Monthly Archives: January 2009

Collection: Pay as you go or prepaid economy?

Posted on January 31, 2009 by

The basic concept for this project emerged from a series of observations covering the themes of managing on irregular and unpredictable incomes, informal economies at the BoP as well as the popularity of the "prepaid" model which enable micro purchases … Continue reading →

Posted in Collection

Assumption filter

Posted on January 28, 2009 by

Watching bricks being unloaded at construction site Barbershop quartet Renovating the porch Queuing up at the pump

Posted in Assumption filter, Bottom of the Pyramid, Culture, Indigenous & Traditional, Rural, User research

The ability to choose your tradeoffs is empowering

Posted on January 28, 2009 by

Sari shop, Old Delhi, India, January 9th 2009 Sonia is just 26 years old. She went to work at age 9, when other little girls were going to school. She didn't say if she started working as a gofer in … Continue reading →

Posted in Bottom of the Pyramid, Culture, Expenses, Income, India, Indigenous & Traditional, Informal & Flexible, Loans, Mobile platform, Savings, Urban, User research, Value

Boot polish

Posted on January 24, 2009 by

Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, January 9th 2009 Yes, I've been sitting right here in this very spot for the past 8 or 10 years. Its not bad work really, I average about Rs 200 to Rs 250 per day in … Continue reading →

Posted in Bottom of the Pyramid, Culture, Expenses, Income, India, Informal & Flexible, Migrant worker, Urban, User research

‘Life Is Like A Casino – We Live Each Day As It Comes’: from Zimbabwe

Posted on January 22, 2009 by

From IPS News comes  a fascinating account of life at the bottom of the pyramid on an irregular and unpredictable income, some key snippets: Long lines of stalls, run by women, have sprung up next to many of Zimbabwe’s highways, … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Bottom of the Pyramid, Buyer Behaviour, Cashless transactions, Culture, Economy, Income, Indigenous & Traditional, Informal & Flexible, Migrant worker, Rural, Sub Saharan Africa, Urban, User research, Value

A woman’s work: one widow’s story

Posted on January 22, 2009 by

Widow Lady in blue, Dastkar workshop, Ranthambhore, January 1st 2009 I was widowed at a young age. My in-laws were very poor and could not afford to support my three small children and myself but I refused to go back … Continue reading →

Posted in Banking, Bottom of the Pyramid, Culture, Expenses, Income, India, Indigenous & Traditional, Loans, Rural, Savings, User research

Migrating back to the village

Posted on January 22, 2009 by

Master craftsman, Dasktkar Ranthambhore, India January 1st 2009 I used to work in Jaipur but recently came back to my home village because its cheaper, my Rupee stretches further. Yes, I was very lucky to get this job in my … Continue reading →

Posted in Bottom of the Pyramid, Culture, Design, Economy, Expenses, Income, India, Migrant worker, Rural, Savings, Urban, User research

Alternatives to that kilo of wheat

Posted on January 20, 2009 by

Khari Baoli, Old Delhi, India January 9th 2009 Since we can’t all take our sack of wheat along when going shopping, some alternatives must be found. It seems that there’s an observable rise in alternative currencies occurring across the developed … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative currency, Banking, Bottom of the Pyramid, Buyer Behaviour, Culture, Economy, Informal & Flexible, Urban, Value | 1 Comment

Airtime airlines – literally paying as you go

Posted on January 19, 2009 by

From Wired comes news of this innovative business model and pricing strategy just announced by a new South African airline, here's a longish snippet describing how it will all work, if they manage to get things off the ground, so … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Airtime, Bottom of the Pyramid, Business Models, Cashless transactions, Mobile platform, South Africa, Strategy | 1 Comment

Barter economy: rural farming community, India

Posted on January 19, 2009 by

Raawal Village, Rajasthan, India, January 4th 2009 This tiny shop (with a little more stuff inside) is one of a dozen or so little shops in this village of 3000 people, mostly farmers. Narsi Meena, the shopkeeper is the only … Continue reading →

Posted in Bottom of the Pyramid, Business Models, Buyer Behaviour, Cashless transactions, Culture, Income, Indigenous & Traditional, Informal & Flexible, Rural, User research, Value