App for contact tracing will help employees return to the office

When the pandemic subsides, many will go back to working in the office – and a user-friendly infection tracking app combined with Bluetooth technology can make the process much safer.

Text: Writbeat – Translation: Maria Vole

The team at Forkbeard has been working with GPS and Bluetooth technology for a number of years, and previously undertook a project regarding contact tracking in Thailand during the outbreak of swine flu in 2009. Forkbeard was therefore well prepared when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, and they knew that their technology could be used for contact tracing and to prevent the spread of infection. Wilfred Booij, CTO at Forkbeard, says that they use Bluetooth technology in telephones or technological “wearables”, such as bracelets, to measure people’s distance from each other.

“This kind of technology can both be used to find out who has been in contact with whom if an outbreak should occur at a workplace, but it can also be used to gain insight into and the opportunity to improve the infection control rules in the office,” he says. The app thus provides important insight into the employees’ behavior with regards to infection control measures when they’re at work, and it gives employers the opportunity to influence the extent to which distancing rules are observed in the workplace.

“For example, if you notice over time that employees are spending too much time in the meeting rooms, you can hang up signs that say “Meetings must be held for a maximum of 1 hour”. Thus, by using the data collected, preventive measures can be introduced in the workplace,” says Booij.

A user-friendly app

Forkbeard, in collaboration with Shortcut, decided to bring in a developer from Schjønhaug AS to create a user-friendly app for the corporate market. The focus of the project was to create an app that could communicate key messages to the user and guide the user through the setup of the technology.

“Schjønhaug AS was highly recommended by others in the industry, and we are brilliantly satisfied with the work that has been done. The app is very important for our solution, since it’s through the app that the user interacts with our technology,” says Booij. The app is a means of communication to send out messages to the employees in a company, while the actual infection tracking takes place through technological “wearables” in the form of bracelets. This means that the app's main function is to act as a link between the technology and the user.

Important for society to reopen

This kind of technology is going to be crucial when society starts to reopen and employees have to venture out of the house and back to the office. When that time comes, this technology can help employers identify areas where compliance with infection control rules could be improved, and quickly gain control over potential outbreaks.

“The app that Schjønhaug has created will be very important in this work. Since users give permissions and set up the solution through the app, it’s very important that this is developed in a user-friendly way that gives users key information and makes it easy to get started,” says Booij. Booij says that Schjønhaug AS has done a very good job on the app that accompanies their technology and says that the app will play an important role in the reopening of society in time to come.

“This app is very well-made, and Schjønhaug AS has delivered a great product. This will be crucial for creating acceptance among users and enables us to use our solution in workplaces around the world when the pandemic begins to subside,” Booij concludes.