Introduction to User Experience and its Business Relevance

What does it take to make a company successful? While getting the core business functions is the foremost task, it is still not enough. UX is the key differentiator in today’s world and the answer to everything.

Mr. Amber Krishan, Group Lead & Technical Director of Training, Human Factors International began with a question every company and every MBA student seeks an answer to. A graduate in product design from National Institute of Design (Ahmedabad) and post graduate in Design & Technology from Parsons School Of Design (New York), Mr. Krishan has over 6 years of experience in user interface design, usability analysis, consulting and research in the enterprise and consumer software industry. He has also been guest speaker at several events namely UPA chapter event, Connecticut, USA, Microsoft - Nokia Windows 7 Roadshow in Mumbai and Hyderabad and Appfest at Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

Talking about user experience, Mr. Krishan rightly said that UX is not about making things colourful, the coolest idea or quirky ads. Also, it is neither about getting onto every single platform nor about copying Apple. UX is about getting the business objectives right and working with customers to decipher what they want. The idea is to design a user experience journey that spans across all channels.

While the audience was enchanted by the new dimension of doing business as explained by the guest speaker, he opened up another unexplored avenue to the students- UX as a business discipline. UX leaders are known to outperform competition even when the economy is not doing well. As future MBAs, we should give UX a serious thought as it is considered a top strategic priority in the everyday changing business environment.  

"Ideapreneurship" - An Idea Generation Workshop

“One's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.” ― Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr

Team CED came up with an exciting workshop to open up the vision and make the students enter into a new world of ideas on 7^th October 2013 at FORE School of Management. The entrepreneurship cell of the college aims at building, encouraging and promoting a conducive environment for developing innovative ideas of entrepreneurial ventures among young minds within the campus. The event which was presided over by Mr. Pravin Rajpal, Founder and CEO of InnovatioNext Imagination Labs (iLabs), was very well received by the students.

Mr. Pravin has authored best sellers like ‘Achieving Business Excellence’ and ‘5 Thinkings to Win’, in the year 2007 & 2008. In a span of five years from 2008-2013, he conducted more than 200 idea factory workshops for breakthrough ideas. In 2011, he developed CII Innovation Framework & Measurement Systems and went on to develop India’s first Imagination Lab to foster breakthrough ideas, in the year 2012.

Talking about what do recruiters these days look for in their prospective employees, Mr. Pravin said that in today’s disruptive world, one can either become distinct or extinct. What separates the creative minds from others is the ability to transform challenges into opportunities and constraints into advantages. He further said that chance favours the connected mind. So, if you are able to connect your thoughts with the needs of people, you can be way ahead of others. He asked the students to come up with an idea that people would be willing to invest in and thus multiply your own market value. Through vivid examples and an interactive session with students, the guest speaker brought home the fact that instead of reading mythological case studies, one should focus on becoming a case study himself by doing something concrete.

SPIC MACAY

What happens when maestros of the highest order of two different musical instruments decide to play a duet together? That is exactly what students of FORE School of Management found out by firsthand experience on 27^th September 2013, when they were hit by an avalanche of melody and harmony, courtesy of a virtuoso performance by renowned sarod player Pt. Biswajit Roy Chowdhury and distinguished tabla artiste Ustad Akram Khan.

The event was organised by FSD, the student-driven sports and cultural division of FORE School of Management in collaboration with SPIC MACAY. The programme commenced at 3 o’clock in the college auditorium, with the introduction of the esteemed performers of the evening. Then, mementos were presented to Ustad Akram Khan and Pt. Biswajit Roy Chowdhury by Director, FSM, Dr. Jitendra K. Das.

When asked to say a few words to the audience, Dr. Jitendra K. Das gave a short anecdote about his first rendezvous with Ustad Amjad Ali Khan’s music, which laid the foundation for his long-standing association with SPIC MACAY. He described his experience of listening to Ustad Amjad Ali Khan’s music and recalled how he was engrossed and lost in it, hoping that the audience would enjoy the evening in much the same way.

Tabla artiste Ustad Akram Khan and Sarod player Pt. Biswajit Roy Chowdhury 

Next, Pt. Biswajit Roy Chowdhury gave a brief insight into his music and his long-standing musical association with Ustad Akram Khan. He also spoke a little about professionalism in music and life in-general. Pt. Biswajit Roy Chowdhury started the performance with the Raga Bhimpalasi Alap, which was an introductory piece, played solo without the accompaniment of tabla. The alap went on for about fifteen minutes, after which Ustad Akram Khan joined Pt.  Biswajit Roy Chowdhury with his tabla.

Ustad Akram Khan coordinated beautifully with Pt. Biswajit Roy Chowdhury; there were times when the Sarod came to the foreground, with the tabla playing in the background whereas on occasions the order reversed smoothly. Finally, the mesmerising performance was brought to a close, leaving everyone yearning for more.

But, all in all, it was an evening to remember for all, and as hoped by Dr. Jitendra K.Das, everyone was well and truly engrossed and lost in the music.