Andrew Robbins

Three days from Capstone Night, this is where we stand with Boulder Beacon…

Waiting to hear from Tony Lewis-

I have emailed with Tony Lewis since receiving the most recent Test Flight version. Assuming Tony is extremely busy, I have not gotten word back as of any more progress; however, I have recently expressed my urgency in need for some sort of progress report for Thursday. I plan to have an update status on Boulder Beacon to share with guests and faculty and will also be nice to show both the interactive prototype as well as the Test Flight model…

Promotion-

…more promotional material coming. Also, I plan to loop my promotions in with some climbing footage to attract attention:

(for example)

Axure Prototype-

This is the bulk of what I will be presenting during Capstone Night. I used Axure to build out an interactive prototype the show an example of how the functionality of the application works.

In Weeks Past…

Testing:

-paper prototyping

–showed that all functionality seemed fairly natural except for a few button placements, which were relocated to more desirable locations.

Networking:

-Went on a climbing trip for spring break, brought Boulder Beacon materials with and was able to make connections for user testing and marketing across the country as well as gather more feedback and have discussions on competitors

What’s New?

While in Alabama, I worked with Stephen on setting up a meeting with one of his developer friends from Portland. Although we tried and failed to meet over break, we were able to get together last Wednesday for a google hangout where I was able to pitch my app.

Tony has decided to take on the project and I am currently working on getting him the “tightened up vector designs” to him ASAP. With a large chunk of the code that can be used from apps Tony has already written, we may be able to have a professionally built, working prototype by Capstone Night…

Concerns:

-legal action

-in over my head?

-small amount of time

-am I doing this right?

-feedback delays

Progress:

Spent most of break watching tutorials and trying to build out more of the programming….

Decided to speak with Dirigo, on the off chance that they could help with some of the programming and maybe fill in the gaps…shortly afterwards, Stephen Crowley reached out over twittter asking to help out.

Soo now the new plan:

After emailing with and meeting with Stephen, I have decided that in order to make moves forward, I should take a few steps back. With a more confident programmer, I am revamping the design of the app starting with a functionality flowchart and then moving to storyboards.

See:

• mock ups
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bq1rkVTZLtU

First things first….

GANTT

• progress made with coding, but still behind schedule…not surprising however.

PROMOTION

PROGRESS

• running code in iOS simulator
• multiple annotations with relevant data
• small step, but began using the correct type of xcode document and will now return to iTunes U to begin filling in gaps
• pARk promises to be extremely helpful as long as I can break to code for myself (thanks Dustin!)

• keep running into these errors I cannot seem to solve, not the same as red alerts…

Progress:

• I have now gone out and rented a GPS, I have been to the field and collected data and made a table of the major areas that I plan to incorporate:

• I have been working on drawing out a database schema

• Currently looking for collaborators to help with coding…reached out through suggestion (FC), facebook and twitter.
• Continuing online tutorials:

-lynda.com

-iTunesU

Problems/Issues:

• Fogler GPS units have an accuracy of about 20-30 feet…will this be accurate enough to work?
• Having trouble finding a programmer to collaborate with…
• Watching a lot of tutorials, but does not seem to be helping with my own project as much. Feels as though I need some help breaking my project down into manageable chunks to take down one at a time and piece together.

Opening Statement:

I want to use Boulder Beacon as an opportunity to help people get outdoors and go bouldering through the use of technology, not as a distraction from physical activity but as an aide.

Updated Gantt:

Slightly behind schedule on the programming…everything else seems to being going well.

Mock Web Page and Logo:

Data Collection / Research:

Currently awaiting a GPS navigator that will aide in accurate coordinates. Will build a database that will contain coordinates, names and grade (difficulty).

An example of the database as follows:

resources:

Lynda

http://www.lynda.com/iOS-SDK-tutorials/iOS-SDK-Building-Apps-MapKit-Core-Location/103706-2.html

xCode

https://developer.apple.com/xcode/

CreativeFan

http://creativefan.com/category/how-to/

Problems:

• service and reception
• coding experience
• user inputs and accuracy

Closing Statements:

Although the task is difficult in that I do not have much coding experience other than some CSS and HTML, I think that this project can be sucessful because it is designed for a specific audience. It is designed to be a tool and used as such. Having said that, everything from the look and feel of the app to the interactions will be simple, sleek and to the point.

Opener:

I want to make a contribution to the sport by designing a mobile application that will use the benefits of technology to aide in the enjoyment of getting outside to go bouldering.

Closer:

In closing, I want to use this project to help get people active and bring them outdoors with the help of existing technology designed and marketed towards a specific niche, in this case bouldering.

