We talk to Julien about it

Welcome to episode 3 of “ Genius Loci: The story ". Today we have a very special guest, Julien Suard, our sidekick with whom we have worked for more than four years at Design Sprint SA.

Julien had to hang on

Julien, with his expertise of more than 20 years, is more than just a designer. He is the maestro of prototyping, having collaborated with many startups and large companies as part of our design sprints (innovation workshops). His skills are unique, making him indispensable for testing prototypes at the end of each sprint week.

The risk is that he doesn't understand or doesn't stick... that could have killed the project before it even really started. “ Genius Loci » being our own project, we wanted him to be convinced by our vision before fully investing in it.

The Revelation of “ Genius Loci »

The idea of ​​“ Genius Loci » was born long before we spoke about it openly. The time finally came in February 2022, after acquiring the domain name. It was during a design sprint at the Vallée de Joux in Switzerland. In the picturesque setting of this region, surrounded by mountains and immersed in the very essence of Switzerland, we revealed our concept to Julien around a fondue (a Swiss cliché!).

The idea of ​​a medal (initially golden) with a QR code was born from a simple gold coin from a child's game placed on the table. By scanning this code, users could unlock stories and secrets about a particular location. Julien's first reaction? He listened, absorbing every detail and trying to visualize how it could be implemented.

The decisive moment

The main idea behind “ Genius Loci » is to promote heritage. Every town or village has its own story, but there is no universal tool for telling these stories. Local tourism offices often offer their own apps, but they are often limited to a particular region or city. We saw an opportunity to create a universal tool that could be used everywhere, providing a rewarding experience for users.

The Shared Vision

For Julien, the idea evoked the possibility of leaving a trace, a memory in special places. After a few minutes of digestion to get to grips with the idea, he tells us about “his” place: the summit of a mountain, Canigou, where people experience memorable moments. This shared vision of creating something unique and powerful.

With Julien by our side, we knew we had the right people to realize this vision.

Stay with us for the next episode, where we'll discuss the initial tests we ran to validate our idea with our target audience. See you soon!