As a speaker and facilitator, my value comes from how empowered my audience feels after the session. Even if it’s just finding their voice in the crowd.
So it is important to me that I design my speaking engagements to spark inspiration, provoke new thoughts and prove useful in building a strong mindset. In combination with these talks, my team and I also customize and curate activities and workshops most relevant to your team and organizational needs.
Founder of Khoj Lab ~ A design-led research and innovation management consultancy for organizations, globally.
I am currently an adjunct faculty at the Institute of Design, IIT Chicago.
I speak and facilitate at Lunch&Learns, Meet-ups and other such engagements with change-makers & future leaders.
EDUCATION
Master of Design Methods (MDM), Design Research & Strategy
Institute of Design, IIT Chicago, USA
Master of Design (MDes), Industrial Design
Industrial Design Centre, IIT Bombay, India
Bachelor of Architecture (BArch), Architecture
Department of Architecture, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, India
EXPERIENCE
GE Transportation - Lead Senior User Experience Researcher
Herman Miller - Senior Researcher
Iota-Partners - Independent Consultant
Zonta International, Chicago - Design Strategist
School of Architecture, MSU, Mississippi - Assistant Professor
INBAR, Beijing (New Delhi) - Industrial Designer
FOR ORGANIZATIONS
Choosing Design-Led Leadership in Ambiguity
Topics:
Crafting Tomorrows: design’s evolving role in future thinking.
We’ve got a bottleneck situation! bumps, barricades, blindspots.
Find Innovation Flow: manage ambiguity, reduce complexity, and eliminate uncertainty.
Risk management through Design-led leadership
A “Heads-Down Culture” might work for an organization but chokes the innovation game in business growth
How your organization can adopt lean methods to manage waste - start by leveraging existing capabilities
FOR EDUCATORS
Reassessing the ‘Role of Design’ in Business
Topics:
Combining Design Thinking, Lean Startup, and Agile approaches to reduce uncertainty
What is NOT Innovation? Unleash your natural human instincts and grow!
Introduction to the unpopular phenomenon of Humanity-Centered Design
Insight-led approach to business management - Design Research vs Market Research
Innovation is the “I” for self-reflection in a business organization
Design Thinking and its six key principles
FOR TEAMS
Using Methods & Mindsets to Bring Alignment
Topics:
Create conditions for innovation ~ An introduction to the Five Mindsets
Alignment on the innovation journey. “Where are we on the Innovation Maturity Model?”
Identify bottlenecks, prioritize issues, and strategize your ideas - leverage existing pathways and resources to implement change
Leadership in Collaboration - The Use of Design Methods 101
“How might we” measure key metrics for innovation performance?
The rise, fall, and confusion in the role of a “Product Manager”
Tackling the hard part of innovation - implementation
Framing research for innovation ambiguity
FOR PERSONAL GROWTH
Becoming a ‘Catalyst for Change’?
Topics:
Establishing trust and meaningful connections with stakeholders
Five qualities of a good Innovation Catalyst
Unpack seven myths of innovation killing great ideas
‘Innovation’- the reason you are still in business. ‘design’ will be the reason you’ll make it big!
Try the rapid customer experience modeling
Maximizing the impact of research in organizations
Design-led approach to leadership
3-4 hour WORKSHOP
“Creating the Conditions For Innovation ~ An Introduction to the Five Mindsets”
FOR INDIVIDUAL ORG. / MIXED GROUP
In this session, we introduce a new framework called the ‘Five Mindsets’. These mindsets emerged from research conducted by Khoj Lab with leadership from various industries, business models, regions, countries and users.
Diagnose bottlenecks, prioritise issues, and take action. This workshop is designed to help you broaden your spectrum of innovation opportunities, and most importantly find flow.
Speaking at Creative Mornings, Chicago: Theme: “Now” - How to gain confidence and navigate ideas through the organization as a catalyst for innovation.
HI AGAIN, HERe’S A LITTLE MORE ABOUT WHAT I BRING TO THE TABLE
Over the last 15 years, I’ve stepped into multiple professional roles as a Team Leader, Design Strategist, User Experience Researcher, Industrial Designer, and Design Educator. I have worked closely with operations and strategy teams to define and integrate business processes through a holistic and insight-driven lens.
Using a Design-led approach helps innovation and strategy teams discover new value, bring alignment with stakeholders, and develop ideas for easy and quick adoption by users.
I am a torch-bearer for inclusive and sustainable techniques in innovation management:
Diverse perspectives: My power tool is to include people from across the organization who help find and resolve bottlenecks.
Leverage existing organizational capabilities and expertise: I provide guidance and tools to align initiatives where the market is heading and what customers need.
CLIENT TESTIMONIALS
Bringing new perspectives to experts in the field
Jessica DeMeester
Senior Consultant, Strategic Design & Innovation at Doblin I Deloitte
“Working with Shilpi within Khoj Lab was the most welcome and familial experience I have had to date. Shilpi is a brilliant leader, but does so through listening, humility, and lifting other's voices. It was inspiring working with women from around the world and I am forever grateful for the opportunity.”
Anirvina Karnala
Business Experience Designer at HCL Technologies
“Working with Shilpi at Khoj Lab was a unique experience to say the least. I was able to learn a lot under her guidance and mentorship. Despite the remote-working barrier, Shilpi made sure that I was comfortably acclimated to the new working conditions! I thoroughly enjoyed working with her and it was quite insightful for me as a visual designer; she is quite receptive towards inputs from several sources and was able to derive new streams of thought - there was a constant element of surprise working with her. I would definitely be incorporating some of her practices into my working style!”
Ryan Anderson
VP of Global Research & Insights at MillerKnoll
“I had the privilege of working with Shilpi on a number of research and exploration projects during her time at Herman Miller, and having her as a direct report for several years. She is a gifted thinker, has an energetic and contagious curiosity, and is a very skilled practitioner of human-centered design research. Her work made a very significant impact at Herman Miller.”
WHAT WE DO AT KHOJ LAB
Capabilities
At Khoj Lab, we offer a comprehensive suite of consulting services based on our expertise in supporting innovation at mid to large organizations. Our bespoke services are designed to be agile and nimble.
Client and Teamwork
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