The self-sufficient showroom

As part of TECH FLAT, Tech Zone 117 was installed in the building of the City of Hamburg's centre for training and further education. What makes the room special is the integration of smart speakers and QR codes. This lets visitors to Tech Zone 117 find their way around entirely on their own, even if they know none of the devices and need things explained.

The City of Hamburg's centre for training and further education proves how innovative public authorities can be. With Tech Zone 117 they are taking an important step towards digitalising Hamburg's authorities.

As part of a digitalisation project, FUTURE CANDY worked with ZAF to create Tech Zone 117. In this physical space, fitted out with gadgets from TECH FLAT, employees have been able to try out the newest technical innovations since mid-2020.

What makes it special is that the room can be run entirely without a person looking after it. Integrating several Google voice assistants and using QR codes makes that possible. As soon as someone enters Tech Zone 117, the guided tour of the room is activated with the greeting phrase "I'm in the Tech Zone".

The voice commands fed in by FUTURE CANDY guide visitors through the room, and every gadget is explained in detail.

Thanks to the technical support, Tech Zone 117 can manage without staff. That brings a whole range of advantages. The working time of the employees who would normally provide support is saved and no opportunity costs arise. Without a human host, flexibility and the length of time the room can be used are considerably greater. Scheduling clashes with the host's calendar can be avoided, and only the time slots for using the room are a limitation. Users can also try out all the gadgets in Tech Zone 117 without being watched by someone else, which is a psychological advantage. You are less afraid of making mistakes, and at the same time the learning effect increases through trying things out yourself. How the process works: visitors enter Tech Zone 117 with the words "I'm in the Tech Zone". The greeting phrase hangs on the door so it cannot be missed on the way in. The Google voice assistant at the entrance greets visitors and gives an intro to the room, meaning which devices are shown and how the testing is organised. After the introduction, visitors are guided by voice commands to the first station, marked by a sign on the table. A tablet is ready there for scanning the QR codes. The voice assistant explains how to use it and what happens next. Visitors can then work their way through station by station. At each station there is a technology, a sign with a QR code and voice command, and a Google Home. Testers read the voice command on the sign aloud: "Tell me more about the…". The text about the gadget entered by FUTURE CANDY is then played back. Every explanation ends with the words "…for more information, scan the QR code on the sign". Through the QR code, users reach the FUTURE CANDY gadget website with detailed explanations, videos and step-by-step instructions for all the devices.