What is Kota Doria by Anuj Gadre

What is Kota Doria

Anuj Vijay Gadre S0901103 Studio 3 Document

Studio

Document

What is Kota Doria Guide Immanuel Suresh

Anuj Vijay Gadre S0901103 PG Graphic Design 2009

This documents is prepared by Anuj Vijay Gadre, as a part of his Studio Project #3 Set in Kepler Std Published at:

Acknowledgement I thank, Immanuel Suresh, my guide. Rupesh Vyas, co-ordinator Graphic Design. Vandana Grag, for her Craft Doc Mr. Abdul Kayyum Mr. Nissar Ansari Mr. Saddiq Mr. Shabbir Hussain Mr. Ramzaan Mr. Mohammed Ali Mr. Fariyaad Bhai and Mrs. Mahrunissa from Kaithoon. Jyoti Mann, for all that matters. Shweta Agarwal Khushboo Agarwal Shweta More and Nimisha Kale for their textile knowledge. Mira Sai Akash Akshan Vallery Friends and Family

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have always felt that one always owes something to the place to where he or she belongs. Knowing that where you come from is a small and humble place you cherish anything which is special about your place. My hometown and my birthplace, Kota, is a city in state of Rajasthan.â&#x20AC;?

Introduction

Kota is located along eastern bank of the Chambal River in the southern part of Rajasthan. It is the third largest city of Rajasthan after Jaipur and Jodhpur. It covers an area of 12,436 `WWWÂ˛ (3.63 per cent of the Rajasthan State).[2] It has an average elevation of 271 metres (889 ft). The district is bound on the north and north west by Sawai Madhopur, Tonk and Bundi districts. The Chambal River separates these districts from Kota district, forming the natural boundary. Kota is the home of Kota stone, sand stone, Kota Sarees, kachori, and coaching classes.

Kota falls under the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Hadotiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; region of Rajasthan. It is famous for the Kota stone, the mouth-watering cuisine, especially Dal Kachori and the Kota Doria saree. Since my childhood, I have been observing and learning about these things. I take pride in these cultural elements and being a designer I feel that I can do my part of giving back to the place I belong. In current scenario Kota Stone needs no introduction, it being one of the most used stones in the construction industry in India. The fabric that is institutionalised in the city is what people should know more about apart from just its name.

After earlier visits to Kaithoon, a place near Kota, where the handloom industry of Kota Doria Sarees is based, I had some initial concepts to talk about. I could identify various areas where design intervention was possible. My Initial findings were: In Kaithoon, around 1500 weaver family’s carried out the age old Pit loom method of making Kota Doria handloom sarees. The materials they used were cotton, silk and zari. The nomenclature and materials and equipment used had a basic connection to the place and environment of the place. There were various types of Kota saree fabric. These interventions could be ◆◆ Awareness about the product ◆◆ Awareness about the process ◆◆ Awareness related to culture of the place ◆◆ Knowing the character of the place ◆◆ Visual patterns in Fabric ◆◆ Form ◆◆ That property of the product which identifies it

So my first idea was to create a Social Enterprise that would help the weavers to reach a larger consumer market. Another idea was to give them a specialized output method, for example a Government body that looks after the material and production cost and provides the weavers with design and marketing assistance. Something like this is already in practice for Gujarat handicrafts called Garvi Gurjari.

Also, since I was also always fascinated by the fabric and its material, there was an interest in knowing about it more. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s when I thought of a tool for understanding the process behind the fabric and what gives it, its character.

Proposal Context

Objective

Initial research and findings have led me to a conclusion that the whole state of this handloom craft is in a bad shape. There are many problems such as the state of the weavers, the fiscal differences between the earnings of the weavers and the retailers, absence of awareness about the intricacies of the whole process of manufacture of these sarees.

To use new media to create an interactive and informative approach to make people understand the process of the manufacturing of Kota Doria handloom.

These issues can be addressed in several ways. • One way could be promoting the fabric which is the material itself. • Another could be to address and highlight the problems of the. • The promotion of the fabric would also lead to the promotion of the place itself, so there can be some connections made between the product and its role in tourism. • The process of making the fabric is a native and meticulous one and is an opportunity in itself. From this project I intend to make people aware about the process and problems but with a different approach. I would like to take it to a different level and use electronic media as the medium.

