Low Income Household consumer research in rural Kenya
In a couple of weeks, I’ll be starting a whole new set of fieldwork in rural Kenya. This time we’re doing something closer to the better known applications of our human centered design approach for increasing our understanding of people. It will be among rural ‘BoP’ households on behalf of a consumer product that’s retailed […]
Where are the appliances designed to be used with renewable energy sources?
LPG powered fridge for sale in Eastern Cape, South Africa Almost 2 years ago in early 2010 I wrote about the opportunities for disruptive innovation in the emerging markets of the then developing world. One of the 5 case studies was that of the following concept: Re-imagined household appliancesRefrigerators have come to the forefront of […]
Scarcity as a driver for innovation
Frugality and affordability are very much in the news of late, what with the most recent essay on Change Observer and this post on Paul Polak’s new blog both highlighting similar concepts but from the point of view of very different markets. It seems to imply the trend towards frugal design or extremely affordable yet […]
Senegalese research on innovation processes in their informal ICT sector
I came across some excellent research by Dr Almamy Konte and Mariama Ndong of Senegal. While I’m sure the original working paper in French must be far better than this drafted English translation, their key points are nonetheless something to make us sit up and listen, particularly with regards to innovation in the informal economy. […]
Observations on emerging opportunities in upcountry Kenya
Louis Majanja is a photographer who maintains the wonderful ‘Daily Struggle‘ photoblog capturing life in and around Nairobi and Kenya and his latest post captured not only my imagination but also the changes he’s observed upcountry in his rural home region when he went back for the holidays. Here, I want to share that insight […]
Business model innovation, with caveat
About 3 or so years ago, there was much fanfare about the impending launch of Airtime Airlines, a South African venture that planned to offer a whole new way to purchase flights. One could use airtime minutes and buy tickets immediately or save up towards its purchase over a period of 6 months by sending […]
How do you compete in a market where charity distorts pricing?
Strategy guru Michael Porter’s 5 forces framework is quite well known to anyone attempting to assess or analyze the landscape of an operating environment for an industry or organization. Increasingly, since I’ve begun working out of Sub Sahara I’ve been sensing the challenge of a 6th force – one that is overlooked when consumer markets […]
Prosperity may not always directly translate into demand
News has it that the richest county in Kenya is Kajiado where only 12% of the population are below the poverty line as compared to the national average of 46%. A snippet reveals: Commenting on the fortunes of Kajiado district, commission Vice-Chairperson Fatuma Abdulkadir said: “Kajiado’s riches are concentrated on areas in proximity to Nairobi.” […]
Systems thinking and the mobile for economic impact and wealth creation
I have been meaning to write this post for quite some time now, percolating as it has in the back of my mind but it was Mark Kaigwa’s recent comment that finally spurred this writing. This is not all about MPesa, though it will take a look at some of the issues why its runaway […]
Ever smaller and smaller: how household budgets deal with rising prices and inflation
It is only an eighth of a kilogramme packet of sugar, yet many Kenyans can barely afford it. This particular size of sugar has many references among residents of Nyanza Province, such as kobole, Kadogo and Sukari ndogo. In Kisian Village, Kisumu County, the packet is retailing at Sh28, the epitome of the ‘Kadogo economy’ […]
