Inside the World of Immersive Design: Cyberfunk at SwissHacks 2025

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Initiated by the Swiss Financial Innovation Desk (FIND), powered by Tenity, and hosted at the iconic Swiss Stock Exchange (SIX), SwissHacks brought together some of the brightest minds in fintech and beyond for an intense 48-hour coding sprint. Cyber Funk Studio's presence lit up the event - literally - with stunning custom visuals on the big screen and a browser-based AR photobooth experience built just for the occasion. It was an honour to have them share their work on stage before the grand finale.

We’re excited to share this fascinating interview with Anna Schnorf, Co-Founder at Cyber Funk Studio, diving into their passion for spatial media, what it means to work at the intersection of art and code, and why immersive technologies matter more than ever.

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You work at the intersection of art and code. Why are you so passionate about this? How can companies (or even entrepreneurs) benefit from this approach?

It’s true, we work at the intersection of art and code. But more specifically, we work at the shift from two to three real-time digital dimensions. We explore, on an artistic level, spatial human-computer interaction. This belongs to the field of XR (AR, VR, MR), or more broadly: spatial computing. At first glance, stepping into the third digital dimension may seem straightforward. But the implications are massive and mostly unexplored. It’s that sense of uncharted territory that draws us in. Our curiosity is what drives us.

Think about this: what is now mostly a 2D interface mimicking a piece of paper is turning into a dynamic, spatial experience that aligns more closely to how we naturally perceive and move through the world. It lets us bring analog and digital workflows closer together. For example, the screen design for Swisshacks was created directly in Virtual Reality with a VR headset. So we were able to sketch it like a drawing but with three dimensions at our hands instead of two, engaging our whole body instead of moving only a mouse across a screen.

When you don’t take that detour through a 2D screen, you can understand much better what you’re building and also work a lot faster. This evolving digital space demands a new design vocabulary, one that’s still in the making. We’re passionate about helping to shape this vocabulary and to find new ways for humans to communicate, think, and create in immersive and spatial digital environments.

It’s especially exciting to work in Zurich, where major players like Apple, Meta, Google, Microsoft, Disney, Snap, and countless local players like ETH are pushing the frontier of spatial computing.

For companies and entrepreneurs, this isn’t just a tech trend. It’s a strategic opportunity. Spatial technologies offer intuitive ways to present information, tell stories, and create emotional connections. And because we are spatial beings living in a spatial world, these experiences resonate deeply. It is also a great stylistic tool to highlight the innovative character of a company or product, especially now, where much of the innovation is happening somewhere in the code with no visual counterpart to represent it. Those who embrace this shift early will help shape the next era of digital communication.

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As a creative studio, our role is to balance experimentation with real-world use. We work on commissioned projects that are about 80 percent proven tools and 20 percent bold new ideas. For example, our AR photobooth for Swisshacks repurposed Snap’s social media filters. We used Snapchat’s Social-AR capabilities to create a digital photobooth following the design guidelines of the event, took the booth out of the Snapchat app, and embedded it into a browser experience through the Snap API. Then, just by scanning a QR code, people could embed themselves directly into the social media corporate design, take a snapshot, and share it without a graphic designer having to do this work for them.

In contrast, our self-initiated projects flip this approach to 80 percent experimentation, 20 percent familiar ground. This year, for example, our independent project is “My Room” and is financed through funding and collaboration. It invites people into 100 real bedrooms from around the world, 3D scanned by the room’s inhabitants using just their smartphones, often out of impulse after downloading the app, without thinking that anyone would ever look at these scans again. This makes the scans raw, honest, and deeply human. So we really wanted to make these rooms accessible in a spatial way, as we see a lot of human value and industry value coming from that. To make these spaces truly accessible, to feel present within them, we’re building a Web XR experience that works truly cross-platform and builds on spatial computing technologies. So it works in AR, VR, desktop, and mobile, no app required.

There are no templates for what we’re doing with My Room. But that’s exactly the point. My Room is aimed to become the blue print that’s missing right now, showing new ways to capture, present, and preserve space in the most accessible and innovative way we can think of. These free projects are important, as we believe they can open doors for industries like architecture, cultural preservation, and beyond.

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What are some of the most interesting use-cases you've developed/seen?

There are so many, and they span completely different sectors, which makes this field so exciting to watch. One that always comes up is IKEA. They’ve integrated AR features into their website and app that let users place furniture in true scale inside their homes. It’s a great example of XR meeting everyday commerce, and you can try it directly on their site with your smartphone. It’s practical, intuitive, and quietly revolutionary.

