CityTrot

Final Project

CityTrot : A cognitive maps based tourism application Focus: Old Delhi

Student Name: Nitish Sharma

Student ID: 201214002

Mentors:

Prof. Vishvajit Pandya

Prof. Nitin Raje

Masters in Design (Communication Design) Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology.

Gujarat, India

Feedback Sheet

CityTrot | Nitish Sharma | 201214002

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Acknowledgement

It has been an exciting experience working on this project. It would

have been impossible to complete this work without the

contribution of a multitude of people. I would like to express my

sincere gratitude towards all the people who have helped me

throughout the process of this project. Their contribution, feedback

and guidance had played a decisive role in the completion of my

project.

First of all, I would like to thank God for the wisdom and

perseverance that has been bestowed upon me during the course of

this project. I am glad to have a family that bestowed me with their

unconditional love and support. They showed confidence in me

when I needed the most.

I would like to thank my faculty guide, Prof. Vishvajit Pandya and

Prof. Nitin Raje, for their essential and helpful support and

guidance. They inculcated in me the confidence that I needed for

carrying out and completing the project.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude towards Prof.

Madhumita Mazumdar, for her insightful suggestions and

constructive feedback; throughout the entire span of the project.

She has been a key contributor in making this project a reality.

I would also like to Thank Prof. Binita Desai, for coming forward

with sincere advice and help, whenever needed.

Finally, I would like to thank all the shop owners, cooks, assistants,

helpers and security guards working all around Old Delhi. Their

chat sessions, eagerness to answer my questions and helpful nature

has proved once again why Delhi is called Dilwalon ki Dilli

(city of good hearted people).

Last but not the least; I am grateful to my friends, Anshu, Saad, and

Tarun for accompanying me to my field trips and helping me with

my video shoots. I would also like to thank my colleagues, juniors

and especially my seniors for their helpful advice and moral

support throughout my project.


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Contents Feedback Sheet ................................................................................ 1 Acknowledgement ........................................................................... 2 1 Synopsis ................................................................................... 4

1.1 Choice of Medium ................................................................. 5 2 Project Brief ............................................................................. 6

2.1 Brief introduction of Old Delhi ......................................... 6 2.2 Need for Design ................................................................ 7 2.3 Stakeholders .................................................................... 10 2.4 Goals................................................................................ 10

3 Research ................................................................................. 12 3.1 Secondary Research ........................................................ 12 3.2 Field Visits ...................................................................... 17

4 Evaluation of available products ............................................ 32 5 Product ................................................................................... 43

5.1 Introduction to Product Philosophy................................. 43 5.2 Iteration 1 ........................................................................ 44

5.2.1 Application Flow/Information Architecture ............ 44 5.2.2 Paper Prototype ........................................................ 46 5.2.3 Graphic Design ........................................................ 49 5.2.5 Code ......................................................................... 50 5.2.6 Usability Test ........................................................... 52

5.3 Iteration 2 ........................................................................ 52 5.3.1 Application Flow/Information Architecture ............ 54

5.3.2 Logo ......................................................................... 55 5.3.3 Graphic Design ........................................................ 55 5.3.4 Code ......................................................................... 64 5.3.5 Usability Test .......................................................... 65

5.4 Iteration 3 ........................................................................ 66 5.4.1 Application Flow/Information Architecture ............ 67 5.4.2 Paper Prototype ....................................................... 68 5.4.3 Graphic Design ........................................................ 71 5.4.5 Code ......................................................................... 75 5.4.6 Usability Test .......................................................... 77

5.5 Final Product ................................................................... 78 5.5.1 Information Architecture ......................................... 80 5.5.2 Paper Prototype ....................................................... 81 5.5.3 Graphic Design ........................................................ 83 5.5.4 Proof of Concept ..................................................... 88

6 Conclusion ............................................................................. 90 7 Bibliography .......................................................................... 92

7.1 Books .............................................................................. 92 7.2 Journals ........................................................................... 92 7.3 Websites .......................................................................... 92 7.4 Blog ................................................................................. 93


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1 Synopsis Tourism is the immersion in authentic life of a culture or a place

that is not tourists own. Tourists expect to experience heritage,

architecture and culture that makes up a places essence. With the

advent of technology, especially smartphones, there has been a

huge rise in mobile assisted tourism. Travel apps, online tour

guides, bookings on the go have been increasing phenomenon over

the last few years. The premise of this project is the fact that even

in todays technologically advanced times there is lack of a

navigation solution that can provide an immersive experience to

the tourists and help connect the tourists and the hosts. Most

navigation solutions today, digital or physical, only serve as an

information providing unit for getting from point A to B. This can

potentially alienate the tourists instead of immersing them in the

environment.

After a few initial discussions it was decided that the most ideal

way to experience an environment is by immersing all the 5 senses

in that environment. The system can customize the experience of

the tourist based on the sense they want to explore. For example, It

can suggest places where sense of taste or sense of smell dominates

the experience.

The chosen field for this research was Old Delhi, an important

tourist destination. Concluding from the initial visits it was clear

that creating a tourist navigation system to indulge all senses would

take a longer time than the course of this semester. Thus, a series of

discussions with my mentors led to a product that is narrowed

down on one sense which dominates the tourism of Old Delhi, i.e.

the sense of taste.

Each year around 44, 72,2571 tourists visit Old Delhi to experience

the much publicized culture of the place. But, anyone who visits a

place that has a different culture from theirs is bound to experience

a cultural shock. This cultural shock is increased manifold when

the place is a bazaar, that may seem chaotic at the first look. Thus a

large number of these tourists prefer guided tourism. This guided

tourism that makes tourists feel safe, however, also takes away the

very essence that a tourist yearns to experience.

In order to address this situation a navigation system was devised

that would utilize the properties of a cognitive map2. Cognitive

1 In the year 2008, according to the data released by Ministry of Tourism, a total of 44, 72,257 tourists (foreign and local combined) visited the city of Delhi. 2 The term was inroduced by psychologist E. C. Tolman in 1948 to explain how rats learned the locations of rewards in a maze.


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maps are mental representations of physical locations. The primary

reason behind using the cognitive map approach was to simulate

the navigation solution provide by the field itself, i.e. the

knowledge of a local. Being shown around/guided by a local

provides a better insight into a place than any other media. A

locals implicit knowledge about a place is much deeper and wider

than any website or application. This is why when some is guided

around a place by a local he has an opportunity to experience the

place as the local himself/herself does. What paths to take, what

part of the bazaar to experience, and at what time, all this is best

recommended by a local to an area.

The solution aims to be a prototype to demonstrate the design

philosophy and strategy for addressing similar problems in all

places of interest. The prototype provides a way to interpret a usual

conversation between a local and a tourist. And, then use that

interpretation to create a solution which would allow the tourist to

experience the environment, explore the surroundings and connect

with the hosts of the place they are visiting.

1.1 Choice of Medium The medium chosen to deploy this navigation system is in the form

of a smartphone application. Smartphones are personal devices,

the agronomics of which has been designed to be easy to handle

and operate in most of the environments. Coupled with their

computing powers; these smartphones can easily pack large

amount of information in a compact place. Today, an approximate

of more than 1.4 billion people around the world use smartphones

(Business Insider Survey, 2013). Approximately 50% of tourists

around the world expect to use travel apps for their travel needs at

their destinations (TripAdvisor Survey, 2012). This means that a

large number of tourists are already accustomed to getting

assistance via their smartphones while travelling.

When a new solution is introduced to the users/tourists which even

though acts differently but appears similar to what they are already

comfortable using; they can easily make the transition of getting

acquainted with this new solution. All this led to the recognition of

a smartphone app being the best medium for this solution.


