Can you make rural households see the internet as a tool for learning & earning not just for kids’ entertainment?
Approach
A 10-week sprint to reimagine Project Druv’s (an infotainment content tool for the entire family) user experience and boost sustained usage in rural Rajasthan
- Immersed in homes across villages using ethnographic research and participatory design
- Engaged with users across the spectrum: active, dropouts, non-starters plus Druv Mitras, NGO partners, and internal teams
Mapped key friction points: nervousness at installation, fear of “breaking it,” hesitation amongst women
Key Strategic Lever
Adoption wasn’t just about access & training. It was about the level of comfort with the device.
In rural homes, tech uptake hinges not on how smart the device is, but how safe it feels.
Druv needed to stop looking like a product from the outside and start feeling like a place on the inside.
So we focused on making Druv feel less like tech, more like a shared space for exploration, connection, and everyday pride. A place where learning was collaborative. Failure was okay. And everyone, not just kids and feel belonged.
Output
We created a set of interventions that was launched & piloted & aided in the increased uptake of the Druv boxes.
A few simple ideas that were borne out of our Behaviour Design Codex
A DIY visual calendar that served as both a troubleshooting guide and a confidence booster
Group-based games and family challenges that get everyone involved, to shift usage from solitary to social
Druv Champions & Druv Clubs to create community buzz and peer reinforcement
Gender-specific sessions and familiar Druv Mitras as peer-guides
Co-creation workshops with Druv Mitras — in Hindi, using design tools adapted for rural creativity
