The project was a collaborative effort of a team consisting designers, researchers, engineers and architects.
Space in the context of a medium, with the objective of bringing participation, convey a story and a belief, and to bring a sense of community association, was designed for the experience. Events in each space are juxtaposed with another medium — digital, to create an interactive environment that resonates the idea .
VR Testing
We built a prototype studio to test and validate our ideas on HTC vive.
VR Simulation Studio:
Drawings and details of the tree, from sketches, working drawings to building a prototype.
Initial ideas for the Jana Chowk Tree.
Prototype iterations in the cane and bamboo workshop.
Jana Chowk:
Building the Tree
Jana tree served as a central installation in the space. Design had to be equipped with streaks of indirect light and sensors that are accessible in the structure.
Working drawings for Jana Timeline wall.
Projection mapping and testing on curved surfaces.
Projection Testing
Jana Timeline:
Lighting & Speakers
Soundtube Directional Speakers
Suspended Lighting Fixture
Ceiling and lighting plan.
Material-board that is earthy, indigenous simple and modest.
Floor plan & details.
Flooring & Materials
Mood-board & material-board helped us visualise the overall look and feel of the experience and set the basic framework for creating a visual style and start building for execution.
Color ‘white’ accented by earthy flooring and use of cane, created a scope for a bold, unconventional visual style.
Mood of the space
We conceptualised an ambience that catered to the Emerging Middle Class audience. We adopted an approach of modern yet traditional nature, one that evokes a certain comfort and familiarity towards the environment for our visitor’s.
new . dynamic . intricate . warm
Space Design
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
Experience
Transition
Experience
Circulation
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.
Traditional in caring, modern in innovation
2015 — 2016
Janalakshmi Financial Services Ltd.
Interactive Spaces, Experience Design
Bangalore
Connect Zone —
A space that enables multiple connections
About
APOORV TOMAR
Work
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