Another application that fascinates us is immersive sports broadcasting. Companies like Qualcomm, HBS (which is headquartered in Switzerland), and Accedo are working on letting fans experience games from a front-row perspective through immersive livestreams. We haven’t seen the final product yet, but the potential is clear. Sports broadcasting was a key driver of TV adoption in the past, and many believe it could do the same for XR.

On the cultural side, festivals like Sundance and Venice now have dedicated XR sections, showcasing artistic, documentary, and narrative pieces that explore the storytelling power of the medium. It’s always worth checking out what’s being shown there, not just for the content, but to see how XR is evolving as a language in its own right.

Then there’s Pokémon Go. Niantic’s AR-powered game remains one of the most successful mobile games ever, pushing millions of people outdoors and into shared augmented experiences. It’s often overlooked today, but it was a true global moment and still a milestone for what’s possible in mobile AR.

In social media, Snapchat continues to be a massive driver of AR adoption. Their lenses let people transform their appearance, slip into characters, or create branded content in entirely new ways. What’s especially interesting is that much of Snap’s core AR development happens right here in Zurich. And watching how Gen Z and Gen Alpha engage with these tools shows us just how naturally these younger users move between analog and digital realities. There are big implications here for ecommerce, entertainment, product previews, and digital self-expression.

In Switzerland, immersive VR training has also become a major topic. It’s being used across sectors like healthcare, logistics, manufacturing, and even finance, where it's helping people train in safer, more controlled environments. Several Swiss XR companies have specialized in this, and it's exciting to see how mature this segment already is.

One area we haven’t explored much ourselves yet, but that’s actively being investigated, is how people understand abstract data in immersive 3D space. There’s growing evidence that spatial representations can make complex patterns more intuitive than traditional 2D charts or dashboards. It’s an exciting direction that could have real impact in fields like finance, logistics, or climate science.

And then there are the artists, like Marshmallow LaserFeast, who push the edges of perception and experience entirely. Their work isn’t about efficiency or commerce. It’s about expanding what this medium can do for feeling, reflection, and sense-making.

What needs to happen next for Zürich to become a global centre for immersive media, and how can studios like yours help drive that momentum?

Zurich definitely has the potential to become a global centre for XR/ Spatial Computing media. We already have a strong foundation: brilliant and motivated individuals are working across disciplines on the matter. But to truly unleash the city’s potential, there are a few key gaps that need to be addressed.

First, there's a distance between the large tech companies headquartered in Zurich and local players. We need more collaboration on how to raise public awareness and understanding of XR. A more informed public benefits the entire industry, helps create demand for immersive experiences, and promotes a common vocabulary to talk about. XR or spatial computing is very hard to convey, and we do feel like it has a bit of a PR problem that needs solving. The Metaverse campaign for example seemed to have brought more confusion to the subject than it did clarity.

Second, there’s a weak link between artists and tech companies in Zurich. Right now, much of what we see in SwissXR is functional and technically sound, but often lacks emotional or stylistic depth. We believe that closer collaboration between creatives and developers can lead to richer, more competitive experiences that resonate globally. There seems to be the false pretense that there is something like a “neutral” style or that style doesn’t really matter for functionality. We are certain that this mindset is holding the industry back.

Third, XR still exists in exile in most areas other than social media, where filters are widely adopted. While being a very strong technology, incorporating it into the already established media mix is quite challenging. Often, companies create things that need specific hardware or apps that are hard to come by, therefore limiting access to a specific time and place. Which is totally understandable in most cases. But we do need to build those transitions between XR and established platforms, so that it becomes more accessible, offers more touchpoints, and creates more value.

As a studio, we work to bridge these gaps that were just outlined: between disciplines, between companies, and between people and technology. We are working on the question of how to build those transitions and make the strengths of XR more accessible by incorporating it into the already established media mix. Media as in medium, such as photo, film, print, etc. The goal is to create truly cross-platform experiences that include XR as a target platform. A big part of that is to create low-barrier entry points for the public, experiences that don’t require a headset or an app but still leverage XR technology. We started this journey with small and playful AR print experiences that work on smartphones and investigate how analog and digital objects can be merged into a hybrid product. Next, we are moving on to fully cross-platform experiences that incorporate web-based XR at their core.

