This device is an advanced vehicle tracking system launched by Tata Motors in their Novus Heavy duty trucks. Using this system consignors/ truck owners can track their trucks anywhere in India on a map from any internet connected computer. The device works with the global positioning satellite andmobile phone network .

A typical Indian truck driver speaks different languages, cannot read or write, leads an insecure life being on the road driving day and night. The design serves this user faithfully. The product uses ergonomic icon based controls for an intuitive user interface. There is no other product in the market that communicates as well with the user as well as the fleet owner. Using the product the drivers can access lifesaving medical help incase of accidents, inform about traffic jams, speak to the base station, listen to music and be accessible to his family.

The project began with a working prototype built by Tata Motors Electronics Division. The challenge for the Ticket team was to make the product user friendly, build value added features, improve the user interface and design it suitably for mass production. The truck driver is an important stake holder in the success of this design and his needs for help in case of accidents, emergency calls have been taken care of and communicated through icon based controls. The development process involved extensive research and end user tests before final product rolled out as a totally indigenous product. Ticket Design, Tata Technologies and Tata Motors worked together to realise this product.

The Ticket team is quite excited about winning the coveted award and is gung ho about the future of industrial design and its role in the burgeoning Indian creative economy. As per Balkrishna Mahajan, Founder and Industrial Design Specialist, "This award is a due recognition of our efforts in seeking design opportunities and delivering user centered design solutions that compete at the highest international level. This award goes to our tiger team and Tata Motors for making this a reality.”

While the automotive sector rushes up its pace in catching up with the improving transport infrastructure in India, these value added services are not far behind. In fact, these services are going to be a key differentiating factor for vehicles of India's future. Industrial design of the products and services will be required to cater to the Indian users at the same time be international in its positioning.

Summing up Nishma Pandit, Founder and ID Specialist adds"We feel that great design makes products attractive to customers and rewarding to use. It is design that can give a product its competitive edge and added value in a highly competitive marketplace. We as Ticket Design are uniquely positioned to do that. With our understanding of the end users - their behavior and needs, we attempt to enrich product-user experience at all levels. This product has been one such great experience“

More details about the product here

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TICKET DESIGN is a multidisciplinary design firm based in Pune, offering Product Design, Graphics and Branding solutions. A provider of design services to a variety of industries including multinationals with global manufacturing like Whirlpool, Siemens and GE, Ticket Design has developed the expertise of providing manufacture-ready innovative design solutions. Its collective experience of working on variety of projects across industries/ user profiles, has given the firm an insight into these industries, which reflects in their designs.

Founded in the year 2000 Ticket has a tiger team of professionals with passion and experience of delivering innovative solutions that enriches product user experience at all levels. Ticket design has worked extensively in consumer electronics, medical products and appliances sector. Its product design services, which include industrial design and mechanical engineering, have been used by such companies as Whirlpool (Sixth Sense refrigerator), Tata Motors (Advanced telematics), Blue Star (Air conditioners) and Siemens (X Ray machine)

More information about the firm at http://www.designticket.com

Key contacts:
Balkrishna Mahajan, Founder, ID Specialist
Nishma Pandit, Founder, ID Specialist

National Institute of Design (NID) is an internationally acclaimed and India's premier multidisciplinary design institute.

BusinessWorld is India's leading and a highly respected business publication.