From idea to go-live in 5 days: VBZ photo navigation

At the end of March, VBZ (Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich) approached us with a specific request: since March 10, the ZVV-Contact customer center has been relocated to Shopville, on the side of the Landesmuseum (tracks 41/42, 43/44, Link).

An information map showing the new location has been posted at the previous location near the entrance to tracks 31/32, but anyone familiar with Zurich Central Station knows that finding your way around Shopville is not always easy. Customers often get lost on their way to the new customer center.

VBZ asked us on behalf of ZVV how this route could be improved with a simple digital wayfinding solution – so that passengers could find their way more easily between the old and new locations.

We quickly rejected the original idea of AR navigation due to the urgency of the situation. Instead, we developed photo navigation as an alternative.

Since map views are difficult to understand in the multi-story main station, photo-based directions offer a much more intuitive solution.

Within five days, we worked closely together to build a prototype, improved and expanded it based on feedback, and tailored the UI design to the ZVV look and feel.

We implemented the photo navigation as a web app based on Angular and the lean CMS Hygraph.

In Hygraph, VBZ can capture and edit the content (photos and text) of the app itself. A total of five days passed between the initial inquiry and go-live. This is an achievement we are very proud of and one that was only possible thanks to the great commitment of the team and the flexible cooperation with VBZ.

This agile project made it into our blog because we want to show that the use of digital solutions does not have to be complicated, time-consuming, or expensive.

Do you also have a problem in your company that we can solve with digital tools? We would be happy to provide you with a needs-based and efficient solution. Get in touch with us – we look forward to exciting new projects!