Finally, Zurich and Switzerland in general also just need a bit more time. While ETH Zurich has already been active in XR and spatial computing for several years, dedicated academic programs at other universities have only started to emerge more recently. That means the first generation of specialized graduates is only now entering the market. Until now, the scene has been driven mostly by passionate, autodidactic pioneers who are now helping to educate this new workforce. We’re proud to be part of that effort through my engagement at the HSLU School of Computer Science as a visiting professor in the CAS for Augmented and Virtual Reality Business Integration and in Switzerland’s first bachelor’s program in Immersive Technologies. We’re excited to help shape what and who comes next.

That said, Zurich already has the tools, the talent, and the know-how. What we need now is a more coordinated, long-term strategy and targeted public funding to position Zurich as a global centre for spatial computing.

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What is something people generally don't know - but should - when they think about immersive media and real-world application?

There’s a general lack of understanding around the end goal of the XR industry and where we currently stand on that journey. This isn’t the fault of the public. It’s simply because this space is incredibly hard to communicate unless you’ve experienced its potential firsthand.

We like to compare it to the early days of film. Right now, we’re still in the black-and-white era of XR. That gives you a sense of how early we are, and how much is still to come. We’re not just building applications; we’re building the vocabulary of a new medium. That’s really how we see it. Not primarily as a technology, but as a medium like film or photography. And that’s something humanity has never done before in this form: creating spatial, interactive digital experiences that align with how we actually live and perceive the world.

It’s powerful. It’s convincing. And it’s incredibly exciting to be so close to its birth.

But it’s widely misunderstood. Aside from the misuse of terminology, which shows again that we lack a common language to talk about this publicly, the press either focuses on what XR isn't yet, or they assume it’s something that it’s not. Let us say this loud and clear: there is no metaverse. VR does not equal metaverse. The metaverse is a paradigm, a vision of the future, most likely born from a MetaPR campaign.

Many people still doubt whether spatial computing will truly take off, because it has already gone through several hype cycles. But behind the scenes, there’s a strong, globally connected movement with a shared vision: to evolve digital interaction beyond the flat screen. A vision that, in many circles, clearly points toward replacing smartphones and laptops with spatial interfaces, most likely glasses, as the primary everyday device.

In that context, real-world application doesn’t just mean a few cool experiences. It means a fundamental shift in human-computer interaction, replacing 2D screen-based interfaces with immersive, spatial ones across almost every industry. It means connecting XR with other key technologies like AI, IoT, digital twins, blockchain, and others, to transform the internet into something unrecognizable from what we see now when we open the browser on our rectangular devices.

The thing that’s hard to predict is how long it will take until we see the first true blockbuster, the one experience that defines the medium and breaks through to the mainstream. Maybe it’s this new wave of devices that merge AI and AR into smart glasses. Maybe it’s immersive streaming of sports events and concerts, just like it was sports broadcasting that brought television into private homes. Maybe it just needs to take the usual path through industrial applications before it is adopted in the home, like computers once did.

There are many approaches being pushed forward for a while now, so clearly, it’s not a question of if. It’s a question of when.

What tips would you give founders or innovators to start incorporating immersive media in their work/product/organization?

Start small, but start now. Immersive media is not something you need to fully adopt from day one. Instead, begin by identifying a part of your product or communication where spatial presentation could add clarity, emotion, or engagement. That could be a 3D product demo, a spatial data visualization, or even an impressive augmented packaging element to underline your innovative spirit.

Don’t wait for the perfect headset or platform. Work with what’s already available. Most people don’t realize that XR experiences can run directly in the browser, without an app, on devices users already own.

Second, involve creatives early. XR is not just a tech layer. It’s a design and storytelling challenge. The best immersive experiences are not just functional but emotionally resonant.

Third, get in contact with your local XR experts and studios. I promise you, they’re more than happy to talk about their passion and explore how they can collaborate with you. The XR community thrives on experimentation and shared curiosity.

And finally, test with real people early and often. XR has to be felt to be understood. Watching someone experience your prototype is more valuable than 100 slides or specs.

Immersive media isn’t just for gaming or entertainment. It’s a new layer of communication, and every industry will eventually touch it in some way. Better to explore it on your terms than be forced to catch up later.

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Cyber Funk Studio expands web and print with an additional dimension. Founded by experts in multimedia and product design, our mission is to research, create, and educate in the innovative field of immersive media. By merging analog and digital art, we craft unique visual experiences that engage and captivate.

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Visit their socials:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cyberfunk.studio/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cyber-funk-studio

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