Overview
Interstate migration in India is among the largest in the world, yet state systems aren’t designed to accommodate people crossing linguistic, bureaucratic, and cultural lines. Migrant workers often arrive in new cities without support, facing unclear service access, misinformation, and exploitation. This project, initiated in Karnataka with potential for national adoption, proposes a scalable, state-enabled onboarding system that ensures migrants are not treated as outsiders — but as Indian citizens first.
[Industry]
Public Sector
[Duration]
4 Weeks
[Nature]
Academic
[Type]
Service Design
Key Challenge
Interstate migrants in India face an invisible wall when they move between states. Despite having a legal identity (Aadhaar), their ability to access local services, documents, and support often resets at the state border. They don’t know what they’re entitled to, where to go, or how to navigate systems that require language fluency, documentation, or trust in unfamiliar institutions. The result is systemic exclusion, exploitation by middlemen, and deep invisibility in the welfare pipeline.
An Aadhaar-linked service ecosystem activated at key migration touchpoints — like ATMs, railway stations and government offices. Our Solution is designed to integrate into existing infrastructures; combines kiosks, digital follow-ups, and culturally embedded outreach to make onboarding intuitive, accessible, and trustworthy. The solution prioritizes dignity, ease of access, and state visibility — enabling migrants to participate fully as citizens, not strangers.
Proposed Solution
Project Background
Project Information
This project was conceptualized and developed at the National Institute of Design, Bangalore, as part of an academic module - Service Design.
I drove field research to uncover user needs, synthesized insights into journey maps, and co-designed key touchpoints. My role balanced hands-on execution (like prototyping interactions) and strategic synthesis (connecting user realities to government ecosystem constraints).
Project Role
Setting The Context
Who are the users?
Interstate migrant workers arriving in Karnataka from states like Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and West Bengal. They face challenges navigating unfamiliar systems due to linguistic, bureaucratic, and cultural differences.
Why this matters
India lacks a unified system for onboarding and supporting interstate migrants. Despite having national identity (Aadhaar), migrants often lose access to welfare, services, or rights when crossing state lines. They remain invisible in data, unsupported in practice, and vulnerable to exploitation.
What are the existing behaviours and the shift we want to achieve?
FROM: Arriving confused, unsupported, and excluded
TO: Receiving guided, multi-language onboarding at key touchpoints
FROM: Relying on middlemen and being unaware of entitlements
TO: Accessing services independently with clarity and dignity
FROM: Being invisible in the new state’s welfare system
TO: Having a portable, Aadhaar-linked service trail
I helped register him last week… but the labor office has no record.
Even though I moved, they knew who I was. I didn’t have to prove everything again.
The system here gave me a step-by-step plan — I actually know where to go now. It’s not as scary as I thought.
Where do I even start? I don’t know the language… or where to go.
I didn’t know this was for me! — and it’s free. I can do this myself.
Bhaiya he said he’ll
manage papers for ₹500.
Don’t know if I have a choice.
What does "belonging" mean to migrants?
Out of 40 responses, 33 said being recognized and having access were the most important parts of feeling settled in a new place.
It meant being able to access services without harassment, understanding where to go for help, and feeling confident navigating life in a new state.
For many, even small steps like receiving official communication in their own language or being greeted with respect shaped how “welcome” they felt.
Why are we focusing on “migrants?”
Every year, millions in India migrate across states for work and dignity. Yet unfamiliar languages, complex systems and red tape leave them stranded—even with Aadhaar. We focus on these migrants because no one should be an outsider in their own country.
Crucial to India’s growth, workers are denied rights and services, trapping them in exclusion.
Language and cultural divides alienate migrants, eroding their sense of belonging.
Systems built for permanent residents shut out migrants—even with Aadhaar—cutting off support
Aadhaar — India’s nationwide biometric ID system — was envisioned as a universal identity, a key to unlock government services and entitlements across the country. Its effectiveness depends on what it’s linked to, and how systems recognize it.
For hundreds of migrant families, Aadhaar often exists in isolation. While it's accepted as proof of identity, it doesn’t always translate into access — especially when moving across state borders.
