In a context of deconfinement and social distancing, how can technology help implement good health practices in Montreal’s convenience stores? I met with Mariya Zinchenko, developer at Ubisoft, and co-founder of the mobile application En Ligne.
In May 2020, 400 participants submitted projects to the Défi <post>COVID virtual competition, whose mission is to find innovative solutions to the societal issues caused by COVID-19, in Quebec. Among the three winning projects was the En Ligne application, which aims to simplify the experience of consumers in retail outlets, while enabling merchants to better manage their clientele safely.
Queuing virtually from home
Initially, the application allows the user to select a store near their home, see how busy it is in real time, and then queue up virtually from home.
Mariya explains: “For example, you go to the Canadian Tire near your home, and you see that the queue extends around the corner. The app lets you directly check the waiting time, reserve your spot online, and receive a notification later in the day, when the level of traffic has decreased. Once you’ve received the notification, you can head to the store, then store without waiting outside.”
Making the world more efficient and accessible through technology is the philosophy of Mariya and her team: “We really believe that our app can help people connect in a much more enjoyable way.” It’s also about being more inclusive, as a society: “For a mother with her child or a person with a disability, it’s impossible to physically wait outside, standing, for hours on end,” adds the developer.
Helping retailers improve their customer experience
The other aspect of the application is aimed at retailers. “We want stores to have a way of managing their customers during peak and quieter hours,” continues Mariya. The idea behind this is for retailers to be able to predict the daily traffic in their store, in order to anticipate and manage their customer flow, and better allocate their resources.
The application will also be able to provide information on customers’ consumption habits and interests. Privacy is of paramount importance to the team, who are working hard to ensure that people remain anonymous.
“At this stage, the application is almost complete. We’re doing tests in some stores to make sure that everything is smooth and that we can adjust it as quickly as possible to be ready for the eventual second wave of COVID-19.” The list of partner stores for the En Ligne application will be unveiled in the coming months, when the application is finalized and available for download.
Mariya, a female developer committed to women in tech
In collaboration with her partner Brian McWilliams, also a developer at Ubisoft, and Alexandre Ratthé, captain at Jazz Aviation, Mariya began work on the En Ligne application last May.
Originally from Ukraine, Mariya arrived in Canada in 2009 with her family. She recounts: “I moved many times to go from a Ukrainian system to English and then to French. I accumulated a lot of gaps, especially in science, which I’ve always tried to fill.”
Now a developer for four years, she divides her time between Ubisoft, the university where she is completing a bachelor’s degree in computer science with a minor in business, and her role as a mentor at Technovation Montréal, an organization that offers a 6-month program for young girls between the ages of 10 and 18 to create their own mobile app.
Mariya is very optimistic about diversity in Canada. She tells me: “I think Canada has a lot of resources to help women in technology develop. The message I’m trying to get across to these young girls is to believe in themselves. You can be whoever you want to be here”.
