearing, uneven weight | How can soft/hard items be separated visually? |
Bucket and mug in bathroom | Clutter, water spread, slipping, awkward placement | What is the smallest visible improvement? |
Kitchen drawer mess | Sharp tools mixed, slow search, unsafe hand movement | Show risk using object placement and hand position. |
Dupatta/saree on two-wheeler | Cloth near wheel, wind, entanglement risk | Show risk with distance and movement, no warning text. |
Gas cylinder handling | Heavy lifting, rolling, back strain, unsafe movement | Can a helper device be shown clearly? |
Auto/rickshaw entry | Difficult entry for elderly, bags, saree, low space | Show body posture and support points. |
Public handwash area | Wet floor, soap placement, crowding, no dry zone | Where do people queue, wash, and dry? |
Kirana packets at home | Small packets lost, hard to pour, messy storage | Show a daily-use container or access system. |
Pressure cooker | Steam fear, hot handle, whistle confusion, safety risk | Show the risky moment and the improved cue/handle. |
Bus/train luggage area | Bags blocking movement, falling, hard access | Show how one bag affects many users. |
Question Cards: Use Before You Draw
Use these as practice cards.
Choose 5 cards for each object before deciding your final problem.
Question Card | What to Ask | Examples / Clues |
User | Who is using this? | Child, student, parent, elderly person, worker, guest, cleaner |
Moment | At what exact moment does the problem happen? | Opening, carrying, storing, cleaning, sharing, disposing |
Failure | What goes wrong? | Breaks, leaks, falls, spills, slips, burns, blocks, confuses, wastes time |
Workaround | What jugaad do people already use? | Rubber band, plastic cover, extra bag, newspaper, rope, stool |
Body | What does the body do while using it? | Bend, stretch, twist, balance, carry weight, avoid touch, use one hand |
Place | Where is it used? | Home entrance, kitchen, bathroom, coaching class, bus, temple, market, railway station |
Before / After | What happens before use and after use? | Does the object create a new problem later? |
Stakeholder | Who else is affected apart from the main user? | Cleaner, repair person, refiller, carrier, person storing it, indirect sufferer |
Constraint | What limits the solution? | Cost, space, water, heat, crowd, Indian weather, rough use |
Visual Clarity | Can a stranger understand the problem and solution in 5 seconds without reading? | If not, simplify the drawing |
10 Fast Practice Questions
- Show a problem caused by water after an object has already solved its main purpose.
- Show a storage problem at the entrance of an Indian home without drawing a shoe rack label.
- Show how a student loses time because small items are hidden inside a bag.
- Show a public object failing because people do not want to touch it.
- Show an object that works at home but fails during travel.
- Show a problem caused by two objects being kept too close to each other.
- Show a situation where the user knows the object but a guest/new user fails.
- Show a problem that affects the cleaner or maintenance person more than the main user.
- Show a solution that uses only shape or placement, not written instruction.
- Show a solution that prevents the problem before it happens.
YouTube Watchlist + Watch Questions
Do not watch passively.
For each video, note:
- The problem
- User behaviour
- Visual cue discussed
Video | Channel / Source | Watch Question |
NNgroup | What does Norman mean by everyday things teaching us design? | |
NNgroup / Don Norman | What is the real problem behind the visible problem? | |
Vox | Why should a door not need written instructions? | |
Interaction Design Foundation | Where does observation fit before solution? | |
AJ&Smart | How does design thinking frame problems before ideas? | |
IDEO U | Which phase helps you avoid jumping to solutions? | |
IDEO / education search result | What can you learn just by watching real users? |
After Watching: 5-Minute Reflection
- Pick one daily-life object from your surroundings.
- Write mentally: what is the user trying to do?
- Find one visible problem. Do not write it on the final page.
- Sketch problem and solution without labels.
- Show it to someone for 5 seconds. If they do not understand, simplify the drawing.
Submission Checklist
Use this checklist before submitting your work.
Checklist Item | Done |
3 pages submitted | ☐ |
Each page has one object/situation | ☐ |
Left side shows problem | ☐ |
Right side shows solution | ☐ |
Indian daily-life context is visible | ☐ |
No text, labels, captions, or speech bubbles | ☐ |
Only arrows and symbols used if needed | ☐ |
Problem and solution understandable in 5 seconds | ☐ |
Final Student Instruction
Choose 3 objects or situations from the practice topics.
For each one:
- Observe the real-life use.
- Identify one clear visible problem.
- Draw the problem on the left side.
- Draw the improved solution on the right side.
- Do not use text, labels, captions, or speech bubbles.
- Make sure the idea is understandable in 5 seconds.
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On this page
- Design Internalisation Practice Pack
- Design Task
- How to Use This Pack
- Core Question Bank
- Problem Categories
- Practice Set A
- Mini Drill: 30-Second Problem Spotting
- Practice Set B
- Question Cards: Use Before You Draw
- 10 Fast Practice Questions
- YouTube Watchlist + Watch Questions
- After Watching: 5-Minute Reflection
- Submission Checklist
- Final Student Instruction