Komal Panda with her winning entry
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Growing up in a typical Odia family, design was never on my radar. Like many with a Humanities background, my parents envisioned a future for me in law or government services.
In 2021, I lost my mother to cancer and COVID-19, just days before the final round of the entrance exams at the National Institute of Design. My father has battled multiple illnesses over the past few years, leaving me to care for my younger sister and myself. These challenging personal experiences and personal loss influenced my approach to design, as did growing up surrounded by Odisha’s rich cultural heritage and beautiful architecture.
Having struggled with complex medical equipment, I know the frustration and anxiety that come with using intimidating and often impractical devices. This first-hand experience ignited my passion to transform healthcare through design.
My introduction to James Dyson came in my first year through Dyson products. So, when the opportunity came to apply for the James Dyson Award, I didn’t hesitate.
Personal inspiration
The inspiration for Novocarry comes from my father, who has diabetes and works in a steel factory. Every day, he has to rush home during his lunch break to take his insulin because there’s no reliable way to store it at the right temperature at his workplace.
Novocarry is a portable cooling solution designed for medications like insulin that require refrigeration during transport. I focused on creating a design that is sleek, discreet, and unobtrusive, addressing concerns like theft, tampering, and the stigma often associated with managing insulin in public.
The goal was to make Novocarry feel more like a personal accessory than a medical product, helping to normalise its use and alleviate feelings of embarrassment.
Throughout the design process, I was inspired by the makeshift solutions people often rely on, like storing insulin in cold water bottles during train rides or using thermos flasks with constant water changes. Hearing horror stories of tampered medication leading to medical emergencies fuelled my determination to create something that could genuinely improve people’s lives.
Having won the James Dyson Award 2024 for India region has given me a level of exposure I never could have imagined.
Future plans
Recently, I received a message from a father whose six-year-old child has type 1 diabetes. He asked if he could buy Novocarry, believing it could help his child manage their insulin needs more comfortably at school. Knowing that something I created has the potential to make a tangible difference in someone’s life is incredibly humbling. Since the award’s announcement, I’ve had the opportunity to connect with people whose lives could be impacted by Novocarry. I’m committed to continuing this journey until the product can be produced on a larger scale and can reach and help as many people as possible.
To aspiring designers, I would say: think beyond simply solving functional problems. Design is about more than just practicality; it’s about enhancing the user experience. Consider how your design makes people feel when they interact with it. Every detail matters — from form to function — in creating meaningful, intuitive, and enjoyable experiences. A truly great design is one that people not only need to use but want to use.
Losing my mother and watching my father’s health struggles have profoundly changed the way I approach design, as it forced me to confront pain, vulnerability, and uncertainty. As a result, I’ve become more empathetic in my work, striving to create solutions that offer comfort, dignity, and hope.Design, to me, is no longer just about solving problems; it’s about understanding the human experience and creating meaningful solutions that can change lives.
The writer is a student of the National Institute of Design, Haryana
Published – November 03, 2024 03:30 pm IST
