Shwii By Nissan

Background

Waze, the navigation app is used by more than 800 000 South African users and 100 000 daily users, it collects user-generated data on traffic and road conditions from its active communities and immediately analyses that data in order to provide other Wazers with the most optimal route. It also helps users navigate their way on their journey safely, by avoiding dangers on the road.

Idea

However, you can use Waze in 98 languages locally, including Arabic, Mandarin and even a boy band. But in South Africa we still can’t do it in our mother tongue. Zulu (20.6% of pop.) is the most widely-spoken home language in SA, but Waze uses English (6.6% of pop.) and Afrikaans (10% of pop.) as their only local options. So while using it chances are you’re not using it in your home language. This need to translate adds another obstacle on your journey. The idea was to hack Waze’s ‘personal voice recorder’ feature to create their own set of commands that are suited to local drivers. The re-recorded commands uses a unique form of Zulu onomatopoeia to help users identify the dangers on the road by actually hearing the danger inside every word to further reduce the chances of negative incidents on the roads.

Once their recorded commands are uploaded, Waze generates a shareable link for anyone wanting to use them on the app. A trackable QR code houses the link and social media pushed their audience to the language preference. The shareable Shwii by Nissan file allowed the car brand to provide all South African drivers access to unique tech, by capitalising on the real time data generated on the Waze platform. Shwii by Nissan is an extention of what the brand stands for, by using technology.