Target The principle target users for this project would be textile and craft enthusiasts who are interested in the process rather than the product itself. The secondary users would be general people using the tool for reference purposes. Scope ◆◆ Site visits and documentation. ◆◆ Understand the process of manufacture of Kota Doria fabric. ◆◆ Finalize the audience and understand the requirement by a user study. ◆◆ Understanding the medium: Electronic media. ◆◆ Understand the principles of user interaction and experience. ◆◆ Develop architecture and visual treatment for a electronic medium based tool.

Anuj Vijay Gadre

Date:

Guide

Site Visit Documentation of the process Analysis

Understanding the medium Study of Grids Design Conceptualization (Story Boarding) User interface and architecture

anuj.g@nid.edu

User study Initial Concept Development

PG Graphic Design 09

Visual Language Prototyping

10 Weeks

S0901103

Student

Final Prototyping

Documentation.

Anuj Vijay Gadre

anuj.g@nid.edu

Guide: Immanuel Suresh

An interactive informative tool on Manufacturing Process of Kota Doria Handloom Sarees in New Media

PG Graphic Design 09

S0901103

I have always felt that one always owes something to the place to where he or she belongs. Knowing that where you come from is a small and humble place you cherish anything which is special about your place. My hometown and my birthplace, Kota, is a city in state of Rajasthan. Kota falls under the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Hadotiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; region of Rajasthan. It is famous for the Kota stone, the mouth-watering cuisine, especially Dal Kachori and the Kota Doria saree. . Since my childhood, I have been observing and learning about these things. I take pride in these cultural elements and being a designer I feel that I can do my part of giving back to the place I belong. In current scenario Kota Stone needs no introduction, it being one of the most used stones in the construction industry in India. The fabric that is institutionalised in the city is what people should know more about apart from just its name.

Introduction

Studio

The designs are so made they give a weightless feel. The weaving, spinning and dyeing are done by skilled artisans. Basically, white is the basic colour and later they are dyed in different vibrant hues. The weaving of

The fabric is transparent and yet cottonsilk weave. The silk provides the required transparency while the cotton provides the necessary strength. The absence of uniformity in the weave forms the graph-like pattern. These fabrics are woven in a way that the graph-like pattern formed from the different thicknesses of fibre is prominently visible. These checked patterns within the weave are known as ‘Khat’. Other elaborate patterns are also used for weaving these sarees. They are mostly worn during the summer months to get relief from the extreme summer heat.

Kota Sarees were also known as Masuria Malmal, as they originated from Mysore. Rao Kishore Singh, the then Mughal Army General brought these weavers to Kota from Mysore. The weavers were brought in the late 17th and early 18th centuries after which the sarees came to be known as ‘Kota-Masuria’. Kota sarees are popularly known as Kota Doria outside the state and ‘Masuria’ in Kota. The word ‘Doria’ means thread.

Kota Doria

Anuj Vijay Gadre

anuj.g@nid.edu

Kota Doria was initially used as a ‘Pagri’ (traditional headgear) ) and saree and now as womens’ suits and dress materials. The weaving activity supports almost 2500 families. Though the Kota Doria has come a long way from being used as Pagris to sarees to dress materials, it is a dying art and the protection of such fine art is the need of the hour.

doria requires special skill and knowledge of aesthetics and colour combination. Kota Sarees are sold with matching blouse pieces and are available in 3 different types- Plain, Printed and Zari. In Plain Kota sarees the checks are formed either by coarse cotton or golden threads. Printed Kota generally has white or off white background with Sanganeri patterns. Traditionally these sarees are either with single motifs or jalis. And the last one is Zari Kota where the borders are embellished with sequence and zari work.

PG Graphic Design 09

S0901103

From this project I intend to make people aware about the process and problems but with a different approach. I would like to take it to a different level and use electronic media as the medium.

To use new media to create an interactive and informative approach to make people understand the process of the manufacturing of Kota Doria handloom.

