About

Our Practice

HUMAN CENTERED DESIGN

As a practice based in the emerging markets our work has contributed to the global discourse on HCD. We have seen HCD evolve tremendously in the last 15 years, and believe that it will continue to grow as a crucial enabler for innovation and creativity across the world.

IMPACT + INNOVATION + EXPLORATION

We are unique as a practice because we straddle the worlds of development, corporate innovation, and creative exploration with ease. It allows us to connect dots, bring diverse learnings and inspirations to work, and remain grounded as a practice.

CREATIVE DESIGN SKILLS

We value craftsmanship and the role it plays in creating the end user experience. Our skills and experience in the design of visual communication, product, service and technology interfaces are of the highest quality. New media and technology design is a growing area of creative focus for us.

MULTI-DISCIPLINARY TEAMS

Our unique blend of disciplines – business, design, social sciences, technology etc. – makes us more than just a design firm or a business consultancy. Project teams are purposefully created to reflect this multidisciplinary strength.

GLOBAL EXPERIENCE

We have done projects across South East Asia, Central Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. Our global experience helps us strengthen our understanding of emerging markets, hone our skills as researchers and sense makers, and connect the dots from a global innovation landscape.

Our Values

Be Local. Feel Global

We explore the application of design thinking in emerging markets today. The way in which this local view interacts with a global perspective profoundly informs our work.

Making Sense of Chaos

We don’t shun the complexity of our work; rather we champion the application of design-led thinking as means to navigate chaos.

An Open Studio

Our studios are open environments with constant expectations of collaboration and personal expression. We nurture them as metaphors for our rich understanding of plurality.

The Value of Friendship

Our space is rooted in the simple pleasure of sharing an independent practice with friends, this is key to the independence of spirit that drives us as creative individuals.

A new model for resilient creativity

Quicksand and Stby have officially merged, uniting over a decade of collaboration and a shared vision. Together, we offer over 20 years’ expertise in design research and innovation, delivering impactful solutions for clients worldwide.

With roots in India, Quicksand connects private sector innovation with underserved communities across emerging markets. Stby, based in the UK and Europe, partners with organisations in the Global North to shape products and platforms grounded in local needs.

Our merger builds a resilient, globally connected team—strengthening our ability to deliver transformative change across sectors and geographies.

Reach Network

We are a part of Reach, a global network of agencies specialising in human-centred design research and service innovation. We work with multinational companies and non-profit organisations seeking to improve existing services or develop new offerings in multiple foreign markets.

Since 2008 we have worked with a diverse range of clients. Each project is unique and bespoke, yet the core of our practice is always focused on helping organisations better understand their audiences across markets, to inform more strategic, human-centred innovation processes.