Interviews of Jugaadus based on 33 sub-concepts (grounded theory)
Description
The dataset documents qualitative interview data from lower socio-economic groups in India, specifically exploring their Jugaad (informal innovation) practices in architecture. It captures detailed narratives across multiple cases like boundary walls, entrance gates, rainwater systems, kitchen adaptations, staircase construction, storage solutions, and makeshift walls, based on grounded theory methodology. Each case includes 33 structured Q&A responses (in Hindi and English translation) covering cognitive strategies (problem framing, decision-making), material practices (resource improvisation, reuse), behavioural actions (community collaboration, risk acceptance), and experiential learning (iterative improvement). The responses reveal how participants, facing urgent needs, limited resources, and environmental pressures, used inductive, heuristic, and experiential thinking to create functional, low-cost, and frugal built environments. The dataset provides rich empirical evidence to theorize informal design cognition, grassroots innovation, and survival-driven material practices under extreme constraints.
Files
Steps to reproduce
Data were collected through in-depth interviews and field observations across twelve cases in Kharagpur, analysing 33 sub-concepts drawn from literature on design thinking, informal innovation, and cognitive processes.
Institutions
- Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur