ABSTRACT
Street markets are essential public spaces in Indian cities with bustling shopping activity. The appearance of street markets may be chaotic, crowded, and unattractive, yet they are preferred shopping destinations for many people. It is often interesting to find out if people really enjoy shopping activity in the street markets or if it is merely a necessity? And what aspects of street market design influence the overall shopping experience in Indian cities? Thus, this study intended to assess the factors affecting user experience in urban street markets. A thorough literature review was conducted, and relevant design aspects of street markets were identified under six categories: spatial arrangement, Accessibility and Inclusion, Infrastructure, Sociability, thermal comfort, legibility, and Imageability. A self-administered semi-structured questionnaire survey was conducted in Hampankatta street market of Mangalore city, India. The survey results show that street markets are primarily places for necessary activities and users visit street markets because of the availability of a wide range of products, specific services, cheap products, friendliness of shopkeepers, and easy transportation. The study shows that the overall satisfaction of shopping in street markets is less than average, indicating that users are not satisfied with the shopping experience.
