Empowering Shivarapatna’s Stone Sculpting: Unveiling Economic Potential Through Design Intervention

Shivarapatna Amanikere, a village in the Malur taluka of Kolar, Karnataka, India, is renowned for its longstanding tradition of stone sculpting. This artistic craftsmanship forms an integral part of the village’s cultural identity and economic activity, with nearly half of its 2174 residents relying on the craft for their livelihood. Despite its merits, Shivarapatna faces several challenges that threaten the sustainability of this heritage. These include limited public awareness, a declining artisan population, inadequate infrastructure, and insufficient government support. This paper highlights the application and evaluation of both design thinking and futures thinking, which together led to the development of an e-commerce platform, Shilpe. Design thinking provided a user-centric approach, addressing present-day needs such as raising public awareness and improving marketing. On the contrary, futures thinking offered a broader, long-term perspective by exploring emerging trends and future dynamics, ensuring that the solutions were adaptable and future-proof. By combining these methodologies, the study developed a platform that not only enhanced revenue but also ensured the craft’s long-term survival. This study suggests the potential to adapt the futures thinking into the current design thinking methodology. By incorporating futures thinking methodologies like horizon scanning, futures wheel and back casting, designers can anticipate future changes while maintaining user-centred approach to create products that are more user friendly and sustainable.