• Site visits and documentation. • Understand the process of manufacture of Kota Doria fabric. • Finalize the audience and understand the requirement by a user study. • Understanding the medium: Electronic media. • Understand the principles of user interaction and experience. • Develop architecture and visual treatment for a electronic medium based tool.

Scope

The principle target users for this project would be textile and craft enthusiasts who are interested in the process rather than the product itself. The secondary users would be general people using the tool for reference purposes.

Target

Objective

Context

Kaithoon, is a small town based around 20 kms. from Kota, which gave the fabric its name.

Kaithoon For the purpose of site visit, I went to Kaithoon and met local people, weavers, dyers and traders. The weavers are generally families who have been doing this art from generations. These days only older people and women folk are seen doing this work. The new generations is slowly picking it up from their peers. Kaithoon, is a small town based around 20 kms. from Kota, which gave the fabric its name. Kaithoon is a town with a dominant population of Muslims who are all mostly weavers. The other occupation followed by the people are carpentry and lak jewellery. There are around 1500 odd weaver families. The system consists of weavers and master weavers. Master weavers provide material to the weavers and carry out weaving themselves too.

Process of Kota Doria Preparation of Yarn Cotton as well as silk is obtained from the traders of Kaithoon, Kota and other parts of the country in the form of hanks (‘lachhis’). These require further processing before being put on the loom for weaving. The processes involved are: Pirn Winding Pirn winding is the process of transferring the yarns from the hanks into spools of the shuttles used in the weft while weaving. Pirn winding is also done for zari thread / silk thread used for value addition during the weaving process. Pirn winding is achieved by using a small swift consisting of a rotary wheel attached to a harness of conveyor belt giving a similar rotary motion to the spool mounted at the other end. Rotation of the wheel by hands results in the rotation of the spool and thereby the thread is wound on small spindles.

continuously crisscrossed set of two yarns may be obtained for the weaving process. (The crisscrossing later on helps in finding out the broken yarn on the loom during the course of weaving.) These wooden pegs are placed below a thick rope tied to a pair of iron pegs on each end and it is the length of the rope that determines the length of the warp being prepared. Presently this length is 30 yards, keeping in mind that at a time 5 saris of 6 yards each are woven on a loom. Thus, keeping a margin for wastage etc. the warp length is predetermined and yarns are wound around the two iron pegs, dug into the ground fully stretching the rope. At least two persons are required for the entire process. While one person has to twist the yarns with a help of a heald, which has the yarns passing through it, the other person has to hold the stand consisting of the spools of the yarns. So one-person keeps on holding the stand of yarns, both of them take turns round the pegs to achieve the desired number of yarns in a warp.

Warping Warping is done for preparing the yarns to be used in the warp. The warping method used in Kaithoon is known as ‘peg warping’, since wooden pegs are used in the process. These wooden pegs, locally known as ‘pinjras’, are placed along the whole length of the yarn so that a

Usually the activity is done in the open spaces or by-lanes near the house of the weaver, either by the non-weaving family members or by other hired persons, usually old-aged women of the village. The number of rounds to be taken between the two ends of the rope is based on the

number of ‘‘khats’ desired in the sari. Since each ‘khat’ is made of 8 cotton and 6 silk yarns in it, the number of rotations around the stands is determined by the capacity of the heald being used. Hence an original Kota Doria sari of 300 ‘‘khats’ has 2400 cotton and 1800 silk yarns in the warp.

Dyeing

Sizing

Dyeing of the silk and cotton yarn is done by dyers. For certain colors, such as Red, Foam Green etc. mill dyed yarn is also purchased, which is quite rare owing to the high costs of such yarns. Direct dyes owing to their easy use and good retention on silk as well as cotton, are used by the dyers. Dyeing is done of the readied warp as well as the hanks for the weft. The process of dyeing involves the washing of the hanks/warps, then dipping them in a warm bath of dye, fixing of the dye and thereafter further washing and final drying.

Sizing is mainly done for imparting the yarn enough strength, surface glaze and stiffness so that it can withstand the beating of the reed during the weaving process and also maintain the stiffness necessary for even weaving and a proper look of the sari once the weaving is complete. This is important since no further ironing/polishing of the sari is done in the cluster.

