Design Thinking and Zedex – Brand Management 141
It was a day after the week-long lock-up by Indigo at Cyberabad, during the second week of December 2025.
After my release by Indigo from the lock-up at Cyberabad and back at Ahmedabad, I had dry cough, went to pharmacist. Asked for Coscopin. He said “Company band thaee gaiyee saheb. Bijoo aapu?” (Company has closed down, can I give you Neither was Corex, Tussex and many more.
Asked him for an alternative. bottles of Corex, Tussex, Adulsa and Zedex by Dr. Reddy’s
I fell in love with the apple green color, the brand name and the colorful cap with three rings. .
Came home and saw the cap. Three circles around it Green, Yellow and Red the colors of the traffic signals. Wondering why this filigree design
I looked at the cap minutely. The green circle – 2.5 ml. Yellow circle – 5 ml. Red circle.
The red circle almost yelled at me: “Stupid and idiot Vivek, stop now! It’s 10 ml now! Do not exceed 10 ml.
I now realized it wasn’t a filigree design but profound and dense design thinking
That’s Design Thinking for you my dear brand manager friends! A small change in the design. Was it complicated? Did it cost millions of rupees to make this innovatively designed cap?
This little cap is a collaboration between brand management, formulation, packaging, and regulatory for patient safety.
A simple change. A smarter experience. A reminder that innovation doesn’t always need a lab, sometimes it’s just a clever cap.
What is Design Thinking
Design Thinking is a way of solving a problem by first deeply understanding the person who is facing the problem, and then creating a solution that genuinely helps that person.
In our pharma industry, the “person” may be the patient, doctor, caregiver, pharmacist, nurse, or even the medical representative.
A simple way to remember it is:
- Understand the person
- Understand the real problem
- Generate ideas
- Try a solution
- Learn Improve.
the Zedex cap is a result of Design Thinking.
What Design Thinking ‘IS’
1. It is patient centric.
You begin with the human being, not with the product.
2. It is problem centric.
You try to discover the real problem, not simply the problem you assumed existed.
3. It is insight-driven.
You listen, observe and learn from patients, doctors and other stakeholders.
4. It is creative.
You generate several possible solutions instead of immediately accepting the first idea.
5. It is experimental.
You don’t assume that your idea will work. You test it.
6. It is iterative.
If the first solution doesn’t work, you learn from it and improve it.
7. It is empathetic.
You have to have empathy and try to see the problem through the eyes of the patient or doctor.
And what Design Thinking ‘IS NOT’
This is equally important for young brand managers.
Design Thinking is NOT simply designing attractive packaging.