Zurich main station becomes a laboratory

by Lina Giusto

At first, there was a bet. It reads as follows: "By April 2019, Zurich Central Station will become the most digital and personalized station in the world." SBB 2017 was born with Digitalswitzerland. The multinational and interprofessional association has more than 100 members. Together, they all aim to strengthen Switzerland's position as a digital hotspot.

SBB, together with Creaholic, Aroma and Swisscom Kickbox, yesterday launched a mini-laboratory as part of "My smart station Zurich HB". The sandbox is located in the center of Zurich's main train station, which runs daily to 400,000 people. "This sandbox is a prototype itself, and we are currently testing whether the digital prototype tests on this site are really attractive," said Philipp Leimgruber, CFF project manager, in front of the media.

Put it to the test of acid

Until Sunday, start-ups and well-established companies can present their digital ideas to passers-by and have them tested. For example, the new Swisscom Naminha platform presents its idea of ​​how chefs can be connected to hosts. This means that the hosts determine the time, place, number of guests and the menu. The chefs then take care of everything, cook, serve and clean again. "The prototypes have to be put to the test by the end customer," said Leimgruber.

Everything works according to the motto "Love it, change it, leave it" ("like it, change it, let it stay that way"). After the Sandbox project, customer feedback will be incorporated into the further development of digital products. In this way, entrepreneurs will find out if their idea is going in the right direction ("love it"), how it can be improved ("change it") or if the idea can be improved ("let it" ). "We are trying to make scanning visible and tangible," said Leimgruber.

Simple and fun

In addition to Swisscom, the Zürcher Kantonalbank also carries out tests. In their case, a digital solution allows customers to buy or give virtual voucher cards via e-banking or via a smartphone. SBB questions passers-by to obtain their opinion on the functions of the vault of the future. In addition to well-known companies, various start-ups also present their prototypes.
A total of 23 ideas from 13 companies are currently being tested at Zurich's main train station. For companies to be able to present their ideas, they had to fulfill two basic factors, as Leimgruber explained: "It can not be a Ph.D." Projects must ask real questions to their potential end customers. idea must cover a wide need. "

For the moment only in a train station

In addition, there are free introductory courses in prototyping and kanban for those who are interested in the laboratory. It is a working method that can be used to organize tasks in a simple and fun way. In addition, creative minds can present their business ideas to "Kickbox4everyone". The best ideas are supported by a starting capital of 1000 francs.
The next sandbox will take place again next March in Zurich's main train station. The other sites are not yet fixed, but according to Leimgruber, it can not be ruled out that the ideas laboratory also appears in other stations. In the future, it will always be important to improve the experience and stay at the station. The question of whether SBB will win their bet 2017 will be obvious next spring.