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2 Project Brief Old cities and old bazaars have meaning and memories attached to

them and are usually tourists attractions. These places are also a

host to a number of points of interests and usually have a confined

structure. Such old bazaars seem chaotic to someone observing

from outside and can even overwhelm the external observer but in

reality they are structured and follow a systematic arrangement of

shops that can be noticed once someone gets acquainted with such

bazaars. The project is centered on the idea that, when a tourist

visits a place that has some kind of socio-cultural/economic

meaning attached to it and caters to multiple interests beyond its

actual purposes, there he/she might face difficulty in locating and

navigating all such points of interest.

2.1 Brief introduction of Old Delhi Old Delhi was constructed in the 17th century as the capital City of

Mughal Empire. As the capital of the Mughal Empire (which

spread almost across the entire country) the place acquired a lot of

architectural heritage in the form of palace of k6ing (Red Fort),

houses of many nobles and members of the kings court, houses of

the masses living close to the royal settlement and also many

places of worship. This settlement then led to creation of consumer

markets (bazaars) to fulfil daily needs of the people and the palace.

Old Delhi remained the capital of country and center to almost all

governance until 1911. In 1911 British Presidency was established

in India and consequently followed by the establishment of New

Delhi. New Delhi then grew and eventually engulfed Old Delhi

within itself. Old Delhis four century old existence in a place that

completed its first century in 2011, has given Old Delhi a

distinguished reputation and meaning.

The scene of Delhi inside and outside the walls of the walled city is

very different, almost of different eras. The Delhi outside the walls

of Old Delhi looks organized, and the bazaars inside the walls of

Old Delhi looks chaotic and unorganized, to someone who has

visited the place for the first time. Despite the chaotic look of the

bazaars for an external, the bazaars in reality are structured and

welcoming once someone starts experiencing them. The reason for

such a chaotic feel is the age of these bazaars itself. They have

been around since centuries, built and shaped according to the

needs of the inhabitants. The streets and bazaars have been

reconstructed, renovated and carved fresh in the last few centuries.

An example of such construction is the Nai Sadak in Old Delhi that

was built by the British after the revolt of 1857. Nai Sadak


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connects Chandni Chowk to Chawri Bazar and the street got its

name because it is comparatively new. Many other minor and

major constructions have taken place over the years and today it

has reached to a point when the streets and alleys of Old Delhi

have obtained a labyrinthine nature. A wealth of history, culinary

culture, social culture and built form to be explored in Old

Delhi, which given the large number of tourists and labyrinth

like organization of streets makes the place a good site for this

app

2.2 Need for Design Old Delhi is a tourist hotspot and each year lakhs of tourists visit

heritage sites such as Red Fort, Jama Masjid, Fatehpuri Masjid, Sis

Ganj Gurudwara, Begam Samrus Palace, etc. Yet detailed

information about the bazaars around these places, their changing

shapes, and the depth that bazaars have to offer is not readily

available to the tourists. The promoted exotic image of the place

through many tourism websites may also create false expectations.

Various physical maps of Old Delhi such as the ones provided by

Delhi tourism or from sites like mapsofindia.com treat the place

like any general area. General meaning that an area like Old Delhi

that is a dynamic entity, has certain meanings attached to it and

serves a vast number of points of interests, is depicted like an

everyday environment. Such physical maps dont serve as an

effective tool for navigating points of interests in such places.

Someone who has not been to that place before does not know how

the place is organized or what to expect from the environment.

Highly detailed maps like Eicher Maps of Delhi and NCR; does

mark points of interests on the physical map but not all of them.

This may change the tourists experience from what they originally

intended. A more personal and technologically advanced form of

maps i.e. GPS maps are also an easily available solution. The use

of GPS maps is on the rise but they too have their limitations. The

streets of Old Delhi are narrow and congested. This makes the GPS

devices available in mobile phones unable to accurately pin point

the users location. The users location is thus in most cases shown

as an approximate value within a 500 meters radius. In a place like

Old Delhi 500 meters of radius means a different bazaar altogether.


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Fig 2. Promoted exotic image of a

century old shop in Old Delhi

known as Jalebi wala. (Source:

Delhi Tourism website)

Fig 3. How the place actually looks

during every-day working hours.


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The information that GPS maps or applications utilizing GPS maps

provide are usually in the form of tagged solid structures which can

lead to missing out on information for the shops that are makeshift.

Also the tagged information is not usually in the form of how

someone would look for it, for example the information tagged in

GPS is in the form of a specific name such as Ghantewala Sweet

shop but, the tourist will rather look for what is served rather than

by what name the place is known.

A high concentration of points of interests has made many people,

usually locals of Delhi, explore the streets and the street food of

Old Delhi on their own. This has led to the creation of a number of

online blogs where people share their experiences about the places

they visit. The accounting of this experience does more justice to

the essence of the bazaar than any other tourism application and

also provides valuable information about the place. The number of

people posting such blogs and their viewers is fairly good, which

shows that there is a high level curiosity among people regarding

Old Delhi and its points of interests. Such online posts do increase

awareness about the more unexplored places but, they cannot be

relied upon for navigating the place.

A high number of tourists that visit Old Delhi are interested in the,

much talked about, food that the place has to offer. This has led to

the creation of a new kind of guided tourism popularly known as

Old Delhi food/bazaar walks. These walks take batches of tourists

through specific pre-defined streets and alleys allowing them to

taste food at certain popular joints spread across Old Delhi. Such

tours can cost up to INR5000 per person and the tourists are

allowed to eat at certain famous food joints. They are also taught a

few recipes to cook. The whole path and stoppages are given to the

tourists beforehand (through the websites); this makes them feel

secure while going for the tour. The paradoxical situation of

tourists that they want to experience something out of the ordinary

yet want to feel safe [Judd and Fainstien, 1999] is met in such a

scenario. While undertaking such walks, tourists experience a

culture that is something extraordinary for them and yet feel safe as

a guide is always present for assistance. Such guided tours in

reality limit the extent to which tourists can engage with their

environment. It may seem like that they let the tourists experience

the culture of Old Delhi but in reality what they do is create an

illusion of that experience and by standardizing the tourism they

end up doing just the opposite and alienate the tourists. This also in

a way strains the relation of tourists and the hosts as none of them


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are in direct contact with each other. Quoting from Judd and

Fainstiens 1999 book The Tourist City about tourism and culture

Watson and Kopachevsky argue that mass tourism, by

standardizing the experience of travelers, destroys individual

thought, choice, and action, I want to say that the best way of

experiencing a bazaar is through exploring it and hunting for

various points of interests on your own. A bazaar unlike a

supermarket allows the shoppers to walk around, bargain/haggle,

and in the end provides a sense of accomplishment. When tourists

are not guided through a standard process of experiencing the

bazaar, only then they can experience the true culture of the

bazaars of Old Delhi and may even form better relations with the

hosts of their points of interests.

The tourists have some expectations from this place and want to

experience the food items that have been publicized all over by the

tourism industry but they face a basic problem of navigating these

points of interests. The issue of navigation of points of interests

may arise due to several reasons, such as:

Unavailability of adequate information

Lack of familiarity with the environment

Reluctance to explore new street and alleys due to the

security risk involved

This issue can be resolved through designing an information

system that would take care of the above mentioned concerns of

the tourists.

2.3 Stakeholders The problem of navigating points of interests only concerns

someone who is an outsider and is new to the area, not a local who

may know the place very well. Thus the key stakeholders or target

audience of the project are only the tourist that visit such a place.