The present dyeing rates are Rs. 60 for one ‘paan’ (i.e. 30 yards of warp and yarn hanks for the weft for 5 saris). The rate is slightly increased for two colours in the same ‘paan’ or for dyeing the yarns in different colours for warp and weft for a “Rangoli” variety of saris. The fascinating spectrum of coolers is the result of rich experience of the traditional dyers and vermiculate mixing of dyes which caters to the diverge demand of the market. Considering the growing environmental consciousness, eco-friendly and Azo-free Direct dyes of vat dyes are used these days. In order to meet the contemporary demand, the dyers are also using vegetable dyes to colour the yarn.

Sizing is done only for cotton yarn and is generally done by using thin paste of rice (‘maandi’). Some weavers also use the juice of a special variety of onions. Sizing is done by the laborers available for this purpose in the village. The process involves painstakingly brushing of the yarns stretched along a stand, using the sizing paste and special brushes for this activity. These brushes are made up of a particular type of coniferous leaves brought to Kaithoon by the brush-makers from Kashmir, coming to the village every year for preparing/ repairing the brushes. Drafting: The process of passing the warp yarn through the heald of the loom as per the design to be woven is known as drafting. This helps in the further process of weaving when locating a broken yarn becomes

easy due to the heald and also helps in the designing processes. Denting Skilled craftsmen fill the reed, a comb like structure, locally known as ‘raanch’, with the yarns on their own or through the men adept at this skill. The reed is made of a special variety of bamboos found only near Benaras. Piecing Since the process of denting is quite laborious and time-consuming, it’s usually done either on a new loom or in case if the design is changed. Otherwise, just new yarns are added to the left over yarns in the reed to continue weaving. This process of joining the warp yarns, with the help of the thumb and the index finger, using some ash in the process, is known as piecing. Design Setting The setting up of design on the ‘jala’ of the loom is also a specialized activity and so is that of making of the graphs for the designs. The use of dobby of up to 16 plates and jacquards of up to 100 hooks are also being used in Kaithoon, the total number of dobbys being about 25-30 while about 50 odd jacquards are in operation. Dobby is

mainly used for ground motifs and in some instances for the pallu also. On the other hand, jacquard is being used for making exquisite borders of the saris. The method of using small spindles, locally known as ‘tillis’ for making the motif on the ground/ pallu/border of the sari makes the designing process quite lengthy but at the same time provides such a fine effect, which is not noticed in any other handloom sari easily. The Weaving Weaving of Kota Doria involves a simple pit loom that can be erected by the local carpenters of the villages and the technique of weaving is quite traditional, i. e. the throw shuttle technique wherein no gadgets are used for the to and fro motion of the shuttles along the width of the fabric. This provides a lot of flexibility to the weaver in controlling the design and also the beating of the reed to achieve the ‘khat’ pattern.

Tools and Equipments

Buhari: Broom made with wild grass for applying starch on warp.

Bedia: This is a brush with Khas bristles, used for brushing the warp after application of size.

Nali: 3â&#x20AC;? long banboo part. This pin is soaked in kerosene oil and the edges are burnt in ordder to make it smoother

Tangi; This is a thin, tapered bamboo stick, 5â&#x20AC;? long with a slit,. This is used for drowing warp ends through heald shafts.

Kadia: This is a creed used for making warp with a capacity of 50 bobbins.

Kamadi: Bamboo sticks as lease rods

Hatta: Warping peddle with 25 eyes

Bore: These are bamboo sticks used in a bunch of four during the preparation of warp for putting lease. Usually 36 bunches are taken for a warp length of 30 mts.

Parts of Loom

Belan: Roller used for tying heald shafts.

Hadli: The part of loom that is used to beat the weft on warp.

Kuta and Rule: part of heald shaft, fixed to ground.

Pani or Gota: A bamboo reed, in which the dents meant for selvedge are placed differently than the dents for body ends.

Dhada: Beat shaped shuttle made of buffalo horn. Holds the weft yarn.

Sat or Wajan: Sand bag for weight.

