Finding the Design Direction!

Hey everybody!

As you all know, I visited chandni chowk and had a bit of an adventure. I explored the food culture and in that process, treated my taste buds to a whole lot of delicious street food.

I visited one particular vendor who was selling mutter (peas) kulcha (micro-area). I noticed many problem area about this ‘thela’. To begin with, the thela wasn’t covered from the top. The simple fact that it doesn’t have a makeshift roof means that many sediments/dust particles can fall onto the food and contaminate it. The other perturbing thing I noticed was how the stall was located in a shady lane with minimal sunlight and dirt all around. The thela also used steel utensils which are later washed in (most probably) contaminated water. Among these factors I also noticed how small the size of the thela was and how the ingredients were not kept separately. All this is part of my problem area for the design brief.

I used this thela as a model for my current module and so I proposed many design solutions for the hygiene and publicity problems that might help the business. For starters, a makeshift roof should be installed along with wire meshes that allow air to enter but at the same time keep unwanted sediments away from the food. The next thing I propose (in terms of hygiene) is that the steel utensils be replaced and disposable plates+cutlery be used. The length and width of the thela should also be increased so as to accommodate compartments that should be used to demarcate the various ingredients.

I noticed how the thela was facing a lack of customers. The reason I believe is two fold. First, the thela was located in a very isolated location that was far from the main market and the second reason is that the thela had no method to propagate their brand name. The solutions to this also, I believe is threefold. Firstly, I suggest that the thela be shifted to a well lit and highly visited area of chandni chowk so that people can see it. The second solution I propose is that flyers be designed and distributed. The third solution is that the thela should be painted so as to make it look more approachable. 

Thank you for reading. Bye .