The Jetpack That Doesn't Work

Citymapper lets you choose a jetpack, a hoverboard, or a catapult to get across town. None of them work.

Tap the jetpack and nothing happens. The FAQ says "Hey, we said it was in beta!"

It's a completely useless feature. And it's one of my favourite things about the app.

In Singapore, the catapult animation features a local actor in his iconic yellow boots. In France, the catapult feature launches Emmanuel Macron. Someone had to build that. Someone had to localise a joke.

They built a Marty McFly avatar so you can try out your hoverboard around Paris.

This is the same company that rebuilt their entire app for every city because New York's subway delays work differently than Tokyo's.

There's a version of product development that says: remove everything that doesn't serve the core function. And there's another, far less popular, version that says: the personality is the product.

Citymapper chose the second.

I wonder if the 'meaningless' feature may be ready for a comeback.

A touch of joy, a little bit of whimsy, a joke that only humans would get.

Which reminds me, I need to check my route to the Enchantment Under the Sea dance.