ZephJe. A work in progress

INDEPENDENT NAVIGATION. BUILT IN MALAYSIA.

A little project.
A better way
home.

Building a navigation app for Malaysia.
One developer, steady progress, and a lot of roads
to figure out.

Follow the build View the changelog

An independent business. Currently in development.

The idea is taking shape
ZephJe route planning concept with a highlighted route and alternative routes
ZephJe navigation concept with a bright blue route and turn-by-turn instruction
ZEPHJE / DESIGN PREVIEW

01 / THE BUILD JOURNAL

Small steps. Real progress.

Notes from behind the map.
LATEST UPDATELOG / 004

A steadier foundation
for the road ahead.

The first map and routing builds are in. The next completed step is making the backend easier to start, stop and recover after an interruption.

Startup and recovery checks have passed. The app itself is still in development, with real-route checks and the routing API still ahead.

Development foundations
Under the hood

Repeatable startup, controlled shutdown and automatic recovery after a crash have been checked. The earlier basemap build produced a 350 MB map file in about three minutes, and the routing build completed too. These are development milestones, not proof of navigation accuracy.

Next: finish checking real route pairs and edge cases, then connect search and routing to the web app.

MAPS & ROUTING

First, build the roads beneath the app.

The map pipeline can turn regional OpenStreetMap data into a basemap and a routing graph. The first real builds are in.

See the changes
DESIGN

Finding ZephJe’s look.

Deep navy, electric blue, a touch of mint. The first screen designs bring the intended experience together.

Take a look
FOUNDATIONS

Starting under the bonnet.

The backend foundation is in place: device authentication, map versioning, and the first automated checks.

The beginning of the journey.

02 / THE CHANGELOG

What actually changed.

The details, as they happen.

Completed development changes, recorded by date.
These are build milestones; the navigation app is still in development.

  1. MAPS & FOUNDATIONS

    Building the maps and making the foundations steadier.

    • Improved

      Repeatable backend startup and automatic recovery after a crash, checked through startup and recovery tests.

    • Added

      A repeatable regional basemap build, producing the first map tiles for the app.

    • Added

      A routing-graph build from the map pipeline, with checks that road segments are connected to the routing engine.

    • Fixed

      Incorrect driving-side settings in the regional routing build, including Brunei’s left-hand traffic.

  2. DESIGN & FOUNDATIONS

    A clearer look, and a better view under the hood.

    • Added

      The first ZephJe web-app screen designs for search, route planning, navigation, reports and saved places.

    • Added

      Backend monitoring for requests, authentication, dependencies and resource use.

    • Improved

      A separate test environment so automated checks can run independently of the development database.

03 / A GLIMPSE AHEAD

This is where it’s heading.

ZephJe app previews

A first look at the experience I’m working towards.
These are screen designs, not a released or working navigation app.

01

A clearer way forward.

Route planning

Route preview concept showing a selected route and route choicesDESIGN CONCEPT
02

A little less guesswork.

Turn-by-turn navigation

Night navigation design with dark navy map and blue routeDay navigation design with light map and dark instruction panels
DESIGN CONCEPT
03

Better, together.

Community road reports

Road report design showing hazard, incident, and roadblock report categoriesDESIGN CONCEPT

Illustrative maps and journeys. Screen designs will evolve as the app is built.

04 / THE ROAD AHEAD

A direction, not a deadline.

One milestone at a time.
  1. FOUNDATION BUILT

    Start with the basics

    Backend foundations, device authentication, and the design direction.

  2. WORKING ON IT

    Maps & routing

    Build the map pipeline, check routes, and connect the routing API.

  3. UP NEXT

    A web app to try

    Bring the designs to life in a web preview for a small group of testers.

  4. FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD

    Beyond the browser

    Explore native mobile apps and in-car experiences once the basics hold up.

MADE IN MALAYSIA, WITH CURIOSITY.

Every project starts
with “what if?”

The search for local navigation alternatives got me thinking: what would it take to build one myself?

That’s how ZephJe started. An independent navigation business developing a useful, community-driven app for Malaysia. I’m building the product step by step and sharing the process here, including the bits that still need figuring out.

Follow the development, see what changes, and watch the product take shape.