Project state
closed
Project start
Januar 2024
Funding duration
12 months
Universities involved
UZH
Practice partners
Funding amount DIZH
CHF 22'500
Our project set out to rethink how people use software manuals (those often confusing instruction guides) by turning them into interactive, AI-powered helpers. Traditional user guides can be hard to follow, causing many to call expensive help desks for assistance. We wanted to change that.
First, we conducted an in-depth study of real-world government software manuals in Switzerland. By examining nearly 600 user guides from various official websites, we uncovered common issues that make these guides less effective. Our findings, which highlight the real challenges citizens face, were published in the scientific journal Information and Software Technology, Volume 181, May 2025.
Based on our study, we built a first prototype of IntelliGuide, a tool designed to transform static manuals into smart, interactive guides. We focused our efforts on digital services used by the Canton and City of Zurich. To show how IntelliGuide works, we created a demo video featuring two key applications (ZHPrivateTax and GISBrowser) used by the public in managing taxes and accessing geographical information. Download Demo video.
We then reached out to key contacts in the local government to explore a collaboration. However, after discussions with decision-makers from the Canton and City of Zurich, we learned that they had already started developing their own in-house solutions. Due to recent advances in artificial intelligence (i.e., ChatGPT) and customizable retrieval systems, the timing for introducing IntelliGuide wasn’t right.
Even though the local governments chose to go a different direction, our project provided valuable insights into how government services are documented and used. These findings pave the way for further improvements in digital guidance tools.