“To design for people, first sit quietly and listen to their lives.”
DISCOVER | Primary Research
To evaluate our assumptions and discover answers to our initial question:
When a migrant worker steps off the train in Bengaluru, what stands between them and their rightful access to food, work and dignity?
How might we empower migrants in their critical first days to access rights and services—while fostering belonging
as citizens, not outsiders?”
The right to be recognized, served, and integrated—regardless of linguistic or bureaucratic barriers.
An individual crossing state borders for work/education.
What all did our Primary Research have?
Experiential Studies
Existing service portals: Seva Sindhu, Karnataka One, e-Shram.
Study of service provision
Availing of schemes and process involved
Online Surveys - 37 Responses
X Aged A, X Aged B, X Aged C
Focus group sessions at intrastate migrant camps
This community had over 25 Families, we interacted with about half of them.
18 Interviews
NGO volunteers [3]
Government Officials [5]
Informal and Formal sector migrants [17]
Surveys
This was a great way to measure how systemic barriers (language, documents, service access) vary across migrant groups and locations—scaling what interviews alone couldn’t capture.
From our survey, many respondents said they didn’t feel fully part of the system because they didn’t know where to go, what to do, or whom to ask.
Even students and working professionals felt uncertain or hesitant when dealing with official services, often relying on friends or trial-and-error to get through.
“Claiming a space that doesn’t feel like yours — but has to become home.”
We chose interviews to capture nuanced, first-hand accounts—not just what services migrants lack, but how it feels to be failed by systems designed for ‘static’ citizens.
Interviews
Petrol Pump Worker; migrated from Kerala 25 years ago
Government contracted formal migrant workers
Conversations with young migrant professional
Field experts regarding migrant issues
Stories that stood out
“When I came to Bangalore, I didn’t know anything. I just got down at Majestic and followed the people I came with. No one tells you where to go. You just figure things out slowly — ask a few people, try not to get cheated. If someone had just given me a paper with what to do next, or even told me what office to go to... it would’ve helped a lot.”
— 22-year-old, migrated from Odisha to work in a warehouse in Peenya
Why is it easier to hear about government schemes than to actually use them?
“I filled out the form, gave my fingerprints, and they said, ‘It will come.’ That was two months ago. Now when I ask, they say, ‘Check online.’ But I don’t know how. If they just gave me something on paper, even a small slip, at least I’d feel like it’s moving.”
— Migrant worker from West Bengal
If Aadhaar proves I'm Indian, why doesn't it prove I belong here?
"I did not know about the free electricity that Karnataka provides, because I thought it was only available to women who are working or independent women. And hence, I did not avail it."
— Delivery Driver (from Ranchi)
How many people are excluded from welfare just because of a misunderstanding of who it's for?
“The people here talk fast and in Kannada. I don’t always understand. Sometimes government people speak like we should already know everything. But when that NGO came and did a street play near our area, that’s when I finally understood what documents were needed for the ration card. It felt like someone was actually talking to us, not at us.”
- Metro Worker (Government Employee)
Why does healthcare feel like a privilege for some people?
Focus group sessions at intrastate migrant camps
Our Visit to Migrant Communities allowed us to document the lived realities as they establish temporary communities - observing how they access services, share information, and navigate systems when living and working outside their home states. We focused on understanding both the practical workarounds they develop and the institutional gaps that persist.
Children are Tech Mediators
Kids (8-16 yrs) install apps, set up UPI, and troubleshoot phones for parents.
Parents stick to specific apps (e.g., WhatsApp) using visual memory (e.g., recognizing icons, not text).
Voice/Video Over Text
Prefer voice notes (WhatsApp), video calls, or in-person demos over written instructions.
"We listen to the agent’s voice note 10 times before clicking anything."
Physical Documents = Psychological Security
Carry Aadhaar, receipts, and permits at all times—even if digitized.
"If I lose my Aadhaar card, I lose my proof of existence here."
Agents/NGOs as Human APIs
Trust local fixers, like NGO workers, to navigate systems:
"Ramesh Bhaiya fills our Karnataka One forms—he knows which officer to approach."