2.4 Goals With the onset of the project the core goal has been to devise a

system that would aid the tourists in their quest to experience the

environment they are visiting. The best way to experience any

environment is through the eyes and minds of the locals. A local

knows where the best outlets are and how to reach them easily. He

knows what routes to take and what to avoid. He also knows what

the specialties of every shop are. While doing all this, a local keeps

creating and updating a mental map [Yi Fu Tuan, 1975] of the


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area. This mental map can be considered as an in-depth knowledge

needed to experience the environment.

Partial mental map of Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi.

Taking food as the guiding factor we decided to create a navigation

system which would allow the tourist to experience the

environment while exploring the sense of taste. The system aims to

replicate the knowledge of a local about the constantly changing

face of the bazaar and utilize it aiding the tourists plan their routes.


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3 Research

3.1 Secondary Research Using secondary research can add texture to a persons work

[Pavel Zemliansky, 2008].

Secondary research for this project started with reading books and

journals on the history of Old Delhi, to better understand its culture.

I started with collecting maps of Old Delhi from 1857 to 2012 and

reading a few articles of Shahjahanabad; to see how Old Delhi

expanded and became the present day Delhi. While studying these

maps and books the syncretic culture of Old Delhi revealed itself in

better ways.

Old Delhi (Shajahanabad) was the capital of India since the 17th

century and it was only in the late 19th century that Delhi as we

know it started to take shape. During those 2 centuries people

believing in different religions and belonging to different cultures

came together and lived in this small section now known as Old

Delhi. The reason for so many people living in this area was

primarily to support the king and the nobles; as a result many

bazaars also came into being in this concentrated space to support

the king and the masses. This concentration of people living

together gave birth to the Old Delhis iconic syncretic culture that

is reflected in the culinary culture of this place today.


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Map of Delhi for the year 1857, 1893 and 1924 respectively. Shahjahanbad became Old Delhi after the year 1911, when along with the British constituency, New

Delhi was also established.


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Tourism map of Delhi, 2013 [Delhi tourism website]. Highlighted

section is Shahjahanabad, now known as Old Delhi.

Detailed view of present day Old Delhi [Eicher Maps, Delhi 2013].


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To understand how this syncretic culture is projected and promoted

tourism websites, tourist reviews and blogs about Old Delhi were

studied and dissected. During this exercise it was revealed that

there are a high number of people taking interest in Old Delhi and

its food. There are a number of blogs that only talk about food in

Old Delhi. Also, many tourism website and tourism planners sell

the exoticness of just Old Delhi as a separate entity from the whole

of Delhi. Despite a high interest and a high revenue generation, the

information available about Old Delhi is still limited. It was during

the secondary research that I came across the term known as Old

Delhi walks, which has been mentioned earlier in this paper, and

the significantly high number tourists availing these despite the

high cost.

Since the project is based on the idea of tapping into the mental

map/cognitive map of the locals, it was suggested to read the

journal Images and Mental Maps written by Yi-Fu Tuan, 1975.

The salient features of the paper are:-

We unconsciously make mental maps of the places we visit

regularly and store them without making any effort.

Memory image is affected by the current stimuli, for

example, a cold air from refrigerator can prompt images of

cold snow-capped mountains that you may have visited.

Mental maps are discrete images such as of shops, street

corners, monuments that can be read in mind and aid the

navigation.

Mental maps are used to give directions to a stranger,

but unless the mental sketch is exactly conveyed to the

stranger he/she is bound to ask for directions again after

some time.

Our migration is primarily goal-directed, and we create

mental images with only the important things we pay

attention to. Our mind fill the rest of the space in the mental

map with arbitrary details and puts it in a level of

abstraction

This journal furthered the belief that one of the most viable ways of

experiencing and negotiating an environment is through the eyes

and minds of the locals.

The next book read was The Tourist City by Dennis R. Judd,

Susan S. Fainstein, 1999. It talks about what the tourists desire

while undertaking the tour of a place.


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Tourists want a dreamscape of visual consumption; certain

places are famous for being famous. Tourist spots are

created with large doses of mythology, folk memory and

popular fantasy.

Tourists often seek immersion in the daily lives of a culture

that is not their own. They expect to experience heritage

and culture that makes up a citys essence.

Paradoxical situation of a tourist place is that the tourists

want to experience something out of the ordinary but they

want to feel safe too. They want excitement and safety at

the same time.

Mass tourism, by standardizing the experience of travelers,

destroys individual thought, choice and action; and creates

a strained social relation between the hosts and guests.

Tourism depends on exoticism to fulfill the desires of the

traveler but exoticism is almost necessarily fake as the

reality of life is same everywhere.

This book provides an insight to the reason behind the high number

of food walks being undertaken by the tourists and why many

people are attracted to places of meaning such as Old Delhi. As a

food for thought the book leaves the reader thinking that instead of

mass tourism the tourists should interact with the hosts of the city

on a one to one basis so as to relate more with their lives and their

culture. A culture which at the core maybe similar to their culture

as well.

During the conceptualization of the product a point was reached

where it became evident that the problem of navigation at the very

core is the problem of Information design. This led to next book

titled Information Design by Robert Jacobson, 2000. According

to the book:-

Information design means communication by words,

pictures, charts, graphs employing whether conventional or

digital means.

Information design brings together design, research and

cognitive science.

Information design closely follows the concept of Form

Follows Function and thus, understanding the function is

the most important aspect of efficient information design.

For example, designing documents for government and

designing a warning label are two very different function

yet both of them are information design problems.


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Understanding how people solve problems provides

designers with the insight required to determine what

information is required and when to make it accessible.

Wayfinding refers to the cognitive and behavioral abilities

associated with purposefully reaching a desired physical

destination.

Wayfinding is a threefold process consisting of

o Decision making and development of a plan o Decision execution, transforming the plan into

behavior at appropriate places.

o Perception and cognition (information processing). Providing the necessary information to make and

execute decisions.

While in the process of making the product I came across a blog

post 3 featuring illustrations and description regarding an

experiment on cognitive maps conducted by Donna Lancos,

Ethnographer at Atkins Library. In the experiment she gave her

students 3 different color markers and they were given 6 minutes to

complete each map, and were asked to map all of the places that

3 Playing with Cognitive Mapping feature on web blog The Anthropologist in the Stacks

they go to/inhabit in some way for their academic work. The

students worked for 2 minutes in each pen color, beginning with

blue, moving to red, and then ending with black. Studying those

cognitive maps it was clear how we interpret the space around us.

The most important places are planted first and then a path

connecting those places is created. Places with less and less

importance are planted hierarchically.

This helped in creating the map for product and deciding how to

make food the guiding factor. Thus, food outlets/flavors are given

the primary importance and are planted first and then the path to

reach them is created.

All this secondary research and reading, along with constant

support and brainstorming sessions with the mentors, helped a

great deal in shaping the product into what it is now.

3.2 Field Visits Field trips were undertaken to put myself in the shoes of the

tourists and locals. This helped to understand how each group

reacts to the same environment. A series of observations and


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interviews were conducted to fully understand how such places are

interpreted and experienced.

Ahmedabad (Teen Darwaza)

Teen Darwaza isnt my actual field of research but the visit was

made for two reasons. Firstly, to perform a comparative study of

Old bazaar that has come up around a place of tourist interest.

Secondly, visiting my research field, Delhi was not possible in the

middle of ongoing semester at my college in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

Before this visit, a trip to Old Delhi had already been made once;

and as a conclusion to that trip the tourism of senses had been

narrowed down to the tourism of sense of taste.

Teen Darwaza was created in 141 A.D. by Sultan Ahmed Shah,

during the creation of the city of Ahmedabad. This adds a meaning

to the area and makes it distinguished from its surroundings. Today

Teen Darwaza is surrounded by Bazaar that has been there for

more than decades now and serves various points of interests

condensed in a small area. Navigating these points of interest can

be a hassle for an outsider as there are no sign posts to distinguish

sections like in a super market and physical maps of the place also

dont show these points of interests.

