Inclusive innovation: getting more from less for more

In the age of consumerism, efforts at developing products and services have largely been focused on utilizing resources in addressing the wants and needs of people especially at the top of the economic pyramid.The products designed with sophisticated features lead to higher complexity and cost.These products do not satisfy the needs of the low-income consumers who live on an income that is less than $5 a day (Guerrant Foundation 2014).The consumers at the base of the economic pyramid live in environments which are geographically remote, with constrained financial resources, institutional void, and insufficient technological know-how.These contextual constraints can be turned into advantages through frugal innovation, leading to delivering quality services and products for low-income consumers.Frugal innovation helps in bringing down the cost of products without compromising on quality, by minimizing the consumption of resources during design, development, and production stages.The prosthetic limb "Jaipur Foot" which costs $45 is a classic example of frugal innovation.With Jaipur Foot, the wearers can squat, run, sit cross-legged, and climb trees (Bound & Thornton 2012, Hasib 2013).Due to low-cost and non-compromised quality, the Jaipur Foot has restored dignity and mobility for over 400,000 people in Afghanistan, India, and Iraq (Kanani et al. 2011).Science and technology are to be used judiciously for the benefit of all.Frugal products can provide greater functionality to a wider cross section of people by minimizing costs and resource consumption.Frugal innovation helps in repositioning the poor from passive recipients of donations to active consumers.People at the base of economic pyramid are "media dark."They are denied access to services and products and are unaware of available alternatives and how to use them.