Key Insights
To experience firsthand where and how migrants get blocked—documenting every bureaucratic friction from physical queues and officer interactions to digital dead-ends in portal or app design.
Experiential Studies of Existing Service Portals & Provision
Digital Systems (Web/Phone)
Language Exclusion
- Often no regional language options beyond state language
- Critical instructions available only in one languageService Ambiguity
- No clear mapping of which services are offered at which offices
- Inconsistent availability (same service accessible in some centers but not others)Zero Transparency
- No application tracking: users can’t check status, confirm activation, or identify rejections
- No error explanations when submissions fail
Physical Service Centers
Language Isolation
- Signages/forms only in state language
- No multilingual support despite migrant footfallNavigational Chaos
- Offices are hard to locate (no centralized directions)
- Service availability varies even within same building/floorsProcedural Fragmentation
- Single application often requires visits to multiple offices
- No continuity between visits
- No priority systems for follow-ups
"These systems help the most, but aren’t built for them—more jugaad than design"
Our goal was to validate observed barriers through national datasets, policy audits, and academic studies on migration and welfare access in India.
DISCOVER | Secondary Research
Literature Review - Insights
What we are trying to increase
What we are trying to increase
What we are trying to increase
Low Document Access
Only 2% of migrants had ration cards, 3% voter IDs, 4% bank accounts, and 3% LPG connections — forcing many to buy gas at Rs 1450/cylinder due to lack of address proof.
Biometric Efficiency
Haryana's FPS system handles 35+ lakh Aadhaar-authenticated transactions monthly, showing strong scalability.
Financial Inclusion Gap
While 54.5 crore Jan Dhan accounts exist (56% women), lack of Aadhaar-linkage and portability leaves migrants financially included but materially excluded.
Design-Driven Exclusion
In 2021, 74.8% of e-Shram workers lacked Aadhaar-linked accounts, making them ineligible for key schemes like PM-Kisan or LPG subsidies.
System Confusion
62% of migrants across 5 states couldn’t distinguish between Seva Kendra, Bangalore One, or Karnataka One — often visiting multiple for one service.
Trust Through Outreach
NGOs at labour hubs help build trust and inform migrants of benefits, often filling state outreach gaps.
Data Mismatches
Despite Aadhaar portability, 67% of welfare rejections are due to non-local address proofs — showing a gap between policy and practice.
Workplace Abuse
About 25% of migrants report verbal and 24% physical abuse at work, often linked to caste or language.
Language Barriers
84% of migrants struggle with digital services due to language — most help desks and apps default to state languages.
Aadhaar Use at Scale
Over 133.97 crore transactions on MeriPehchaan show Aadhaar’s deep integration into service delivery.
All statistics referenced are drawn from a combination of government publications, RTI responses, policy research papers (2019–2024)
“Before imagining what could be, we owe it to people to understand what is.”
"To design a service that bridges the gap between migrants’
legal entitlements and their ability to access them—by dismantling language barriers, bureaucratic complexity, and trust gaps at critical touchpoints"
what they're rightfully owed
navigational and communication gaps
Not just translation — comprehension and confidence
real-world moments where the system meets the migrant
what they can actually use
Define | Problem Statement and Design Brief
Migrants need a simple, trustworthy, and immediate way to access essential services upon arrival — without relying on prior knowledge, smartphones, or language proficiency. They face systemic exclusion when accessing welfare services—despite legal citizenship (Aadhaar). Language barriers, hyper-local bureaucracy, and distrust in institutions force them to rely on exploitative middlemen, resetting their rights at state borders.
User Personas
“Online, there’s too much stuff. I just want someone to tell me: Here, these are the 2 things you can apply for — now click this.”
Goals
Send ₹5,000/month to family consistently
Reduced electricity bill to save up more.
Influences
Co-workers who share updates via WhatsApp
YouTubers who explain tech, schemes
Local kirana owner who helps with payments
Needs and Expectations
Clear info on what he qualifies for
Hindi-first, short videos or visual steps
Answers without needing to go somewhere.
