A Conversational Platform for Market Complexes

Market complexes are vibrant, diverse, bustling, and chaotic areas that are frequented by a large population daily. A city’s culture, history and values are communicated through the market environment and its community. These spaces should be carefully planned, managed with sustainable infrastructure and be adaptable to change to make interactions between individuals smooth and enjoyable, most of which they currently lack. Jayanagar 4th Block is a long-standing market complex in Bengaluru that holds immense potential for a research study delving into flourishing in chaotic markets. Challenges arise in the absence of: a clear signage system, directions to small shops that cannot be found on maps, updates on empty parking spots and language translation. Other major market complexes in Bengaluru where these issues prevail are Commercial Street, Chickpet and KR Market. Through examining the market complex and understanding a plethora of perspectives, the lack of signage was identified as the focused challenge. To resolve this issue, the creation of an interactive platform that focuses on digital wayfinding signage and personalisation was proposed. Access to the platform for the users is triggered by stepping or walking on pressure-sensitive tiles placed on the market floor. The digital platform is equipped with a detailed, integrated map, a chatbot and a voicebot for higher accessibility that have been designed with the aid of the principles governed by Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and with the basic understanding of Natural Language Processing (NLP). This paper seeks to encourage individuals to thrive in the market’s chaos, strive to explore and celebrate its cultural elements. This paper also challenges conventional navigation systems and paves a path for innovation in digital wayfinding signage.