Observation

The visit to Teen Darwaza was done on a Sunday, during Gujarats

most celebrated festive season i.e. Navratri. This resulted in a huge

number of shoppers (mostly locals) being present at the bazaar.

There were no foreigners but there were tourists from out of

Gujarat.

The local crowd, that has visited the place more than once, was

mostly there to buy specific things. Things such as table cloths,

furniture, jewelry, clothing, shoes, socks, ethnical dresses, etc. are

all available in this bazaar. Among the interviewees were a couple I

shopping specifically table clothes. A group of Gujarati teenage

boys had come to the bazaar to specifically look for tee shirts at a

good bargain.

Non-local crowd on the other hand would usually look at Teen

Darwaza (the place of meaning) first. It doesnt matter how filthy it

looks, due to all the garbage kept there, we would still admire it for

some time. It is an act of taking in the place of meaning of that area.

Then most of the tourists would stroll down the market looking at

things that catch their fancy; things that can be bought as souvenirs.

In cases when the tourist is looking for something specific, they


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would ask the shopkeepers for directions. As an exercise to see

how the exchange of directions happen I asked a shopkeeper where

I could buy Kurtas.

Me: Bhaiya, yahan Kurta kahan milta hai?

To this the shopkeeper replied Wahan Manek Chowk ki taraf mil

jaega (you can find it near Manek Chowk), point in the direction

of the place.

Understanding

Any activity in the bazaar is mostly goal-driven. Goal can

be as specific as buying tee shirts or as vague as strolling

and looking for souvenirs.

Locals usually know their way around the place. They

create a mental map of the place, putting in it the

whereabouts of all the shops. Also abstractly tagging them

with good or bad deals.

Non-locals like to explore bazaars.

While asking for directions a non-local would usually ask a

person he thinks has been around long enough, like a

shopkeeper.

Directions are given with the help of popular landmarks and

suggestive sketches of the location.

Old Delhi

First Visit

The first visit was made to the field when the project was still in a

nascent stage. At this time the thought was to create a system for

tourism of senses. Thus, the major concentration was on tagging

the senses as and when found in all the bazaars of Old Delhi. Old

Delhi, to put it mildly, is a sensory overload. There are things

shouting for attention, and required focusing multiple senses at a

time. In the following paragraphs I have tried to briefly summarize

my observations and findings categorized into different bazaars.

Ajmeri Gate Road The shops here deal in all kinds of metals,

metal works and metal equipment. A lot of shops can be seen

cutting metal sheets with machines that can be heard roaring from

far. Occasional sound of sheets being tossed can be heard and a

few food vendors selling kadi Chawal and Chole Kulche can be

seen along the street.

Chawri Bazaar A few shops here deal in copperware products

such as bells, utensils, statuettes, etc. The place was originally a

copperware market until later when paper and paper product shops

started opening up. Now it is mostly known as a paper market.


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Loud thud of paper bundles being put on carts is heard from time

to time and the shouts of rickshaw and hand-cart pullers to make

way for them can be heard at all times. The street is peppered with

Chole Kulche sellers. There are many shops that in invitation cards,

usually wedding. Many soon to marry women and men can be seen

shopping for their perfect invitation card here.

Nai Sadak - Nai Sadak is known for dealing in books and

stationary items. Walking down the road I encountered people after

every few steps asking me if I want to buy books for competitive

exams. Piles of books on footpath and constant bargain are a

common sight. A few shops deal in sarees, and men asking every

woman to buy sarees can be seen standing outside such shops.

Along with this many Chole Kulche, rabri faluda, kulfi and tikki

sellers can be seen here.

Chandni Chowk The most dominating thing here is the sound of

loudspeakers blaring, warning people to be cautious of

pickpockets. Sounds of prayers from Sis Ganj Gurudwara and

Azaan from Sunheri Masjid can be heard at certain specific times.

Chandni Chowk is famous for its many chaat shops. The

Parathewaali Gali on Chandni Chowk is filled with the smell of

freshly made parathas and sounds of people chattering.

Khari Baoli this place is Asias biggest spice market. Established

in the 17th century itself the bazaar is known for dealing in all kinds

of spices and staple foods. The place is test for the nose; it is filled

with smell of all kinds of spices. I sneezed a few times while

walking down the bazaar. Along with the smell I could hear the

horns and shouts of workers and their vehicles, which were moving

consignments of spices from the bazaar to their other locations.

Matia Mahal This place is known for its delicacies in non-veg

food. As I entered the place the scent of freshly cooked meat and

chicken filled my nostrils. Azan from Jama Masjid can be heard at

5 different times in a day. There are shops dealing in sweet dishes

like phirni, shahi tukde, paneer jalebi, meetha samosa, etc.

The list of bazaars is extensive when it comes to Old Delhi, each

bazaar serving specific kind of goods, each bazaar different from

the other. All these mentioned here are just the scratched surfaces

for what comprise of Old Delhi. Each and every sense is tested and

satisfied to its very end in Old Delhi. Even a single bazaar serves a


21

Both of these shops have been here at parathewaali gali for almost 150 years.


22

huge diversity and overwhelms the senses. After the visit I realized

that creating a solution for tourism of senses might be an

impossible task in the given time frame. Hence, the idea of creating

tourism of senses was modified. From tourism of senses the

thought changed to creating a navigation solution that uses food

[sense of taste] as the governing factor for finding ones way

around the place. The primary reason for choosing food was that it

is the biggest factor after heritage tourism that brings tourists to

Old Delhi,

Second Visit

The second and first visits to the field have a difference of a few

months between them. This visit was undertaken after the end of

semester. By this time the project proposal had been approved.

During this visit the main objective was to scout out different food

items, location of eateries & food vendors and places of interest in

different bazaars.

The first bazaar in line for research/exploration was Ballimaran.

The primary reason for choosing this bazaar was the fact that it was

the address of great poet Mirza Ghalib4 during his final days. The

Mirza Ghalib ki Haveli is still there and manages to attract a few

curious visitors but is usually ignored by the majority of crowd.

The bazaar mainly deals in shoes and spectacles. The entrance to

the bazaar is jam-packed with shoe shops which later give way

shops dealing in spectacles and other eye wear. Along the bazaar

there are some 20 shops dealing in the food business, some of them

sell raw meat, while a few only sell flat breads (Rotis), and others

are regular eateries (dhabas) meant to serve daily wage earners.

The dhabas serve both veg and non-veg food and the menu can

include think like chole bhatture, rajma chawal, chicken curry and

roti, etc. The street is also has vendors who sell eatables such as

chole kulche, kadi chawal, chicken and roti from stalls. These

vendors come to their fixed spots every day during lunch time and

after their product is sold they go back to prepare food to be sold at

dinner. Though the bazaar deals in food/eatables it is not

considered into a food tourism destination as of now.

4 Mirza Asadullah Baig Khan was a classical Urdu and Persian poet from India during British colonial rule. He used his pen-names of Ghalib and Asad. He is considered to be one of the most popular and influential poets of the Urdu language.