Thapa: Supporter for the warp.

Kota Doria Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s airy, translucent, and made from cotton and silk; ideal for hot and humid weather, this gossamer-like fabric, known as kota doria, has been recognized as the fabric of the future by fashion designer and former model Bibi Russell. Kota doriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s weaving tradition goes back to the southern state of Mysore and then moved to Rajasthan, where a Mughal army general and his son Rao Ram Singh aided weavers to migrate to the area during the late seventeenth and very early part of the eighteenth century. Initially called kota masurias, there were later renamed kota doria as the weaving practice became more entrenched in the Kota district of southeast Rajasthan, primarily in Kaithoon, which is located approximately fifteen kilometers away from Kota. Over time, two types of weave emerged--a cotton weave for the general population, and the second, the more ornate kota doria, which was primarily worn by local nobility and wealthier urban dwellers. Unique to kota doria is the special type of check pattern in the weave called khat, which emerges from the different gauge compositions and thickness between silk and cotton yarns. This type of weave makes the fabric appear translucent, and is considered a distinctive feature--one that has merited a GI registration under the

Geographical Registration act 1999. This distinction was accorded in 2005 based upon this unique character in the exclusive geographical region of Kota.

Delicate, Elegant, Translucent, Airy, Light, Bright Colours, Khat, Perfect Squares, 8 warps and wefts of cotton, 6 of silk, 9 small gaps, net like yet strong.

Target Audience Why should someone know about Kota Doria? The weavers of Kaithoon belong to the Muslim Ansari community. Making doria is a skilled and very labour intensive process and the whole family is involved. Weaving empowers women and give them status in the community. They have a way of supporting themselves and their families which is skilled and dignified and in which they can combine household jobs with income generation. As the power loom kota doria saris from Varanasi, Kolkatta and China take over the market for simple cotton saris and dupattas, the hand loom industry is trying to reposition itself at the top end of the market by designing and weaving gorgeous tissue wedding saris, heavy with gold zari . The market for these saris is largely in South India centred at Hyderabad. These intricate saris take a month to weave and each one is a unique work of art that can be treasured for generations as the real zari will not tarnish. Hand weaving, in any form, is time consuming and expensive but kota doria is a unique highly skilled craft that has developed over centuries. For the Ansari women weavers of Kaithoon, weaving is a way of life that is empowering and rewarding and they request you to support

their efforts to keep this ancient craft viable and vibrant. To bring out these lesser known trivia about the fabric which is so closely associated to the lives of these people, it is necessary that people who are consuming these products or are potential consumers, should know it. It will help them to understand the time and amount of work gone through it and that would make them respect the craftsmenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s craft. To trigger any social change, its also necessary to make people aware of the subject.

Who would want to know about it?

Who will benefit out of it?

There are many buyers of this information. But the high point lies with two communities. ◆◆ Textile Designers, students etc who are need to be in touch with the following requirements. ◆◆ Investors and buyers who see a business possibility in the fabric.

To make it a non-consumerist medium and to create a medium which just passes down the necessary information for awareness, this tool, can be taken up as initiative by organizations of the likes of Kota Heritage Society. Kota Heritage society runs numerous heritage conservation projects. The Kota Heritage Society is trying to support the weavers and especially the Kota Women Weavers Organization (KWWO) which is a 155 strong co-operative of women who weave this fabric in their homes.

Possibilities in Medium Publication

Physical Models

To pass the information there are possibilities in the print medium, like the existing ones, of a coffee table book, a documentation, or a story book that can deliver in numerous ways.

This can be in the form of exhibits, working models of the loom and equipment etc.

Pros and Cons

A publication can be a most detailed description of any process. Also since this is about a fabric, the very fact that publication is a tactile medium, makes it easier to perceive colour and texture, in real.

Apart from being the most elaborate description, there is a lot of difficulty in getting people to come and see the exhibit. Also it might be useful from an educational point of view, but commercially not viable.

What this medium cannot do is to provide a cheap alternative, minus the tactility of the medium. Also in many urban areas, library culture is seen dyeing amongst people.

