About Me

My name is Ritik Dholakia. I was born in India but raised and educated in the United States. I live and work in New York, NY.

Professionally, I have worked to create and bring new products to market, as a product manager for two start-ups, and as a design consultant. Over 10 years, I have worked for a diverse set of clients including Microsoft, Nokia, the BBC, CNN, Time Warner Cable, and a number of US-based start-up, technology, and media companies.

The Big Question That I Am Asking

In my 10+ year career, I have found that the art of creating new products in the United States has become more and more challenging. This is because the pace of innovation has become extremely fast and consumer expectations for products evolve very quickly. No longer can a company spend 1-2 year planning cycles to bring products to market.

Much of this has been driven by technology - particularly the Internet, social technologies, mobile technologies - and the shifting consumer perceptions that have swept across industries as they have embraced these technologies.

I have seen many industry-leading companies in the US struggle with the challenge of how to innovate to keep pace with their competitors, disruptive start-ups, and the market, in general. Through my career, I have been able to put together and work with extremely talented teams of technologists and designers to help clients meet these challenges. And yet, I see the ability to innovate as one of the factors that will determine the success of companies across industries moving forward - and very few companies are truly able to.

Watching from jobs in New York and Silicon Valley, I have the impression that Indian businesses have transitioned very quickly from companies that support US firms to companies in India who are able to drive innovation, at multiple levels, from deep technology to identifying and addressing gaps in the market. When I consider how the challenges of innovating for the Indian market, where the velocity of change around consumer technology and behavior outpaces the West, I am very curious to understand how companies tackle innovation and product development in India.

I believe that there is a lot to be learned, and would like to explore the following key questions:

How are products and services designed, made, and brought to market in India?

How do innovators keep pace with the rapid change of technology and consumer behavior in India?

What do product managers, marketers, and designers see as the keys to being successful in the Indian market?

Helping Me

I am traveling in India from December 2011 to January 2012, primarily to Mumbai, Bangalore, and Kolkata.

I am reaching out to you because I have been introduced, by my parents, family, friends, or other professional contacts.

I would love to meet with you, or people you recommend, to discuss your perspective and experiences on some of the questions I mention previously. Or, if you feel that maybe there are other people that I should meet, I would love an introduction.

The Outcome

I hope to conduct a series of interviews that may then be turned into a research paper or perhaps a few articles.

I also hope to connect with smart business people, product marketers, and designers to widen my global network of people who like to create interesting products and services.

Thank you!
Ritik Dholakia
rdholakia@gmail.com