Bhan, N. (Forthcoming). Facilitating Cognitive Justice: Innovative Co-Creation with Indigenous Knowledge-holders. Africa Development.
Bhan, N., & Rytilahti, P. (2026 June). The Fuzzy Front-End of Transformation: An Inquiry Protocol for Intervention Design. In Proceedings of DRS2026 2026. 8-12 June. Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
Bhan, N., & Rytilahti, P. (2026). Anticipatory Knowledge for 4th Order Design: The Diagnostic Work of Planning Design Actions. The Design Journal. Online first. 18p.
Bhan, N., & Tedjokusumo, L. Z. (2025). Knowledge mapping: User research for plural, just, and equitable co-creation interface design. International Journal of Design, 19(3), 83-99
Bhan, N. (2023, December), In Pursuit of Cognitive Justice: Transdisciplinary Innovation in Kenya, 16th General Assembly, Council for Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA), Dakar, Senegal.
Bhan, N., & Gajera, R. (2018, June). Identifying the User in an Informal Trade Ecosystem, In Proceedings of DRS2018: Catalyst, June 2018, in DRS2018_Vol_3 Designing for Transitions, pp 1010-1022
Bhan, N., & Doorneweert, R., (2013). Using the methods designers use as aids to thinking: The case of public-private partnerships in sustainable agricultural value chain development, 2013 IEEE Tsinghua International Design Management Symposium, pp. 277-283
Reports
Bhan, N. (2022). Step-by-Step Guide for Implementing Digital and Financial Training Workshops for Illiterate Groups. Niger Smart Village Project. PVI-World Bank.
Bhan, N. (2022). Train the Trainer Handbook. Niger Smart Village Project. PVI-World Bank.
Bhan, N. (2021). Tanzania’s Rural Economic Ecosystem: A customer-centric strategy for sustainable revenues. Technical Report. Husk Power Systems. (solar hybrid mini-grids)
Bhan, N. (2021). Fostering Creative Agency and Skills for Self-Determined Innovation Roadmaps among Informal Vegetable Vendors in Nairobi's Food System. Technical Report. Urgent Action Fund.
Bhan, N. (2019). Mapping the Informal Trade Customer Trust Journey on Social Media Platforms. Technical Report. ZipRemit Oy. (Blockchain platform)
Bhan, N. (2018). Cross-border digital payments in Nigeria's informal trade networks. Desk Study. Orobo Digital Financial Services. (Fintech)
Bhan, N. (2017). Informal social commerce in Nairobi, Kenya. Ofinta Tech Ltd. (Blockchain)
Bhan, N., & Gajera, R. (2016). Digital Marketplace for Informal Cross Border Trade: Concept Design and Product Development Studies. Technical Report. ZipRemit Oy (Blockchain platform)
Bhan, N., Gajera, R., & Kimani, M. (2016). Borderland Biashara: Mapping the Informal Trade Ecosystem at the Border. Technical Report. TradeMark East Africa.
Gajera, R., & Bhan, N. (2016). Ethnographic Fieldwork Methodology for Borderland Biashara Study. Handbook and Step-by-step Guide. TradeMark East Africa.
Bhan, N. (2016). Informal Trade in the East African Community, including South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Literature Review. TradeMark East Africa.
Doorneweert, R., Bhan, N., Kimunyu, W., & Esko, S. (2014). The Farmer’s Perspective: Bridging the Last Mile to Market. Technical Report. LEI 14-006. LEI Wageningen UR. The Netherlands. (Agritech)
Doorneweert, R., & Bhan, N. (2013). Design Planning for Government: The Case of Sustainable Agricultural Value Chains in Developing Countries. Internal Report. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and The Ministry of Economy of The Netherlands.
Bhan, N. (2012). Energy Consumption Behaviour in Off-Grid East Africa. Technical Report. Toughstuff International. (Small household solar kits)
Bhan, N. (2012). The 5Ds of Solar Power Marketing in Off-Grid East Africa. Technical Report. Toughstuff International. (Small household solar kits)
Bhan, N. (2011). Kenya's Peri-Urban and Rural Informal Cyber Cafe Industry. Technical Report. VillageTelco Ltd. (Mesh Wi-Fi Router)
Bhan, N. & Koskinen, M. (2010). Product Development Strategies among the Jua Kali informal manufacturing sector, Kenya. Technical Report. Design Factory. Aalto University.
Vanderbeeken, M., Bhan, N., Zoels, J-C., et al. (2008). Out of Africa. Product Development Field Study. Samsung Mobile. Samsung. South Korea.
Public Speaking
Bhan, N. (2007, May). Closing Plenary Speaker: The mobile as a post Industrial platform for socio-economic development [Abstract]. In CHI’07: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. ACM SIGCHI. San Jose, California, United States
Bhan, N. (2008). Life is Hard: Consumer behaviour in low income markets. [Conference presentation]. A Better World by Design Conference. Brown University, November 7-9th 2008, United States
Bhan, N. (2009). Multidisciplinary user research for new markets. [Conference presentation]. A Better World by Design Conference. Rhode Island School of Design, October 2-4th 2009, United States
Bhan, N. (2010). Closing Plenary Townhall. Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society Global Meeting 2010, Deauville, France
Bhan, N. (2011). Africa’s Mobile Use has Changed. Nokia Emerging Markets Group. Nokia.
