About
Ridhi is interested in creating thoughtful, human-centred solutions that respond to real-world challenges. Becoming a designer has been a childhood dream of hers, and that passion has only grown stronger over time.
Her work is driven by curiosity and a desire to understand how people live and interact with their environments—especially in contexts that are often overlooked. Preferring to work hands-on, Ridhi enjoys building prototypes and engaging directly with users and makers to ground her ideas in reality. She has learnt to embrace the challenges of the design process, from creative blocks to constant iteration, as they help her grow both as a designer and problem solver.
Ridhi's projects focus on simplicity, functionality and meaningful impact. She is always looking to learn, experiment and take on new challenges—because everything about designing truly brings her joy!
Vaahini – Improving water transport for rural women in India
This project explores the everyday challenge of water collection in rural communities, where access to piped water remains limited.
In many parts of India, women and young girls are responsible for fetching water from distant sources, often carrying heavy vessels over long distances. This repetitive task not only consumes significant time but also leads to long-term physical strain and health issues. The design proposes a push-based water carrier that eliminates the need for lifting, shifting the load from the body to the ground.
At its core is a pivoting platform that keeps the vessels upright and stable, even on uneven terrain, while maintaining a low centre of gravity for ease of movement. The system also integrates a simple pipe attachment that allows water to be filled directly from the source, reducing effort during collection.
Additional features such as replaceable rubber tracks for durability, a kickstand for easier loading and an optional filtration unit for improved water quality make the product practical and adaptable to real-world conditions.
The project was developed through research, prototyping and on-the-ground testing, including interactions with users and local manufacturers.
Emphasis was placed on creating a solution that is affordable, repairable and easy to use within existing rural contexts. Rather than redesigning the vessel itself, the focus was on improving the overall experience of water transportation—making it safer, more efficient and less physically demanding.
Visualisation of its use in the village.
Tested in real conditions with users.
A daily burden carried by women.
Chen Hou Tse
Julienne Jo Boquiren
Gupta Ananya
Sanjana Alluri
Trisha Saraogi
Muhammad Aniq Low Wei Jie Bin Irwan