23

Situated Next to Ballimaran is the bazaar of Nai Sadak. Nai sadak

was constructed by the British after the revolt of 1857, to connect

Chawri Bazaar and Chandni Chowk. The street is called Nai Sadak

(Nai meaning new in Hindi, and sadak meaning street) because

it is relatively new compared to Old Delhi. The street is known for

its huge market of books and stationaries. The street is always

buzzing with kids who are there to buy books on competitive

exams or course content. The street also sees a lot of tourist traffic

as it the most prominent street connecting Chawri Bazaar to

Chandni Chowk. Along with the shops selling books there are a

few eating joints along the street too. The permanent shops on the

streets deal in eatables such as Chole Bhatture, Bread Pakoda,

Gulab Jamun, Kachori Subzi and Lassi in drinks. The street has

vendors who sell Chole Kulche and Aloo Tikkis from movable

makeshift stalls but are always found at the same place. Next to

these Chole kulche vendors, the street also sees Kulfi and Rabri

Faluda sellers during summers. During winters a few vendors

selling Tikkis change to selling Cheelas at the same place. All these

vendors usually see Indian customers and Foreigners just pass them

by as none of them is that famous.

Chandni Chowk road is the common street that connects Nai Sadak,

Ballimaran and Fatehpuri Masjid and Red Fort. This section of Old

Delhi has some of the famous spots for food tourism. It is also the

landing point of maximum number of people who visit Old Delhi.

The place has some of the most famous shops in Old Delhi like

Natraj Dahi bhalle waale, Kanwarjis, Giani Di hatti, Shri Balaji

Chaat bhandar, Bhishan Swaroop, Ghantewala Halwai, Jalebi wala

and the famous Parathewali Gali. Most of these shops are more

than a century old and have been serving at least one same dish

since then. The shops Ghantewala is probably the oldest and is

around since 1790. The ownership and fame of these shops has

been handed down through the generations and they still do justice

to their fame. Along with these famous and historically rich places

there are also vendors selling Daulat ki Chaat, Bread Pakode,

Chole kulche, ShakarKandi and Kulfi from makeshift stalls all

along the street of Chandni Chowk. Chandni Chowk is also the

address of the famous Bishan Swaroop, the only place in Old Delhi

that sells Kulle Chaat5. The shop is tucked away in the by lanes of

Chandni Chowk but every food enthusiast finds his to this place.

5 Kulle Chaat is a savory mixture of Aloo Chaat served on top of scooped out boiled potatoes, bananas, cucumber, and tomatoes.


24

Ghantewala confectioners were established in 1790 and have been in the business of selling sweets for the last 200 years.


25

These famous shops bring a huge amount of food enthusiast to the

place and are the hot food destinations.

It is not just the food that draws tourists here; the place has its own

share of cultural and architectural heritage. The Bhai Mati Das

Chowk or the place known as fountain chowk among the locals is

the very first stop encountered after exiting the footpath of Chandni

Chowk Metro Station. This fountain is a shrine in the memory of

the three dearest followers of Guru Teg Bahadar, the ninth Sikh

Guru. The followers were brutally murdered on the orders of

Aurangzeb in order to send a warning to Guru Teg Bahadur for

refusing to convert to Islam. Opposite to the fountain is the Sis

Ganj Gurudwara. This Gurudwara is one of the most important

places among the Sikh community. The Gurudwara was made as a

shrine to the ninth Sikh Guru, who was beheaded (Sis meaning

Head) here on the orders of Aurangzeb when he refused to convert

to Islam. The trunk of the banyan tree under which Guru was

martyred and the well where Guru took his daily bath while being

imprisoned can be seen even today. Right Next to Sis Ganj

Guruwara (on the western side) is the Sunheri Masjid. This mosque

has its own history, dating back to the 18th century. The story

related to this place goes, on the morning of 22 March 1739, Nader

Shah mounted his horse and rode from the palace to the Roshan-

od-Dowala mosque (the former name of Sunehri Masjid). As he

arrived there with his men about him, some people threw stones

from balconies and windows around the mosque, and a shot was

fired, killing an officer beside him. He had already made up his

mind, but this final insult may have added fury to Nadirs

frustration. He went to the roof of the mosque and stood by the

golden domes, looking out over the houses, shops and roof of the

Chandni Chowk district. He ordered that no one should be left alive

in any part where any of his soldiers had been killed, and then drew

his sword as a signal that the massacre should begin. The presence

of such historically important sites and famous eateries makes

Chandni Chowk a very highly visited tourist spot of Old Delhi.

The next bazaar in line for visit was Dariba Kalan. Dariba Kalan,

the street of incomparable pearl (Dariba roughly meaning

unparalleled pearl), is Asias largest jewelry market. The street has

been there since the 17th century. It connects Chandni Chowk to

Jama Masjid and was a popular market for precious stones and

gold and silver jewelry during the Mughal rule. The street also has

a sad and brutal history. Dariba Kalan is one of the streets that


26

Left: Sis Ganj Gurudwara at Bhai Mati Das Chowk. Right: shrine of Guru Teg Bhahadurs three beloved followers, the shrine is commonly known as fuwaara (fountain).


27

witnessed the Qatal-E-aam (massacre of Delhi) on 22 March 1739,

on the orders of Nadir Shah.

Most of the shops on this street today trade in silver, gold, kundan,

polki and diamond jewelry. While walking down the street I also

saw many jewelers showcasing shields and trophies. Along with

jewelry there are some shops that deal in itar (a variety of perfume).

The beginning of the street is marked by the famous shop of Jalebi

wala, which has been around for almost 150 years. This shop only

deals in jalebis and samosas and at no point during the day the

shop is seen without customers queuing up to get their hands on

those mouthwatering jalebis. The street doesnt have any fixed

eateries but there are a number of vendors selling eatables from

makeshift stalls. These vendors selling food items like Daulat ki

Chaat, Chole Kulche and Shakarkandi (Sweet Potato); one or two

juice vendors can be seen selling fresh juice from makeshift stalls.

At the end of the street (towards Jama Masjid) is an un-named shop

dealing in samosa, kachori, bread pakode and tikkis.

After Dariba Kalan I went ahead towards Jama Masjid Gate No.1

to visit the famous non-veg bazaar Matia Mahal. Chaotic during

the day, it shows its inner life (and beauty) in the night when it is

time to dine and laugh with friends. The bazaar in its true sense

comes alive after 7pm. At the starting point of the bazaar just

opposite to the gate No.1 of Jama Masjid are a few book shops

selling books of Urdu authors that are not available anywhere else

in the city. At the start of the street there is Kallan Sweets, known

for its meetha samosa, paneer jalebi and phirni. The bazaar boasts

of Karims restaurant, the most famous Mughlai specialty

restaurant in Old Delhi. Adjacent to Karims is Al-Jawahar, the

restaurant that makes Kebabs and curries even better than the

Karims. Both the restaurants are nearly a century old. Right

outside Karims is an Al-Shahi Chicken corner, a small time

restaurant that sells chicken delicacies. Walking down the street

there are a few dhabas that also deal in all sorts of non-veg cuisines.

There are a few vendors selling fen and rusk, the classic Delhi

breads. A few steps down the street are some shops selling

traditionally made sweets such as Shahi Tukde, paneer jalebi,

phirni and badam milk (almond milk) bottles. Though the bazaar

has quite a few restaurants its real capacity is seen at night. At

night many vendors come and line up at the entry of the bazaar and

sell tikkas and kebabs on skewers. There are two vendors right

outside Al-Jwahar that sell beef biryani. In the night along with the


28

food vendors many small makeshift shops also come up. These

shops usually sell T-shirts, pajams, kidswear, etc.

Next bazaar up for exploring was Chawri Bazaar. Contrary to

Matia Mahal which is dominantly a Muslim area and deals in non-

veg food this place is a completely vegetarian bazaar. The bazaar

has Jama Masjid on one end and Hauz Qazi Chowk on the other.

The place is primarily a paper market but has some of the famous

eateries. Among these eateries two names Heera Lal Chaat

Bhandar and Shyam Sweets shine the brightest. Both shops have

been around for decades and have made quite a name for them.