Bhan, N. (2012). More or less: the fundamental principle of flexibility. [Conference presentation]. Informal Economy Symposium, Barcelona, Spain, October 2012.
Bhan. N. (2013). Design, an Opportunity for SMEs. VI International WIPO Conference, Warsaw, Poland, March 2013. Polish Patent Office (Host).
Bhan, N. (2015). Opening Lecture: New Venture Design. African Development Bank Innovation Weekend, October 2015, Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire
Bhan, N. (2016). Addressing the Systems Monster. [Conference presentation]. Future Trends Forum. BankInter Foundation, June 2016, Madrid, Spain.
Bhan, N. (2016). Public Lecture: Technology and Inequality. BankInter Foundation, November 2016, Madrid, Spain
Bhan, N. (2017). The hidden opportunities of the informal economy. [Conference presentation]. TED Global 2017. August 2017, Arusha, Tanzania. TED Conferences.
Bhan, N. (2019). Informal 4.0: How tech-savvy Africans are transforming the informal economy. [Conference presentation]. re:publica 2019. May 6-8th 2019, Berlin, Germany.
Bhan, N. (2021, June). Impact of Extending the Scandinavian Tradition of Participatory Design to International Development: Lessons from Designing a Humanitarian Response for Remote Facilitation and Implementation in Kenya. [Conference presentation]. In Joint Nordic Development Research Conference: Development, Learning and Education: Post-pandemic Considerations. University of Jyväskylä. Finland.
Bhan, N. (2023, August). Drawing diagrams in the sand: Reconciling tensions between innovative knowledge production for design practice versus peer-reviewed publication. [Conference presentation]. In Swiss Association for the Studies of Science, Technology & Society Conference: Science, Expertise and other Modes of Knowledge: Trends, Patterns, and Prospects. 31.8-1.9.2024. University of Basel. Switzerland.
Bhan, N. (2025, February). Aligning paradigm-policy-praxis for enduring development transformations. [Conference presentation]. In Working Group 3: Finland’s Development Policy and Cooperation: Academic Knowledge Production and Exchange Amidst a Changing Paradigm. DevDays 2025. 27-28 February 2025. University of Helsinki. Finland.
Bhan, N., & Vienni-Baptista, B. (2025, June). Relational knowledge inquiry at the front-end of co-creation to facilitate transformation.[Conference presentation]. In The 47th Association for Interdisciplinary Studies Conference: Shaping the future in the era of polycrisis. University of Oulu and Oulu University of Applied Sciences. 4-6 June 2025. Finland.
Tedjokusumo, L.Z., & Bhan, N. (2026, May). Living together with Grandfather Volcano: Changing our relationship to the more-than-human by changing our research paradigm and lens for inquiry. [Conference presentation]. Wisdom Days: Science for Sustainability Transformations. University of Jyväskylä. 6-8 May 2026. Finland.
Trade Publications
Bhan, N. (2014). How Africa is challenging marketing. Harvard Business Review.
Bhan, N. (2014). Mobile Money is Driving Africa’s Cashless Future. Harvard Business Review
Bhan, N. (2011). Africa’s Mobile Use has Changed. Nokia Emerging Markets Group. Nokia.
Bhan, N. (2010). Emerging Markets as a Source of Disruptive Innovation: 5 Case Studies. Core77 Industrial Design Magazine
Bhan, N. (2009). The 5Ds of BoP marketing: Touchpoints for a holistic human-centered strategy. Core77 Industrial Design Magazine
Bhan, N., & Tait, D. (2008). Design for the next billion customers. Core77 Industrial Design Magazine
Bhan, N. (2008). The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid Begins with Understanding : Targeting the BoP Customer.
Effective Executive (trade magazine), November 2008, IUP Publications, India.
Bhan, N., & Tait, D. (2008). Top to bottom. New Design, (57), 24-27.
Bhan, N. (2007). Ecodesign, Ecolabels and the Environment: How Europe is redesigning our footprint on earth. Core77 Industrial Design Magazine.
Bhan, N. (2006). Changing times. New Design, (42), 28-31
Bhan, N. (2006). Putting the “Desi” in Design: Why the Indian design community is uniquely equipped for emerging markets. Core77 Industrial Design Magazine
Bhan, N., & Nemer, B. (2006). Brand magic in India. Business Week.
Bhan, N. (2006). Strategies for the future of design in emerging markets. Confederation of Indian Industry/NID Design Summit, December 2006, New Delhi, India
Bhan, N. (2006). A Competitive Nation, by Design. Business Week.
Bhan, N. (2005). Seismic Shift: Rethinking the Design Industry. Core77 Industrial Design Magazine.
Portigal, S., & Bhan, N. (2005). Shopping for Innovation: What you need to know before hiring a design firm. Core77 Industrial Design Magazine.
Bhan, N. (2004). While You Were Out: Changes in the Global Design Industry. Core77 Industrial Design Magazine.