This was a field trip guide for India in the 2010 era. We were interested in understanding the dynamism of the market, and in particular how certain companies had achieved hypergrowth.

What worked:
We had clear objectives that informed our business strategy in the country. Our agenda was well-organized and covered key areas of the business and relevant players - and multiple cities.

What didn't:
During and after, we realized we should have tied our objectives more closely to decisions that needed to be made. The tight schedule left little room for taking in the atmosphere of cities and left little time for impromptu meetings. On that note, we now create big blocks (3-4 hours) that we can use to flex into new meetings.

Being prepared was important as a few team members had never been to India before (I had lived there previously for Google for 6 months). Visas (about 30 days out) and travel logistics (we waited ~2 hours in the customs line) were complicated at that point.

When we came back, our recommendation fell flat. While we had successfully understood the market contours, we didn’t have the specific revenue implication nailed down that would bring the recommendation to approval. As a learning, it’s not enough just to understand the market better. You need to understand the insight that is required for the decision. Being clear about this up front with execs and others is critical. Even in user research, I’ve found it’s important to get decision-makers aligned in advance on what they want so the information and recommendations become consumable. Otherwise you’re trying to drive a nail through a wall.

Scott Coleman 

This “field trip” guide outlines how we planned to visit India as a team to understand the market and how other organizations had grown so significantly there.

Develop network of partners in content production in the India ecosystem

Understand funding environment, start-up entrants, in particular on mobile and social

Vet distribution channel partners across web, mobile, and online publishing

Scott is the trip leader responsible for agenda, outcomes, and trip report

Read the market brief with all relevant data on landscape, current internal usage trends

Confirm all travel logistics, in particular Visas, credit card access, and mobile access

Pre-brief with key partners to set expectations and time tables

 allow half a day for inter-country travel. 1 hour for inter-city. Traffic between locations can be intense in the larger cities. Uber is widely available.

 India can be more formal than the US. While you can get away with the tech-xedo, bring more formal attire, especially for political or senior meetings.

 leave space for impromptu or networked meetings. We will likely coordinate meetings live. This can happen through text, WhatsApp etc.

 It’s a common form of in country and intl communication.

Larissa, policy consultant, +1.xxx.xxx.xxxx

When we came back, our recommendation fell flat. While we had successfully understood the market contours, we didn’t have the specific revenue implication nailed down that would bring the recommendation to approval

Field Trip Manual to Understand India Market at Pinterest

Sign up to see more