Less Stress, More Productivity: The Impact of an App on Modern Commuters

How ASMBL helped ease employees get to and from work


Companies of all shapes and sizes continually seek a competitive edge in attracting, finding, and retaining good employees. But suppose you're one of the world's largest, most recognizable, and most profitable tech companies. What else could you offer besides an awesome compensation package and a rewarding professional atmosphere?

How about providing an easy-to-use, cutting-edge tech solution that enables thousands of your employees to get to and from work with ease? And what if you leveraged a company like ASMBL to unlock that vision and transform into a reality that makes employees' work lives less stressful and enhances your businesses’ productivity.

That's exactly what happened when a client of ASMBL's, with more than 150,000 employees around the globe, devised an app that makes it simpler for their workers to commute. The app incorporates a slew of travel options, including public transportation, bikes, and walking, and the schedules of a fleet of shuttles the company owns outright at some of its locations. It's a brilliant idea that involves sophisticated integration of real-time data and evolving traffic conditions being adjusted in various time zones and locals.

ASMBL's client possessed virtually all of the high-level engineering skills needed to capture and collate the data. But they needed help packaging that information into an easy-to-use app that matched the company's unique and exacting design standards and seamlessly integrated into the busy schedules of thousands of employees.


Matt Crawford, Writer

January 6, 2025

6 minute read

Our Approach

Since our founding in 2011, we have continually refined a process that provides a liberating approach to technology. We overlay this process on all of our work. When we apply it it frees people and resources to focus on what really matters. That objective was paramount for this project where the ultimate goal was to leverage technology to make one of life’s everyday tasks – getting to and from work – as easy and intuitive as possible.

The project fit neatly into our four guiding principles of radical candor, harmonized business structure, technology as a craft and conscious resourcing. Far from buzzwords, these are concepts that allow us to harness the power of technology to enhance the bigger picture – to be better passengers on this big rock that circles around the sun.

ASMBL Joins with Radical Candor

One of our guiding principles, radical candor, fosters a culture of collaboration which is essential in finding a solution.

This specific client and ASMBL have a long history of working collaboratively on a wide range of digital products. Since our early days, we have developed an atmosphere of what we refer to as “radical candor” with this client. One of our guiding principles, radical candor fosters a culture of collaboration which is essential in finding a solution. ASMBL personnel thrive when they can get under the hood of their clients and have a 365-degree understanding of the issues. Having the ability to be direct and honest with each other is vital to working together.

In this case, ASMBL's client had already defined the problem and devised a solution. The project needed additional data extraction and ingestion levels – among our essential services. Having ASMBL already well-versed in their big-picture goals allowed the client to hand over the project, knowing the extra horsepower ASMBL brings would propel it over the finish line.

To fully understand how the app would be used and who would use it, the ASMBL team had to gain additional insight. Even the world's most technically superior app is a failure if nobody uses it, right? So, the ASMBL team went directly to the people for whom the app was being designed.

Gathering Info

Here's a boiled-down version of how the product works. Let's say a tech giant employs you, and you live 10-20 miles or so from one of the office sites. You've got options for getting there, including public transportation, company-owned shuttles, your car, your motorcycle, your Vespa, your bicycle ­– heck, even your skateboard.­

An app, using real-time data that incorporates changing traffic weather conditions, gives you schedules and commute information, minimizes your carbon footprint, and updates your phone to make your travel to and from the office go as smoothly as possible.

What the ASMBL team was expected to deliver was straightforward enough: Technical advice and assistance with software architecture, assistance with web development, and iOS development. But to get to that point, much more information was required.

Harmonized Business Architecure

When you work with us, you might hear us talking about the need to converge the agendas of users and stakeholders. That’s what we call “harmonized business architecture.” It’s another of our guiding principles, and it became a reality in this project by having the ASMBL team travel to the clients' sites to interview more than a dozen of the end-users the app was being designed for.

In a series of discussions and workshops, it became clear there was no one-size-fits-all solution. Several variables added complexity to the situation, including the number of office, locations, languages and transportation options.

Crafting Technology

Building the almost perfect app took nearly two years of programming, refining, and testing, but it takes time to apply technology as a craft.

Ultimately, both we and the client were thrilled with the final result which included a seamless integration and adherence to the client's exacting standards. The app is currently used by thousands of workers around the globe, saving them time and money, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, maximizing the usage of fleet vehicles, and generally removing the friction of the daily commuting experience.

To that end, the project aligned perfectly with another of our guiding principles: “Conscious resourcing.” This app is designed to enable smart, time-saving commuting, which lessens the impact of getting to and from work on both people (it makes their lives easier) and the planet (it reduces carbon emissions and fossil fuel use).

A Solution Delivered, A Vision Realized

At ASMBL, we empower businesses and individuals through transformative technology. Our interconnected services – Data Activation, Business Optimization, and Experience Design – work harmoniously to deliver innovative solutions that elevate the total human experience.

The start-to-finish process undertaken on this digital product highlights several of our core competencies. Among those included on this project were:

Data Activation
  • Data extraction and ingestion
  • Experiment design and analysis
  • Data enrichment
  • Generative AI
Business Optimization
  • Business process reengineering
  • Sustainability process optimization
  • Workflow automation
  • Change Management
Experience Design
  • Branded storytelling
  • Human centered design
  • Data visualization
  • Creative technologies

An additional bonus: We became so familiar with and embedded into the processes and procedures of our client that it strengthened our relationship. We continue to work with them to this day. Sometimes, we even check the app on our phones, find the best way in, and take one of their shuttles into their offices for a visit.

Putting It All Together

At ASMBL, we like to find the edges and then push past them. We exist in an evolving world that helps us design and create tech built for scale and evolution.

Consciously crafted and consistently innovative, we create products that go beyond the transactional, fostering deeper connections and enriching lives. Our focus on value creation extends beyond technology; we understand that true transformation requires a holistic approach. Our digital services help businesses align their technology strategies with their overarching goals, ensuring sustainable growth and long-term success. 


Meaningful growth doesn’t come by standing still.

Transformation is our business. Let’s work together.

To learn more about how we can deliver true transformation for your business, get in touch.

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