Handiva is an application designed to bridge the gap between handicraft artisans and customers looking for custom-made commissions. The app creates a direct connection between artisans and buyers, eliminating the need for middlemen and ensuring fair opportunities for skilled craftsmen. Handiva operates by clustering artisans based on their specific skills, specialties, and requirements, making it easier for customers to find the right artisan for their needs.
The app has two interfaces: one for artisans and one for customers. Artisans can download the app on their smartphones and create a profile by answering a set of questions that help categorize them based on their skills, location, and working preferences. These questions include whether they create custom artifacts, mass-produce items, their turnaround time, and their area of expertise, such as jewelry, artwork, metalwork, pottery, woodwork, or textiles. Based on their responses, artisans are grouped into clusters with others who share similar skills and working conditions.
From a customer’s perspective, searching for a product is straightforward. They can input their requirements, such as a Madhubani painting of a certain size, within a specific budget and timeline. When a request is made, all artisans within the relevant cluster receive a push notification, allowing them to accept the commission. Once an artisan accepts, the work is considered commissioned, and all other notifications retract. If multiple artisans accept the request simultaneously, the customer gets to choose who to proceed with. This ensures fair competition and gives artisans a direct line to potential buyers.
To encourage quality and engagement, artisans receive stars for successful commissions, making it easier for future customers to identify skilled and reliable craftsmen. Customers are also rewarded with points for using the app. Handiva is not just about connecting people; it aims to promote artisans by highlighting trends, recognizing exceptional work, and bringing attention to dying crafts and traditions.
Currently, Handiva exists as a prototype with two python GUI interfaces, one for artisans and one for customers. In the future, the app could be deployed and expand to include AI-generated design references for artisans, a feature to locate artisans nearby, and a dedicated section to showcase trending handicrafts. The goal is to create a scalable platform that empowers artisans, preserves cultural craftsmanship, and provides customers with a seamless way to commission unique handmade products.