Mobile Environment

Website

With revolution in the mobile and tablet industry, ignoring the possibility of this medium is unthinkable. This medium works with apps ad programs that run on various existing mobile operating systems with the option of touch friendly interface.

Website as a medium is difficult to ignore. The possibilities in this medium are endless these days and the reach is tremendous. Even to areas where there can be no sustained libraryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a website can reach through any means of local or mobile computing.

Pros and Cons

When we dabble in virtual medium, mobile environment is considerably a smaller medium, with a smaller size also. Also the whole model works on app development and download,which makes it important to ask, why will someone download an app that tells them about the process of Kota Doria fabric, unless and until they are getting something out of it.

Website as medium sounds the most promising because the fact that it has the maximum reach possible. With boon in electronic media and computing, there is a lot of development in design of website that in turn gives us chance to build more interactive, user friendly and crisp websites that are both viable to use and sell.

Web as a Medium Reach of the Internet The reach of the internet is growing by the day. After having taken over the lives of the western world, the internet is now advancing towards the oriental world. The computer and internet are making inroads into even unheard of territories. The internet is the shortest swiftest means of communication and information gathering in today’s world. When the whole world is focused on the net, having a net presence is of utmost importance. A website can be divided into pieces in a lot of different ways. You can divide up the process of development into stages, or you can look at the individual parts. What makes a website work is the interaction between components that are separated in space and, possibly, time. Some of the pieces are more theoretical, such as the layout and the navigation structure. The framework is hidden and all see are components on top.

Here are some of the components that hold a website together: ◆◆ Front End Elements. People often describe the website as having a front end and back end. In this analogy, front end is what you see, back end is what you don’t. Simple enough, except that you can’t really see the navigation structure, not all at once. But it’s a place to start. Good front-end components include the following: The Navigation Structure This is not the same as the site-map, though that might represent it. The navigation structure is the order of the pages, the collection of what links to what. Usually it is held together by at least one navigation menu. The Page Layout This is the way things appear on the page. Is the navigation menu on the top or along the side? Are there images above the text area? Tables? Good layout is as important as any other element of design. Bad layout makes a website look crowded and slapdash. Good layout allows the eye to find what it seeks easily. Logo A good website has a unifying graphic around which it is built. The graphic

represents your company, your organization. It often sets up the colour scheme and the style elements used throughout. The logo ties the website to everything else your company does, though the printed materials, signs, whatever. Images Photos, graphics, navigation bars, lines and flourishes, animations can all be placed on a website to bring it to life. Or, in some cases, bury it. Contents Few websites exist just to be looked at. The internet began as a method of sharing information. As it evolved into the World Wide Web, it became rich in all kind of media. But it still exists primarily to communicate. Well written internet-ready text is a special kind of text. Usually the information is broken into readable chunks. It is formatted to be easily scanned, and it is often optimized for search engines as well as human eyes. Graphic Design Many of the elements described, such as the logo, the navigation menus, the layout, images, etc., fall under the general category of graphic design. But graphic design is more than the sum of these parts. It is the overall look and feel the website will have as a result of proper use and integration of all

these elements. A website with bad graphic design is usually obvious to everyone except the person who put it together. But doing graphic design well takes a special combination of talent, skill, and education. â&#x2014;&#x2020;â&#x2014;&#x2020; Back End Elements. Some websites are entirely static. They are the same every time you visit. You never give them information, there are no polls, bulletin boards, or referral forms. If you want to find something on the website, there is no search box, you just look around until you find it. But such sites are growing more rare as the internet becomes an ever greater part of peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lives. Modern sites are searchable. They offer new images on each visit. They allow the user to request more information, or to post their own thoughts. Many can be updated directly from a simple panel or word-processing program. A lot of websites are data driven, meaning that web pages are actually created on the fly, in response to the specific needs of the user. All of these functional elements are called backend elements. In some cases there are many different ways to do the same thing. So the line between elements is often blurry.

