Yesterday we launched beta 10.2 of Swapit on Google Play with Citymapper integration which adds superior navigation capabilities to Swapit.
You can now download the latest Swapit app update from http://get.swapit.la
MAKING IT EASY TO FIND YOUR WAY
We collect a lot of feedback from our users. Some buyers have expressed trouble finding the place of an item and meet the seller to complete the transaction. Swapit’s core capability is the location-reference for each item. This makes it possible locate items that are nearby a buyer, but it also allows to guide a buyer to that item. With Swapit’s integration of Google Maps from day 1, it was always easy to pin-point any item on the map. It was also possible to navigate to that item, but the Google Maps solution was a little cumbersome and – believe it or not – in part incomplete due to missing, inaccurate or outdated data used by Google Maps.
QUALITY IS PARAMOUNT
To improve the user experience and to add more value for our users, we decided to integrate with Citymapper. Citymapper is a mobile app that provides true real-time navigation.
For example, when you want to go from your home in Sheung Wan to the Times Square shopping mall, it tells you exactly when the next MTR train arrives at Sheung Wan station and which train car you should get into, so you exit at the right end of the train near Causeway Bay Exit A.
Not too long ago, Citymapper launched in Hong Kong and it was the perfect fit for Swapit. Now, if you want to find your way to a particular item, just click the “location” on the item’s detail view and you will be presented with an additional option of navigating to that item’s location. If you have the Citymapper app (available from Google Play and the App Store) installed, it will open and provide a superior navigation experience to you. Even if you don’t have the app installed, you will be directed to a website that allows you to navigate through that.
To give you a quick visual idea of how that works, here are the 3 steps:
This now includes correct estimations for each mode of transport as well as multiple variations of transport including walking, bike rides, cars, cabs (incl. Uber) and public transport like MTR, buses, mini-buses, etc.
We are sure this adds more value to our users and improves our user experience tremendously. We are also very grateful to the Citymapper team which has built a great interface for developers like us. If you’re working on a mobile app that requires real-time navigation, you might want to look at their API. It’s straight forward and easy to integrate.
Have you used Swapit yet?
You can download it for free at: http://get.swapit.la
Coincidentally, Citymapper is green as well. I guess it’s a hip color for startups now. Like most companies, we chose green for a reason too.
About Citymapper:
The Ultimate Transport App
Our mission: Make cities easier to use. We’re reinventing the transport app for the world’s most complicated cities.
Find out more about Citymapper at http://citymapper.com
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