Motivations
Make something of himself in the city
Gain confidence to do things himself
Pain Points
Unsure which websites or apps are official
Frustrated by OTP failures, repeated document uploads
Info overload — too many results, no clarity
Introduction
Ravi is 21, a tech-savvy construction worker from Uttar Pradesh. He handles UPI and YouTube with ease but gets overwhelmed by government websites and unclear schemes. He wants to move ahead on his own — just needs clear, trusted information without the guesswork.
“I can clean five houses in one day, but one form makes me feel scared. Explain it to me like you’re talking to a child.”
Goals
Regular schooling and healthcare for kids
Save ₹500–₹1,000/month effortlessly
Influences
NGO Didi (bi-weekly visits)
Her elder child who goes to local government school.
Needs and Expectations
Clear, trustworthy info on what he qualifies for
Hindi-first, short videos or visual steps
Quick answers without needing to go somewhere.
Pain Points
“What if I fill something wrong and they throw me out?”
“Clicking wrong” will lose her subsidy
Motivations
Protect her children from missing school or falling ill
Avoid the anxiety of sudden expenses (medical, rent)
Introduction
Anita is 35, a domestic worker from Bihar who’s lived in Bengaluru for 12 years. She moves confidently through her day — cleaning homes — but feels lost when faced with forms or apps. She leans on familiar voices, not systems, to guide her through anything official.
Developing Systemic Understanding
How might we make the app more “interactive and fun” rather than “static and formal”?
How might we make digital services accessible to those who don't own smart devices?
How might we make discovery/services fast/easy rather than time consuming + complex?
How might we challenge the idea that govt. services require multiple steps
How might we use existing games as sources of existing services?
How might we provide features to track and manage services in one place?
How might we make the existing services more comprehensible?
How might we reduce confusion around finding the right govt. services?
How might we ensure unregulated services or info stay as clean as possible?
How we might challenge the assumption local language fluency is equal to faster services?
How we might challenge the assumption local language fluency is equal to faster services?
How might we ensure people know about the ‘Karnataka One’
How we might make govt. services as seamless as texting a friend?
How might we make the existing services more comprehensible?
How we might remove confusions caused by having multiple apps/websites/centers
How might we utilize daily touchpoints to educate migrants (e.g., shops, public transport)?
Mapping HMWs
Mapping Stakeholders
Click to expand
As Is Journey
Develop | Ideations
Create a visual "decision tree" to guide users in choosing the right services.
Pop ups when you open youtube/facebook
Local champions -> Who help more -> Voted by Folks
Regional influencers sharing service recommendations
Centralized app for real-time updates on applications.
Predictive search categorization based on vague user descriptions.
Migrant card (discarded)
Community outreach via NGO & street theatre
Training Onboarding program for migrant workers
Partner with telecom providers for broadcasts about KarnatakaOne.
LLM assistant within an IVR when you call for information
Travel tickets having information of state app to download/scheme to avail
Designing government application portal based on phone mental model
Widgets that are dynamic for information/management
Myth-busting ads clarifying misconceptions about services.
AR QR Code which are like games to inform about services (Ad campaign)
Instagram reels and TikTok videos showing step-by-step service applications.
Voice enabled Chatbot providing help in same language.
USSD for quick validation of service-related claims.
Physical “Fast track” tokens to expedite service delivery
Separate section for available services for migrants/citizens of state
Receipts and Bills having service details
ATM like booth which enables users using aadhar card as system tools
Schools teaching about civic rights and availing services as rights.
Avoid typing and use graphics to interact (Custom Iconography)
Awareness at Public transports and stands: brochure / digital ad
Payment QR code stands having e-ink displays for dynamic information
Training government officials as approachable community ambassadors.
Brochures in top 5 spoken languages of Bangalore of helplines and schemes.
Ideas taken forward (How each solution works together)
“Good public service design doesn’t demand attention — it earns trust, especially from those left behind.”
Final Solution Proposal
An Aadhaar-linked, kiosk-driven service ecosystem that leverages existing infrastructure and adds humane support layers to help interstate migrants navigate new states with dignity and agency.
