2018 . Apoorv Tomar

Directional Speakers: High intensity sound focused into small areas in the community space would let customers hear the stories simultaneously.

The interactive wall amplifies the brand promise of Jana Small Finance Bank, captured in the statement ‘Likho Apni Kahani’, or ‘Write Your Destiny’.

Installation of multiple displays on the wall would allow customers to interact, choose and play desired stories from them. Customers would also be able to like or save these stories into their mobile phones by docking them to a mobile pod placed in front of the wall.

Unique and unnoticed stories of daily-life hero’s identified across the whole country are recorded and showcased in different languages at the customer story wall.

Upon docking the companion phone, the interface contextualises experience and showcases stories gathered from around the country.

The wall provides an opportunity to see how Jana Bank can be a real agent of transformation, through the lives of people who have made their dreams a reality.

Meeting the community

The community chowk is usually circumferenced by its members. To reflect the presence of existing members of Jana, the same community space is enclosed by another wall that showcases unique stories of people who have met their dreams and aspirations by being part of the Jana community.

4. Customer Story Wall

After multiple iterations on the tree design, we made a few prototypes with different varieties of cane that enabled us to then work on the interactions.

Having witnessed the organisation grow from a seed to a tree, visitors gather around the tree and are encouraged to plant their own aspirations in the form of seeds, digitally using their companion app.

By doing this, almost a ritual, they show an act of commitment towards the community of Jana where they belong.

Manifested into a vision of providing holistic set of financial services to its customers, the tree bears its fruits that can be seen and experienced on the other side of the Jana Chowk.

Current state of Janalakshmi organisation is manifested into a tree
— The Jana Tree, standing at the fulcrum of community space.

Tree sculpture

Central dias

Pots

Mobile docking stations

LED lamps

Customers gather in groups, talk about their experiences under the resemblance of a tree. Tree being the symbol of growth and union, around which several digital and physical activities are arranged.

Tree as a central element of chowk

What typically leads to a community place like chowk, are narrow lanes and packed streets that suddenly open up in a public space.

3. Jana Chowk

To reflect Janalakshmi’s journey of growth from inception to its current state, we used growth of tree as a metaphor.

Various milestones in Jana’s growth story became different stages of a tree’s growth, from an idea as a seedling to a plant and eventually to a full grown tree, illustrating how Jana grew up as an organisation.

2. Jana Timeline

Installation prototype images.
The structure was built out of metal frame on top of which flexi ply was used to get the curvature.

Smooth white finished partition extended to the floor for projection mapping. The passage was dimly lit and a set of projectors were suspended from the ceiling.

Some of the illustrations from storyboard created for the animation.

The experience narrative reveals itself as visitors walk in a dimly lit narrow passage along the wall. The animation divided into 5 chapters is projected on the wall and creates comfortable breaks in between.

Visitors are allowed to choose their desirable phones that show different colours and seeds. They are then effortlessly registered into the system by 3 easy steps, that includes a selfie!

We asked ourselves, in an environment so different from what they’re used to, what would make the Emerging Middle Class (EMC) less intimidated?

— Visitor’s were on-boarded and welcomed by the Jana Nayak, a trusted and familiar face.

1. Onboarding

Customers build their own unique experiences by sharing and collecting stories throughout the journey with their companion phones that act as a medium to engage and help them traverse through space, facilitate customisations and trigger installations.

The mobile application lets visitors identify themselves with what Janalakshmi is creating.

Language Preference

Customer journey could also be customised according to important national vernacular languages that makes it less intimidating for people.

Assigned Colour Code

Individual customers can be categorised in different groups based on important parameters like customer segment, age group, profession etc.

Unique Virtual Seed

Unique seed could reflect every individual’s unique aspiration that lets them identify with themselves.

0. Companion App

The community space creates a sense of comfort and brings familiarity to the existing customer base of Janalakshmi by letting them identify themselves with what the organisation aspires to achieve.

Communities sprout around the chowk. A chowk is always distinguished by a central imposing element - a tree, a sculpture, statue or a monument.

What brings communities together?

Community Zone

“A fulcrum to the community where people gather together”

Space

Experience

Community

JANA CHOWK
(Community Zone)

Onboarding

Companion App

Jana Timeline

Jana Chowk

Customer Story Wall

VR Simulation Studio

Interactive Dome

Interconnection Wall

Memorabilia

Off-boarding

THE NEW JANA (Experience Zone)

CIRCULATION

One of the design direction evolved organically into a playful and cohesive experience — a fluid space that reflected constant change.

Design development

Community

Experience

Transition

Community

Experience

Circulation

Spiral passage that converges into a central element & diverges out to an experience space

Unique lines, identified by a colour, as a means to build connections between people & places

Jana’s story, we thought could be manifested in two distinct directions, ones that reflects the idea in two different forms and production of spaces.

Two design directions

Brief — Imagine your customers come across with this box on a retail shelf, shrink-wrapped and ready for sale. What would be the most compelling features or benefits that you would want to highlight on the box? What message would you wish to convey to your customers?

We organised a playful session with our stakeholders to capture their point of views and ideas for the experience. This would help us understand their expectations and would also give us a chance to come up with possible ideas and directions as a team.

Game-storming with stakeholders

Participants were divided in groups of 3-4 and were given some tools along with an empty white box, to express themselves.

Traditional in caring,
Modern in Innovation

A place that enables multiple connections

Experience the connection, rather than being told

Focus on individual growth through digital as a medium

Key characteristics of the Experience

Rather than allowing customers to be a passive observer, we wanted to tell the story through first person narrative.

How do we build an experience that best communicates this story?

Jana’s transition story, from planting a seed of a small NGO to a full grown tree depicting a financial institution

Jana
Small Finance Bank

Sanghamithra
Urban Programme

Progress and prosperity to everyone —
by realising ones dreams and aspirations.

Connection that already exists…

Field visits to Jana community centers and homes of the community brought us close to the people.
We had insightful conversations with Jana Nayaks (Jana employees) and saw the way everything worked.

To solve problems of the urban poor, its important to understand their interests and establish a background. We learned what separates Janalaksmi Bank from rest of the clutter is the deep rootedness into the community and its sincerity in working for people. We absorbed ourselves in the community they work with.

Conversations with the audience

Our objective was to represent Janalakshmi as a bank that works with cutting edge technology and believes in digital is a way of life. To make its customers feel at ease with digital as a medium, evoke a sense of pride and awe at their association with Jana, we set out to create a unique blend of cultural and digital experiences using space as a medium.

Design brief

Janalakshmi Financial Services Ltd. is a Non Banking Financial Company (NBFC) catering to the under-banked population in urban areas of India. It was to be reborn as Janalakshmi Small Finance Bank with a purpose to provide financial services with a holistic approach to the rural, semi-urban and urban unbanked sector.

As their digital experience partner, we were engaged to conceptualise and build an experience which establishes Janalakshmi as an institution that is committed to progress, and prosperity of India and swears by digital financial inclusion, as a way to achieve it. As a creative lead in the project, I had the opportunity to lead and work with a diverse team of designers, architects and developers.

2015 — 2016

Janalakshmi Financial Services Ltd.

Interactive Spaces, Experience Design

Bangalore

Connect Zone —
A space that enables multiple connections