Web Interactivity Interactivity is a giant leap from the traditional form of web user interfaces seen earlier. Adding interactivity to a web site attracts user attention and tends to brings them to the website again. They add a good amount of visual interest and attract users to visit your site again and again. The main idea of a website is to convey a message effectively. Today, to meet people’s expectations it is most important that you have a website which is interactive and provide maximum information to the user at its fingertips. Such interaction on a website can be classified in two categories: ◆◆ Single User Interaction ◆◆ Multi-User Interaction Single user interaction is about engaging users by displaying the content in a way which would attract users to spend more time on a website. An example of single user interaction is creating a product portfolio or photography website with 3D Flip book or image sideshow which would allow the user to flip through the pages or images easily and smoothly. You can also present your navigation, photographs, text in way that user are driven to browse through content. Multi user interaction is about allowing site visitors to interact with each other in various forms. Most common examples of

multi user interaction found today are in the form of forums, blogs, polls, discussions, sharing presentations, chat site, images and links etc.

What is Web Interactivity?

How does one achieve website interactivity?

A simple example can illustrate this point. Picture this: 2 shopping stores are right next to each other. However, one attracts more customers than the other although both have the same goods. This is only because of one reason. The one shop that attracts more customers uses the concept of interaction with people. This is in terms of consumer suggestions, attractive offers, contests and displays. The whole scenario draws people as the overall environment makes a customer feel more comfortable.

There are many elements that can be focused upon to achieve web interactivity that attracts users. The main subject of the website should be taken into consideration. This can give a clue as to the kind of interaction to be used. For example, a product website will have various categories on display. The range should be presented in an interactive manner rather than plain rows of products. A 3Dimensional Flip Book can be used to its advantage to showcase a range of products with the relevant information. A user gets engaged whilst flipping through the book.

In terms of web design, the concept can work in the same manner. The trick lies in a subtle use of web interactions to attract users and cause them to engage on a page. Here, we can take another example. A radio button or hyperlinks are elements of a web interface. Contrast these with a 3Dimensional Cube or a 3Dimensional Flip Book, both being examples of interactivity. They are complete experiences of doing stuff that engages users with web pages whilst the user is going through the information displayed on the website. This is what makes these examples stand out. The use of interactivities woven very creatively with website content makes them successful in capturing user-attention.

The creation of these website interactivities requires time to be spent on technical details. However, in the recent times, designers can create these interactivities within minutes without any programming with rapid interactivity software that is available in the market.

WHAT IS KOTA DORIA Site Goals:

User Experience:

The main objective of this website is to enable a user to know the process, specialities and all know about the Kota Doria Fabric.

The intended audience for such a purpose would be all those who are interested in textiles, and using web as a medium would make it easier for global audience also. Its also intended to help organizations like the Kota Heritage Society or the Kota Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Weaver Association to promote the fabric.

At the helm of all these, lies the interactivity of the tool which is to be explored in a way where the user is taken through the process, which in turn explains the tediousness of the process.

Keeping the user at the elm of it is a must. As a designer, I intend to deliver what is supposed to be required by the user.

Information Architecture

IA is the art and science of organizing information so that it is findable, manageable and useful. There is also a perspective from enterprise architecture that views information architecture as an enterprise wide activity that includes such aspects as data architecture, metadata management and knowledge management (Stiglich, 2007).

Treating Content as Objects Treating content as object involves classifying the content in terms of function purpose or structure. Then the content is put according to the prominence. What people expect out of content is the relevant information included, relation of the content to the same or different type and the way it can be classified.

Number of Choices

Progressive Disclosure

With more number of choices there is a possibility that the user might get lost and carried away from the main and actual content.

To make information more interesting it has to gradually reveal, as requested by the user and should be a means for accessing additional information.

http://teriyakiexperience.com/ Website shows the restaurant in question with information to be selected from an animated scene.

Exemplars

Multiple Front Doors

When putting information in categories Category names don’t necessarily speak for themselves. Instead providing an example of what appears in the category can help users triangulate its content

Users don’t always start their experience on the home page. From a UI perspective, the challenge here is to make the inside pages navigationally useful without obscuring the content. Structures must be flexible enough such that they don’t depend on a single starting point and user has multiple starting point to access the content.

http://www.moma.org/interactives/projects/2001/whatisaprint/print.html Website shows in an interactive way the various processes of printing used by artists.