Access Gateway
Aadhaar-linked system enabler at touch-screen kiosks. No reading required — just biometric and photo-doc scans. Printed tokens confirms service eligibility and fast track existing systems.
Inclusive Guidance
WhatsApp-based AI powered follow-ups in multiple languages to provide step-by-step support. No apps, no forms — just human support that adapts to their pace, literacy and comfort.
Community Anchors
Using existing Local peers and NGO partners as on-ground explainers at construction sites, shelters, bus stops. Info is verbal, visual and contextual. It reaches migrants where they already are.
Saamana’s Vision and USP
We aim to build a future where moving cities doesn’t mean starting over — where public services feel like help, not a hassle.
Lets understand Saamana Through Ravi's journey:
Books his ticket, gets an info sheet
How will Saamana bring value to a citizen's life?
Click to expand Service Blueprint
Brand Identity
Samaana means equality, coexistence, and inclusion. It reflects the mission to empower migrants with access, dignity, and clarity in navigating government systems.
Trustworthy
Inclusive
Supportive
Accessible
TYPOGRAPHY
Ab
Noto Sans
Noto Sans is clean, highly readable, and widely supported. It aligns with the Government of India’s recommended fonts for digital accessibility, making it a reliable and inclusive choice.
Type: Sans-serif
Unicode Support: Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, etc.
Title / Caption
Button
28 px – 48 px
Bold
16 px – 28 px
Display Medium
Body
Input
16 px – 24 px
Regular
16 px – 24 px
Display Regular
COLORS
CF221F
134CAD
1C9C2F
2D282A
E79A72
2F100C
914339
FFFFFF
CONSTRUCTION
LOGOMARK
ICON
BRAND INSTANCES
Showcasing our Design
Kiosk Breakdown
Ideations
Proposed Design of the Kiosk
Conceptualizing the Aadhaar link system
Experience Saamana
UX Considerations
Multilingual Support
Seamless language selection ensures accessibility for users from diverse linguistic backgrounds.
Keypad-Based Navigation
Numbered options enable full navigation via physical keypad, supporting non-touch usability.
Contextual Scheme
Suggestions
Relevant schemes are auto-suggested based on uploaded documents, reducing user effort and decision fatigue.
Progressive Flow & Summary
View
A clear step-by-step flowchart with live status helps users understand the application process at a glance.
Visual Document Previews
Sample images help users recognize required documents easily, reducing confusion and input errors.
Clear Feedback & Error States
Focused visual cues indicate what’s missing or incorrect, helping users correct issues quickly and confidently.
Deliver { Future }
What can this scale into?
This project, piloted in Karnataka, is intentionally designed to be modular and adaptable. It can be scaled to other states with minimal changes, creating a national layer of migrant onboarding linked to Aadhaar. The framework can also plug into national initiatives like One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC), eShram,
or PM-SVANidhi to create a unified welfare access layer.
Limitations or barriers to delivery
Inter-state coordination and political will can slow adoption.
Real-time database syncing and data-sharing protocols need safeguards.
Trust-building among migrants requires local support networks — digital solutions alone won’t suffice.
Maintenance of physical kiosks in high-footfall areas must be proactively addressed.
Future roadmap
Pilots in 2–3 districts of Karnataka, followed by onboarding-focused awareness campaigns.
Develop shared tech standards for other states to adopt.
Partner with NGOs and existing migration networks to ensure last-mile activation.
Expand the onboarding to include financial, housing, and language support integrations.
Reflections
What worked was starting with the ground. Listening. Letting the problem speak before rushing to solve it. The idea grew not from “what’s possible,” but from “what’s necessary.”
It was satisfying to see how existing systems — like Aadhaar or kiosks — could be reimagined, not replaced, to bring people into the fold.
What didn’t work was overcomplicating things early on. Some solutions felt exciting in theory but fell apart when held against the life of someone who’s just arrived in a new city with no idea what to do next.
This is my personal documentation of the project with Darshan Bhandari and Dipparana Debnath. Amazing people <3
Thanks for stopping by :)