Diya Shyamsunder Bhutada

BD3011

Second Soul

The studio focused on tackling messy, real-world problems through observation, collaboration, and iterative design. We explored two group projects — first, navigating pedestrian safety through a systemic lens; second, zooming out from the object of a dustbin to rethink waste management system. The final project, Second Soul, addressed the emotional and cultural roots of excess accumulation in Indian households. It is a story-driven give–lend–take service that helps people part with objects meaningfully through memory tagging, community-led exchanges, and symbolic keepsakes—shifting focus from ownership to emotional closure.


Report Content

Understanding the problem through systemic tools, and first-hand experience

Arriving at interventions, and validating through prototyping

Understanding the problem through systemic tools, and first-hand experience

Arriving at interventions, and validation with various stakeholders

Understanding accumulation as a emotional, cultural, economical, and habitual problem

Using systemic tools like causal loops and iceberg model to understand the problem.

Defining the problem, and finding strategies to intervene

Arriving at the intervention and its features

Digital interface of the service

Validation through a facilitated story-driven give-and-take setup