Designing an augmented reality app like “pastZurich”

This is exactly the situation we encountered at the start of our latest augmented reality app “pastZurich”. With our help, the City of Zurich’s Department of Urban Development wanted to make a very special part of Zurich’s history visible. What not even all Zurich residents know is that there are remains of a pile-dwelling settlement under Sechseläutenplatz in the middle of the city center.

The aim of the “pastZurich” project was therefore to make this millennia-old settlement accessible to the public again. The main problem is that Sechseläutenplatz is constantly “taken over” by market stalls, festivals and other activities.

It quickly became clear to us that the solution to this challenge should be found with the help of augmented reality. A mobile app should ensure that every visitor can access and explore their own pile dwelling settlement on Sechseläutenplatz. The museum for your pocket, so to speak. However, we were entering new technological and conceptual territory.

To ensure that the end user has the best possible experience right from the start, we teamed up with SparkWorks. Our friends at SparkWorks are specialists in building bridges from innovative ideas to intelligent and profitable implementation in practice. Which made them the ideal partner for the pastZurich project.

In an interview with the Bitforge blog, Daniel Perschy, Business Consultant and Project Manager at SparkWorks, answered our questions and told us what to look out for when designing such an innovative project:

Daniel, what was your starting point for the “pastZurich” project?

The City of Zurich team decided to use augmented reality (AR) to bring the pile dwellings on Sechseläutenplatz closer to the people of Zurich and visitors. On the one hand, this is already a concrete solution for the goal of making the historic site more accessible. On the other hand, AR is also a technology that offers endless possibilities. Our team had already developed their own ideas and concepts before the project – but always on an individual level. The aim of the project was to coordinate the team internally and develop a common vision, always guided by the needs of future users.

What were the biggest hurdles at the beginning?

We had the opportunity to gather the needs of the users in exploratory discussions. To do this, we traveled to historic locations in the city to talk to visitors and locals. We wanted to understand exactly how we could use the technology to create lasting positive experiences and an exciting event. The biggest challenge was to understand the needs of very diverse target groups such as tourists, residents, teachers and to identify commonalities and priorities across groups. At the same time, we had to communicate this information to the project team so that they could make empathetic decisions in the interests of the users. Frameworks from design thinking such as personas, Venn diagrams and user stories helped us with this.

The topic of augmented reality is still relatively new. How did you ensure that the entire project team had the same understanding of the technology?

We involved the Bitforge team directly in the concept workshop. They used examples to illustrate the possibilities and limitations of the technology in a clear and understandable way. This inspired the project team but at the same time defined the scope of possibilities.

How did you deal with the fact that it wasn’t 100% clear until the very end how the project could be implemented technically?

First and foremost, we have deliberately not immediately considered the technical implementation. It narrows the solution space and creates barriers to thinking. Especially at the beginning, when it comes to finding the ideal solution, you want to avoid this. Especially because it often turns out later that the technology itself is rarely the limiting factor. Bitforge later helped to evaluate the technical feasibility of the individual solutions. But only at a time when the best ideas had already been generated from the user’s point of view.

What did you focus on when designing the app?

When developing solutions, we relied on the findings of user research – i.e. discussions with users. Ideas were developed strictly from the perspective of residents, tourists and teachers. It was also important for us to involve all internal stakeholders in the process to ensure a common understanding for the implementation of the app.

What are the biggest stumbling blocks in such an innovative project that could jeopardize the project?

In my opinion, the biggest risks are decision fatigue, misunderstandings on the part of users and the complexity of scheduling. Especially at the beginning, it is important to make clear decisions and set priorities. People often try to do everything, which ultimately impairs the quality of the solution. Understanding users is not easy; it takes a lot of expertise and communication to ensure that concerns have been properly understood.

It was also a challenge that numerous departments of the city administration were involved in this project – archaeologists, heritage conservationists, communications and additional external service providers. Everyone had a small piece of responsibility for the overall success of the project. It is important that deadlines are coordinated and that the work packages interlock like cogwheels.

How did you avoid these stumbling blocks?

We took great care to make clear decisions together. The decision-making process was transparent for everyone, which ensured understanding and clarity. Ideas were specifically prioritized and discarded. To ensure that we understood users correctly, we repeatedly incorporated their voices into the process and tested our decisions. We did this with quick and cost-effective prototypes. They serve as a communication object and help to clear up discrepancies. The rough time planning was also carried out collectively to create an awareness of mutual responsibility within the team.

In your opinion, what is the best way to pick up new AR users so that the application is well understood?

It is best to focus on solutions that users are familiar with from their everyday lives. Most people have already been to a museum or learned historical information from information boards. If you ignore the technology and make an effort to understand past experiences through analog stories, there are hardly any communication problems. It is our job to adapt technology to people and not the other way around.

What causes users the most trouble?

In our experience, users have little difficulty with the application itself. Even people over the age of 75 were open to the technology in the survey. The biggest barrier is the availability of the technology and becoming aware of the solution in the first place. At the same time, it is perceived as difficult to hold the device at eye level over a longer period of time.

What is your favorite aspect of the project? What are you most proud of?

What I like best is that we have managed to include realistic historical scenes. That was also one of the biggest concerns – across all user groups. People have told us that they were able to interact with the objects during their most memorable experiences. Museum visits with tactile experiences are particularly memorable. We were also able to take these experiences into account in pastZurich. Indigenous people tell their stories and you feel like you are sitting next to them by the fire 7,000 years in the past.

The “pastZurich” app is available for both iOS and Android and can be downloaded free of charge. Download now:

pastZurich for iOS

pastZurich for Android