Zefwih – Digital Consulting & Innovation Startup

Cars assist drivers. AI detects tumors. Robots assemble goods.

Automated systems act and decide for us

But products fail without user trust and understanding

We turn scientific insight into intelligent systems people trust and use

Exploring the future of intelligent products

Automation and intelligent technologies are transforming products across industries – from mobility and healthcare to manufacturing and digital services. As systems increasingly act and decide on our behalf, the challenge shifts from building technology to designing how people interact with it. When users cannot understand a system’s behavior or do not know how to best use it, advanced capabilities remain underused, and products struggle to gain adoption.

Based on over a decade of hands-on experience in interface research and development in both industry and academia, Zefwih supports organizations in understanding how humans and intelligent systems should interact.

We help teams explore emerging interaction paradigms, transform technological capabilities into product concepts, and evaluate them throughout development. By combining Computer Science and Human–Computer Interaction expertise with rapid prototyping and user evaluation, we help organizations turn complex technologies into products people trust and use.

THIS IS WHAT WE DO

CONSULTING

How automation and intelligent systems change product interaction

We help organizations understand emerging interaction challenges, evaluate opportunities, and make informed decisions about future technologies.

IDEATION & CONCEPTS

New interaction paradigms for intelligent products

Through workshops, design exploration, concept ideation, and rapid prototyping, we help teams translate technological capabilities into viable product ideas.

SOLUTIONS, PROTOTYPING & VALIDATION

Turning concepts into tangible systems

We prototype interaction approaches, evaluate them with users, and validate design decisions early to reduce product risk and support adoption.

MEET THE PEOPLE BEHIND ZEFWIH

We are researchers and developers specializing in Human–Computer Interaction (HCI) and intelligent systems. Together, we bring more than 16 years of combined research and development experience in designing interactive systems for automated technologies. Our work spans automated mobility, extended reality, accessibility, serious games, and intelligent user interfaces.

Through academic research, industry collaboration, and award-winning digital projects, we explore how people interact with increasingly autonomous systems—from automated vehicles and decision-support AI to immersive digital environments. Our research has been published at leading international venues, including the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI), and our projects have been recognized through startup competitions, industry innovation challenges, and international game awards, including the German Computer Game Award (Deutscher Computerspielpreis) and the Games for Change Awards.

We have also developed concepts recognized in startup and innovation competitions, including the Ekipa Startup Idea Competition and the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Challenge, where our projects explored how emerging technologies can address real-world challenges.

At Zefwih, we bring this experience to organizations that want to explore the next generation of intelligent products. We help companies understand how emerging technologies influence user interaction, prototype new interface concepts, and evaluate them early with users.

Prof. Dr. Mark Colley

Co-Founder

Human–AI Interaction & Mobility

Mark is an Assistant Professor at University College London with 10+ years of experience in Human–Computer Interaction and engineering safety-critical software systems at Airbus Defence and Space.

He is an expert in the design of interfaces for automated driving and intelligent systems, with 50+ publications and multiple Best Paper Honorable Mention awards at ACM CHI. His work shapes how users understand, trust, and safely interact with automated systems in real-world mobility.

Pascal Jansen

Co-Founder

Intelligent Interfaces & Adaptive Systems

Pascal is a PhD researcher at Ulm University with 6+ years of experience in Human-Computer Interaction for adaptive interfaces, intelligent systems, and future mobility, including automation and micromobility.

He is an expert in enabling personalized interfaces via machine learning from human feedback, and his research was recognized with multiple Best Paper Honorable Mention awards. His work contributes methods and tools for systematically designing and evaluating next-generation interaction concepts.

Fabian Fischbach

Co-Founder

Creative Technology & Interactive Prototyping

Fabian is a creative technologist focused on rapid prototyping interactive systems for education and entertainment, as well as on immersive applications in augmented and virtual reality.

He is an expert in developing functional prototypes that make new interaction concepts tangible and testable early in the design process. He contributed to award-nominated digital games and interactive projects at the German Computer Game Awards and Games for Change Awards.