Heera Lal Chaat Bhandar is known for its Aloo Chaat and Fruit

Chaat; while Shyam Sweets is known from its Bedmi Puri. Bedmi

Puri is flat bread made with pulses but the Bedmi Puri at Shyam

Sweets tastes nothing like a simple flat bread. There are other

shops along the street that deal in chole bhatture, bread Pakode,

lassi, kachori and subzi, gulab jamun and papri chaat. Along with

these shops there are vendors on makeshift stalls selling chole

kulche and some selling the savory Gol Gappe (Pani Puri, water

balls, pani kay batashe; they are known by many names). Along the

way there are also a few Tikkiwalas on movable stalls moving

across the length of bazaar and selling tikkis.

After visiting all these bazaars the research was fixed so that the

product can be created on a section of Old Delhi and then

replicated or expanded to include the whole of Old Delhi. During

this exercise Ballimaran was excluded from the final research area

as it was firstly, not a tourist destination and secondly, the other

bazaars cover a wider range of food products than Ballimaran.

After the completion of this visit and field notes I created a

cognitive map of the place from my own memory in-order to

evaluate how locals plant specific information in places they visit

every day.

Hand drawn cognitive map of proposed research section in Old Delhi.


29

Heera Lal Chaat bhandar has been operating out of this tiny settlement for the past 75 years. Although limited the menu is nothing short of a treat for the taste buds.


30

Third Visit

The third visit to Old Delhi was undertaken a couple of weeks after

the previous visit. The objective of this visit was to interview users

to get a clear picture as to how they navigate. Delhi has a

reputation for being unsafe, especially for women, so most tourists

avoid long conversations or any conversation at all with strangers.

Most of the foreigners are already annoyed with people trying to

sell them one thing or the other and they avoid any locals

approaching them. After spending hours roaming on the streets,

observing tourists and numerous turn down by foreign tourists I

managed to talk a few guys visiting Old Delhi. In this group one

was a local of Delhi, living in Laxmi Nagar, East Delhi; which near

to where I live. Of the rest one was from Patna, another from

Lucknow and one from Allahabad. All them were batch mates, all

around 19-20 years of age had come to Old Delhi because they

have heard a lot about it. One of them was particularly keen on

eating at the Karims restaurant he had heard so much about. I

asked the non-locals what would have they done had they not know

any one Delhi. Almost unanimously they replied that they would

have landed at the place, with some background research of must

visit places and must have food and asked around for directions.

The answer seems simple but what is important is that even tech-

savvy kids having internet enabled smartphones still want to ask

the locals for directions.

After a days inability to contact any other tourist I took a few of

my non-local friends to Old Delhi. Hoping they might increase my

chances of talking to a tourist, if we looked like a bunch of tourists

ourselves. But, the tourist (mostly foreigners) turn down any

attempts made to contact them. Reasons such as robbery, con, and

people trying to sell grey market stuff that make foreign tourists

cautious of the locals. So even on the second day of failed attempts

I decided to make a few observations myself. Most tourists stick

with their guides as they can then know about the history of the

place and also feel safe in the environment. Some tourists

undertake the much publicized Old Delhi heritage walks or Old

Delhi rickshaw rides. Both the trips are organized by tourism

companies and they show tourists around in a controlled manner.

The third type of tourists is the one that enter Old Delhi from the

Jama Masjid Gate no. 3 tourist bus parking spot. These tourists are

dropped in front of gate no. 3 of Jama Masjid and given instruction

as to which street to visit. These tourists then go around in small

batches taking photographs of whatever interests them, without

really knowing the history behind anything and neither tasting all


31

the delicious foods they pass by. After their stroll around the fixed

pre-communicated bazaars they return to their original place and

board the buses they came from.

Due to a small sample of tourist interviews I decided to interview a

few friends of mine who have never been to Old Delhi. All of them

were asked the same question If you are going to visit Old Delhi

for food tourism, how you will go about doing it? The question

was meant to be an open for interpretation statement so as to get a

variety of answers. Though the answers waivered a bit but most of

them had almost the same response. Most of them suggested asking

locals for suggestions regarding where to eat and how to get there.

All of them believed the locals have a more in-depth implicit

knowledge of a place and can suggest the best place to enjoy the

food. Almost none of them depended on any kind of app as most of

them believe that current apps show only the places that are either

publicize or are very well known. Apps lack the in-depth

knowledge about a place. Women were a bit more cautious than

men and preferred to do a thorough background research as to what

all is available and approximately where, before going to visit the

place. Also women are skeptical about asking any local in Old

Delhi, due to its recent increase in crime against women, they

would prefer to ask shopkeepers for directions and suggestions

and/or use a map to reconfirm the path.


32

4 Evaluation of available products The first exercise undertaken towards the creation of this product

was to evaluate and understand the current available information

about the field. These sources include everything from print

material to tourism websites, to smartphone apps for tourists.

First up for evaluation were the print materials available for

tourists visiting Delhi or Old Delhi. There arent many available

options when it comes to printed material. The prominent source of

printed material is the Delhi tourism office/website. Delhi tourism

department provides tourist with map of Delhi and somewhat

detailed maps of different sections of Delhi. Ever since the

Commonwealth Games of 2010 Delhi Tourism has also come with

a guide to must see, must visit and must do things in Delhi, The

guide lists important heritage places, famous eating joints and

bazaars for shopping and can be downloaded from their website.

The two printed materials come from the same source but they look

like two completely disconnected pieces of collateral.

The Commonwealth Games guide provides addresses and

suggestive locations of the places but there is no map to aid the

navigation of the tourist. The map on the other hand can aid the

navigation but lack details for locating desired place in Old Delhi.

This leaves the tourist with the task of juggling between the two

pieces of information to find their way around.


33

Pages from Commonwealth Games Guide;

issued by Delhi Tourism. These pages

mention some of the famous eating places

in Old Delhi.


34

Map of Old Delhi 2013, as issued by Delhi Tourism. The map is listed as map of Chandni Chowk, which is only a part of Old Delhi.


35

Another piece of print collateral which was evaluated for

navigating Old Delhi is the Eicher Delhi City map, 2013. Eicher

map is an annually published set of highly detailed street level

maps of the cities in India, packaged in the form of a book for each

city. Since it is in the form of a book, it increases the ease of use.

The tourist can easily flip through to connecting pages instead of

having to manage a cumbersome folded map in crowded places.

The book features many well-known and not-so-well-known shops

and landmarks. Along with that it lists in detail street names,

shopping complexes, hospitals, etc. to aid the tourists in effectively

navigating the space around them. The collateral has potential of

being a one stop solution for navigation but lacks in a few aspects.

As in case of Old Delhi, places like Mc Donalds that came only

during the last decade or so are mentioned but places like Natraj

Dahi Bhalle and Jalebi wala, which have been around for

almost/more than a century fail to feature. This can lead to altering

the way a tourist might interact with his environment, hence

altering the overall tourism experience.

An inherent problem with print material is the fact that they are

static. Any print collateral is dependent on new issues to reflect any

and all changes that might have taken place. In todays age of

connectivity and rapid changes, print collateral are largely at the

mercy of the source for any kind of updates. These updates can

take from a couple of months to a year or more. Also, a bazaar is a

dynamic entity; it changes shape constantly, shops open and close

at different times of the day and at different sell different products

in different seasons. This dynamic nature of the bazaar cannot be

portrayed justly by the ways of a static entity.

Many tourists today refer to various websites to gather information

while planning their trips, which is a long and tiring process.

Information over the internet is scattered and not always readily

available. Some websites promote tour organizers than act as an

information hub; this can create frustration among the tourists.

