Animesh Sharma

I am working at the intersection of Social Behaviour Change Communication and Design Thinking, crafting solutions to collective problems. I am skilled in designing, testing and evaluating solutions aimed at addressing behavioral barriers, using approaches which are not only technically robust but also exhibit humane and empathetic values, on diverse thematic areas, with specific focus on natural resources-based livelihoods and gender. I have worked with BBC Media Action and Intellecap-NRMC in India, and have project-specific international experience in South and South-East Asia. I specialise in (a) unpacking socio-cultural contexts, (b) unravelling existing social norms and (c) constructing narratives for designing solutions using principles of communication, behavioural sciences, design thinking and gamification, and (d) deploying innovative experiential and iterative approaches for testing such solutions. I possess rich experience of using experimental and quasi-experimental research designs, using both quantitative and qualitative research techniques for evaluating social impact. My three-year long stint at BBC Media Action involved (a) using exploratory and participative research methods for designing frameworks for communication-based solutions, and (b) using complex research designs to measure impact of multi-media Social Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) programs in diverse geographies. For one of the key assignments, I worked in a cross-functional team for developing and testing a mobile phone game application, aimed at making adolescents in urban centres conscious of prevalent gender stereotyping. At Intellecap-NRMC , I have played a crucial role in conceptualizing and setting up an innovation lab (Nil) recently, aimed at using human-centric and empathy-driven approaches, along with design thinking principles for creating behavioral solutions. One of my on-going assignments involves using an empathy-led lens for deconstructing the notion of masculinity among adolescent boys in rural Uttar Pradesh, and co-creating behavioural solutions, including emotive engagements and somatic diffusions. I was recently involved in designing communications strategy for addressing behavioral barriers that affect tribal subsistence farmers’ and agriculture entrepreneurs’ participation in livelihoods enhancement programmes. The assignment used ethnographic research techniques for unravelling latent factors affecting decision-making process during times of scarcity, particularly with respect to accessing formal sources of finance.