Growth

Navigation by Function

Structures must accommodate new content and new concepts in case there is a possibility of any additional information to be made available. Navigation mechanisms that allow for an expanding middle interface elements.

Navigation mechanisms should be defined by what they do, not where they are.

http://www.dhp-architecten.be/eng/index.html A architecture office website showcasing their work.

www.newsmap.jp Website which shows news from 15 different countries and sorts them according to type, time and importance in a visual manner.

http://smartgc.com.ar/english.php A graphic design office website Showcasing their work in a single page layout.

Site Map Concepts HOME

History

Speciality

Warping

Characteristics

Structure

Material

Manufacturing Process

Tools and Equipment

Sizing

Dyeing

Process

Here is the navigation site map of how a person would be able to navigate in and out of the website. The concept is to keep multiple entry points at many levels.

Loom

Piecing

Design Setting

Weaving

Motifs

Visual Language The following components are to be looked upon to create the framework for a new website. Since the content is ready the first step is to create a wire frame of the website which includes the site map and what page exactly shows what. Then comes the graphical aspects like screen size, colour, texture, typography, navigation, interactivity etc.

WIRE FRAME

Colour Selection

Texture

The colours used for the website are to be inspired from the finished product itself. Kota sarees are found in various tints of red, blue, pink, green, yellow etc. Also there is a lot of translucency in the product which is tried to be brought in the interface.

The website has been given a similar texture to the fabric with the same weaving pattern and translucency appearing in the interface.

Type Selection

Screen Size

The typography of this website should be clear and transparent, hence a neutral sans serif font which has the clarity required in both body and display texts is selected.

Most computer these days are above 1024x768 resolution. And then, there are widescreen computers and laptops also. Hence to give the website a uniform look a width standard of 1000 px is selected.

Selected typeface: Aller

Landing Page

Instead of using numbers or any other elements to show the loading process the very characteristic Khat is used. The Khat would appear thread by thread and complete the form at 100 percent. The browser then loads the Home Page.

Home

The Home page consists of the logo, the social sharing icons and the contact us link. The central element is a slideshow of images of the fabric in use, and right besides is the terms that are associated with the fabric. Below are the buttons that would lead to the three main sections of the website. The logo on top act as the home button.

About page

The About page consists of images from the community and details on the location, history and community.

Process Page

The process page is the most crucial part where levels of interactivity happens. As the page appears, it consists of icons pertaining to each stage of the process. A thread which is hanging at the left end of the page has to be taken and put on the first stage. Then the window with details on that stage and tools used would appear.

To reach to the next stage, there are two ways. Either the user can close this pop up and take the thread to the next stage or can directly click on the next button on the pop up to go to the next stage. After all the stages are finished. The user can see a Finished saree coming out of the last stage icon.

Speciality page

The Speciality page is similar to the About page but it has details on the characteristics of the fabric that separated it from others. From here the user can revert back to the home page or any other page, with an option of sharing this website on Facebook or twitter.

References ◆◆ Garrett, Jesse James. The elements of user experience: user-centered design for the web. New York: American Institute of Graphic Arts ;, 2003. ◆◆ Knight, Carolyn, and Jessica Glaser. Diagrams: innovative solutions for graphic designers. Mies, Switzerland: RotoVision, 2009. ◆◆ Krug, Steve. Don’t make me think!: a common sense approach to Web usability. 2nd ed. Berkeley, Calif: New Riders Pub., 2006. ◆◆ Lima, Manuel. Visual complexity: mapping patterns of information. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2011.

◆◆ Smashing Magazine: http://www.smashingmagazine.com/ ◆◆ The Grid System: http://www.thegridsystem.org/ ◆◆ Webdesigner Depot: http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/ ◆◆ Kota Women Weaver’s Organisation: http://www.kotadoria.co.in/ ◆◆ Kota Doria Pvt. Ltd.: http://www.kotadoria.com

◆◆ Craft Documentation of Kota Doria Fabric by Vandana Garg, 1992, NID ◆◆ A contemporary approach to Kota Doria sarees by Asha Reddy, NID