Official Delhi tourism website provides good amount of

information about Old Delhi, its history and its culture but the

Information on the website is scattered and sometimes confusing.

Delhi Tourism website refers to the whole of Old Delhi as Chandni

Chowk, in its map section, while Chandni Chowk is only a part of

Old Delhi. Old Delhi Shopping and Old Delhi food are two

completely different sections on the website with no inter-linking

between them. This creates a break in the flow of information.


36

Website like Lonely Planet do a good job at educating the tourists

about the history of the place and things they need to know before

planning a trip. They allow tourists to book for guides, hotels,

flights, etc. and inform them about must visit places. An important

part of such websites is the user comments and review sections.

This allows for potential tourists to read other peoples experiences

and learn from the negatives ones, while look forward to

experiencing the positive experience themselves. What these sites

do not do is treat places, like old Delhi, having rich cultural

importance with a different perspective. For the sake of pre-defined

templates and structure these places are treated exactly like any

other place.

Delhi Tourism Website, showing shopping and eating as two different entities

with no inter-linking.


37

Reviews prove helpful for potential tourists in planning their trips.


38

Promotion of Bazaar walks with links leading to other websites

Information provided at lonely Planet website


39

With the advent of smartphones many people today use their hand

held devices for navigation. These smartphones are easily

accessible and always connected; they combine the features of map

and a website in one package. Banking on the increasing trend of

smartphone usage many companies have created applications

specifically for tourism and navigation.

These applications allow users to post reviews and add new

locations to the application. This in turn helps build a community

where people can share experiences and allow for others to shape

their experience. A few applications also provide recommendations,

which further help tourist to experience the environment.

Evaluating these apps a common problem was perceived; all of

them have the one-size-fits-all approach. These applications ask for

specific keywords from the user, such as the type of a food item or

flavor and then show shops around them. This is not how we

usually act while we are on a tour in real life. We like to ask the

other person/local what the authentic food items of the place are

and then make a decision based on that. The rationale for such an

action is that while touring a place we want to experience the

culture of the place we are in and leave behind what we have

grown up it. Same goes for the food, we like to taste what the

locals of a place prefer or suggest rather than what we like and

have been eating all our lives.

A few applications do have a better philosophy than others. For

example; Foodspotting, it is an application that shows food items

with highest recommendations around the tourists current location.

This way it can recommend the tourist with the best food options

recommended by others, without the tourist having to explicitly

look for them. What this lacks is the option for tourist to get

acquainted with the ever changing nature of the bazaars, the food

items are always shown regardless that the shop is open or not. The

essence of the bazaar is in its dynamic nature, which allows for

people to experience something new at every time they visit.

Another application My IndiEye takes care of the experience of

tourists who are visiting heritage sites in India. Though still in its

early stages the application incorporates aspects of cognitive maps

and tourism of senses. The application utilizes audio and visuals to

provide history and trivia about places. Such a practice then in turn

leads to a positive and more immersive experience for the tourist.


40

Location based food suggestions given by FoodSpotting application.


41

Immersive experience of My IndiEye through usage of images, audio and video.


42

After evaluating these applications available in the market two

things became clear. Firstly, places with rich socio-cultural

heritage need to be treated differently than everyday run to the mill

kind of areas. Secondly, while tourists are out exploring a place; it

is advisable to suggest/recommend options and let them choose

from it rather than to ask what they want specifically.


43

5 Product

5.1 Introduction to Product Philosophy On the basis of field research and brainstorming sessions it can be

said that the problems faced while navigating Old Delhi rises due

to lack of information, unreliability on technology, language

barrier, and ineffective knowledge transfer. The problem of

wayfinding is at the core a problem of information design.

Information design necessitates the design principle of Form

Follows Function6. Thus, this product is created with the thought

of first understanding what kind of information is needed and at

what time; and then providing the required information in a

suitable and easily understandable format. The solution also takes

care of the loss of cognitive knowledge that takes places during the

transfer of mental maps. Thus the tourists do not have to ask for

directions at every intersection.

Using a map as a navigation tool has been practiced since centuries,

but in places like Old Delhi (or bazaars to be general) where the

streets are more often than not crowded, using a map can be a

6Form follows function states that the shape of any product should be primarily based upon its intended function or purpose.

nuisance. But if that map is scaled into the size of a mobile phone,

which easily fits the palm of the tourists hand, then that, increases

the usability of the map. Also since the product is a mobile

application, it exploits the fact that almost 50% of the tourists today

are already use smartphone for travel based applications

(TripAdvisor Survey, 2012). This in turn creates a level of

familiarity between the user and the product.

The application does not rely heavily on GPS technology as a

wayfinding solution, this in turn subtly and unconsciously aims to

urge the tourist to interact with the locals. This is achieved by the

fact that while negotiating the place the tourist knows

approximately from where they have started and where the places

of interests are. They are also shown the locations of places that

may or may not be of their direct interests. What they are not

shown is their current location. This creates a chance, rather

opportunity where the tourist might feel a sense of directionless-

ness or being lost.

Being lost in a bazaar is not necessarily a bad thing. It opens us up

to asking directions and exploring the place. While doing so we get

a golden opportunity to explore and experience a culture which is


44

not our own. This experiencing of the completely different culture

is in reality the essence of tourism. While the tourists have the

feeling of being lost they will be tempted to ask a local for

direction. This conversation then might give them an opportunity to

interact with the hosts of the place they are visiting. This will help

in removing alienation of the tourists that standardization of

tourism creates.

While creating the product an iterative approach was taken. This

kind of approach helped in enhancing the product and its usability.

Aspects such as user interface, icons, colors, interaction with the

product, information architecture, etc. were tested for usability

among peers, friends and mentors. The provided user feedback was

then analyzed across the above mentioned aspects and utilized to

improve the product in the next iteration. Thus, essentially the

product is not just the final iteration but all the iterations and

processes that led to the final iteration are also a part of the product.

5.2 Iteration 1

5.2.1 Application Flow/Information Architecture While making the first iteration the intent was to create a product

that would solve all the problems the tourists have to face. The

flow is a mixture of decision that a tourist would make on the field,

and how the application will respond to it.


45


46

5.2.2 Paper Prototype

Paper prototyping is a quick method of penning down ideas on

sheets of paper and then using those designs as a low fidelity

prototype to see how the final product will function. For this

purpose, I printed mobile stencils and drew all the screens on them

individually; in the process giving shape to my thoughts and also

testing it for usability. In my personal experience from working on

mobile application design, I believe paper prototyping helps in

fixing design elements, information flow flaws and human-product

interaction at an early stage. Any problems faced while

using/testing the product can be easily and effectively corrected

with just an eraser and a pencil. This in turn speeds up the process

of graphic design and with minimal adjustments. During this phase

the testing of product was done by me.

In the following paragraphs, I have tried to explain the

functionality of each screen that I drew. I have also tried to provide

the rationale for all the design elements and the flow of information

through these paper sketches.

The application is supposed to be a complete offline, stand-alone

solution. Thus, in order to personalize the experience, the

application asks the tourist to provide his/her current location. The

current location is picked from the options provided. The options

are made based on the observation that there are only a limited

ways to enter the field. These points of entry can be used to then

center the location of the tourist (approximately) and provide

suggestions for all the eating places around him/her. The icons are

intended to communicate the location without having the need to


47

read the text. To ease navigation text is used as a support to the

icons.

After the tourist provides his/her location, the application then

suggests eateries around him/her. Here the tourist can perform

functions like filter, sort, add new place or view information about

any eatery.

The tourist can filter the suggestions based on criteria such as

location (only a specific bazaar), cuisines, rating, budget, etc.


48

The tourist can also choose to view an eatery on the map and the

path to reach that place from his/her provided current location.

