Micro-Components of Functional Quality in the Trade Centers Aiming to Improve Social Interactions

The internal architecture of the trade centers and the promoting their environmental quality, as an important factor affecting the behavior of customers, impose significant contribution to market as well as individuals’ desires to stay longer in the space.  Considering the completeness of sustainable place model theory in the form of three criteria of functional, experimental-aesthetic, and environmental qualities, the present study aims to examine functional quality in trade centers. Considering the history of trade centers in Iran, including traditional markets and on the other hand, paying a close attention to successful instances of present trade centers in different parts of the world with having economic role and providing places for the formation of social interactions, the main question of the study is “What are the solutions for interior designing of trade centers in terms of functional quality in traditional markets and successful business centers, in order to establish effective social relationships?” Therefore, the purpose of the present study is to introduce the criteria and micro-components of functional quality (user, behavior setting quality, domain, and security) in order to promote social interactions and explain interior design solutions in the trade centers. The method is descriptive-analytic, and the concepts are extracted by content analysis and coding of data collected by MAXQDA12 software. Following that, from the solutions based on micro-components of functional quality, a survey of design experts was conducted in the form of a questionnaire and the results were analyzed by SPSS software. Finally, from evaluated design solutions, the user’s prediction of user’s micro-components, the space available to sit, wait, and watch related to the quality of the behavior setting, as well as determination of the scope of special uses by flooring and security with the highest priority, were extracted.