Along the route major landmarks are marked on the map. The

tourist can then tap on these landmarks and read history and trivia

about these places. Any related media is also available for the

tourist to view. This will result in educating the tourists about the

place and creating a more immersive experience.


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5.2.3 Graphic Design

Based on the sketches created during the paper prototype activity

few screen designs were created for the application, to fix elements

like color and icon family. The base color that was chosen for the

app was Red. The reason for choosing the color was that

according to color psychology red provokes appetite and is

considered to be closely related to food


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5.2.5 Code

Since I am not familiar with coding for native mobile applications;

my first instinct was to look for tools that would help generate the

code while I place the design elements on screen. After researching

a few tools like Proto.io, Webflow, Foundation, Jetstrap, etc. It was

decided to go ahead with Proto.io. The tool allows to create

application in HTML5, using pre-defined components that can be

dropped on the canvas and then configured. The final output

HTML5 files can easily be packaged and run on any modern day

device. This also takes out the need to code the application in the

native language of each device.


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Application screenshots


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5.2.6 Usability Test

This iteration was like the stepping stone for the next to come.

Since it was the first iteration, many things were bound to go

wrong; and they did. Starting from the beginning, the application

flow was way too complex. While I tried to segregate and define

each and every decision, I forgot that is not how we usually think.

My mentor pointed out that there are only two required decision

flows. First, when the user wants to reach a specific destination.

Second, when the tourist wants to see and experience what the

place has to offer.

The chosen red color for the application was intended to be

appetizing but the current tone of red made more towards alarming

red, hence defeating the purpose. The icons used made the

application look very neat, but they also made it look very generic.

The aspects of Old Delhi were nowhere to be seen; this worked

against the philosophy of the application to provide an immersive

experience.

Asking the tourist his/her location, seemed like a good idea at

that time, also worked against the application. A person who is new

to the place may or may not know his exact entry point.

Furthermore, the fact that application doesnt know where the

person is can induce frustration and insecurity; especially when the

field is a crowded bazaar.

5.3 Iteration 2 After the list of changes suggested for first iteration, I started

working on improving everything from scratch. Rethinking the

entire product idea, the product was divided into two parts. The

basic idea now was to create compact information dispensing units

would be setup at areas of meaning such as Red Fort, Jama Masjid,

Metro Stations, etc. These units will provide tourists with

pamphlets and detailed road maps of Old Delhi, for a certain fee.

The maps will be configured in terms of points of interest (food

joints) and landmarks. The pamphlets will have general

information about Old Delhi, the bazaars, points of interests

offered and trivia about such places. These information dispensing

units will help the tourists to plan out their route of the walled city

based on their own preferences of point of interests.

Using this analogy to create a digital solution, it was ideated to

create kiosks that would be put at various places in Old Delhi,

preferably places of meaning and high footfalls. The kiosks are


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essentially information distribution units. They would allow the

tourists, who have the application installed on their devices, to

connect their respective devices with the kiosk. The kiosk will

function like a token dispensing machine, commonly used in the

subways, and will allow tourists to insert cash and in return will

install the map of selected region(s) on their device for a certain

time. The kiosk will suggest probable areas to visit based on what

kind of food the tourist wants to taste.

Suggestive sketch of the kiosk interface.


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5.3.1 Application Flow/Information Architecture

Software Functionalities Application Functionalities Payment Options Show places on map

Area categorization and

description.

Show places in list

Sync application on device Filter list

Provide multiple options to

connect device for syncing

Tap on places to provide details

about specialty of that place

Connect to web service Provide trivia about a place

Add new place

Review a place

Show directions


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5.3.2 Logo

The logo is made to justify the name of the product CityTrot.

The name of the product came from two things. Trot which mean

to move around leisurely. In a bazaar people tend to take their time

and enjoy walking around the place while looking at thing to buy.

The product aims at expanding itself to include the whole city and

just be a dedicated product for Old Delhi.

To reflect these two thoughts the logo is designed to look like a

navigation path going through a city. The colors of the navigation

path and elements of the city were intended to reflect the ground

and earth. Making the logo circular gave it a feeling of moving

around the whole planet, which improved aesthetics of the logo.

The font used is Zurich Ex BT, for its leading and the character of

the alphabets.

Ideation sketches for the logo

5.3.3 Graphic Design

The product was designed with the intent to reflect the colors of

Old Delhi and give the tourists an experience of the place they are

visiting. The color palette of the application and software were

chosen to reflect the color of spices, one of the most important

ingredients in Indian food.


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5.3.3.1 Software Screens [Kiosk]

The launch screen on the kiosk

would show the tourists their

location marked with a red dot.

Here the tourist can see the

different sections of the field.

They can tap on any section to

know about it. They can also

look for types of food and let

that selection govern the area

they will be visiting.


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The tourists can food item(s)

that interest them.


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Based on the type of food

selected the software will

suggest probable areas to visit.

These areas serve the food

options selected. The tourist

can select any of the

highlighted area to see more

information about it.


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The software will display

description about the area

(usually history). Along with

history the software will

display the importance of the

area and the list of famous

places in that area. The

software will also display the

easiest way to get to the area.


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After the tourists have selected

the area they want to visit; they

can select the number of hours

that they want the map to be

installed. The software will

install the map on their device

after suitable payment is made.


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5.3.3.2 Application Screens [Mobile App]

After installing the map on the phone when the tourist will launch

the application, he/she is shown a map of the area selected on the

kiosk. The map has landmarks and shops marked on it. Landmarks

are marked with suggestive icons and shops are marked with icons

depicting the kind of food items they serve.


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The tourist can then read information about eateries. The general

information includes popular foods served, trivia, working hours,

photos and reviews about the eatery.

The tourist can also tap on landmark icons to read history and trivia

about the place. Along with that information photos of the


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landmark are also given so that the tourist can locate the place with

visual aid.

5.3.3.3 Icons

The icons were created with a thought to reflect a miniaturized

version of the things they represent. In order to achieve that first

the objects such as landmarks and food items were simplified to

basic number of lines. Then, they were given shadows and

highlights to make them look like small plastic toys.

Mosque

Church


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Gurudwara

Fountain Chowk (officially known as, Bhai Mati Das Chowk)

Marker for shops serving only drinkable items

Marker for shops serving sweets

5.3.4 Code

For this iteration there were two entities to be coded

Software for kiosk, and

Application for devices.

I started with coding the kiosk software first. Since the software

resembles much like a website and has somewhat similar

functionalities, I decided to code it using HTML. I have had some

training in HTML and have worked with it during my working

years. I also had the opportunity to improve upon those skills

during the website design course taught to us in our second

semester.

Languages used -

HTML

jQuery


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Colorbox API, for generating the functionalities of lightbox.

5.3.5 Usability Test

While testing this iteration for usability, my mentors pointed out

that the biggest hindrance with it was the dividing of product into

two parts. To be precise, it was the setting up of kiosk that was

the biggest problem. Setting up kiosks all across Old Delhi meant

creation of suitable infrastructure to support these kiosks, and the

creation costs of kiosks themselves. All this meant major funding

and leasing space around the place. This would have taken the final

product astray and deceived the purpose.

Since the diving of product into two parts was not the right step,

this in turn affected the information architecture of the whole

product.

Including all the food items directly on one screen (on kiosk) is

also counter intuitive to how tourists interact in the real world.

They (tourists) dont straight up look for specific food items, rather

they first ask for flavors/categories and then narrow down their

choices.

The icons designed for the product also fa

CityTrot

Documents

project brief

final project citytrot

old delhi student

helpful support

constructive feedback

helpful advice

contents feedback sheet

nitish sharma student