As a hypothetical situation, if I were to design my capstone with the intentions of using little to no recent technology (computers and the likes), how would I do so?

This is a tough question to answer, because the project was not designed around the technology, but around the concept. The idea is to be lead to the boulders in the most efficient way possible. Taking the technology away means that no longer will the user have the information to lead them to the boulder so the information or ‘signal’ must come from the boulder itself. Off the top of my head, the most obvious solution would be to use birds…

Users would purchase special whistles that mimic a specific bird call. Meanwhile, we could create a nice environment for these birds by providing feeders near all the boulders. Hopefully, the climbers will use these whistles to insight a response from the birds hanging around the feeders. The climbers would then follow the sound of the calling birds to the rocks.

Once arrived at the rock, instead of an online profile, the climbers would just signed their names on a large board that has the various routes located on the rock. This plan would only work as long as the birds stay in the area, but as winter comes along and snow falls, trails could be shoveled or packed to show a path right to the climbing.

Personally, I think that the orignal idea is much stronger…. : )

This post is to exemplify an enhanced version of the capstone proposal. The post includes a few visual approaches to shed a more specific light on my intentions with this project. The approaches include some basic visuals such a some name ideas, a couple rough identity sketches and a rough wire frame of the apps functionality. This post also includes a promotional plan as well as an annotated bibliography of various companies and designers that are working on similar and related projects.

Approaches:

Brainstorm bubbles working on concepts and naming project.

Rough sketches on logo ideas and some possible names.

Rough wire frame sketches of app interface.

Promotion:

In planning the promotion of my capstone it is interesting because I feel like I am advertising to a very specific audience as that the rock climbing community is not all that large to begin with. After reading the posted link in the syllabus, I feel like I have some good ideas to run with. The obvious as well as necessary first option is the website. I want to have a website that can promote the app and offer any information. Also, the website can act as a service for user submitted geo-locations and offer any later updates for the app. In addition to the website, I think that an effective strategy would be to make some sort of video documentary to post to vimeo that can be a visual simulation as well as provide hype and get free advertising. The video could be seen as a commercial as well. I was thinking I might go with some scene where one climber struggles with a bunch of gear and trying to decipher a guidebook map while another climber uses the app with ease. On the other hand it would be cool to just make a short video with some footage of people using the app in some environment and some possible interviews. Another of the strategies from the reading that I plan on using is designing interesting graphic posters advertising the app. I think that if these were place in the right locations (Chadbourne to get the New Media crew and MaineBound to gather the rock climbing crew) and any obvious high traffic spots could produce great results. These posters could be used to promote both the app itself as well as the release party, which is another promotion strategy that I will explain later. Along the same lines as a strong graphic poster, branding was mentioned in the reading. I think that a well thought out and strongly designed brand that looks professional and makes sense is kin to making the right first impression when meeting someone for the first time. I plan to offer sketches and look forward to feedback as so that I can design the best possible identity.  Another idea that I though would be a effective promotional strategy would be a release party, but with a spin. Instead of a party at a venue, I will invite people to come test the app at Camp Roosevelt. Anyone who would want to join could after downloading the app for free. I feel like this is a smart and fun way to launch the app in the environment it was designed for.

Annotated Bibliography:

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/9-iphone-gps-apps-case-lost/

This site lists a few very popular GPS centered iPhone applications. I posted this link because of the app mentioned in the article, ‘Free GPS’. I think that this is useful because it shows two things, one being that people are obviously interested in being able to work with their GPS locations in fun and interactive ways. Also, this could be useful in the development of my own app both in modeling design as well as the fact that it is free and can be used to gather my own coordinates for the boulders.

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/aroundme/id290051590?mt=8

This site is for an app called ‘Around Me’. This is very important because I would really like to emulate what they have created in some ways. The app has a feature in which you can easily search for almost anything (restaurants, bars, taxis, movies ect.) and then by turning the phone into landscape mode they make use of augmented reality as you can look down a street and gather various informations on the surrounding adresses.

http://www.futuretap.com/home/whereto-en/

Along the same lines as ‘Around Me’. This is another example of location based application design. It is important to recognize the convergence of our technology and the real world. We are now finding ways to be connected to both simultaneously  sharing real world experience whilst having the technologic advantages of mobile based application design.

Why Location-Based Services Will Create Multiple Winners At The Application Layer

A very interesting article talking about the progression of location based services are becoming so popular and why designers must take this type of information into consideration while developing for entertainment and service applications.

http://blogfreakz.com/tutorial/how-to-create-html5-location-based-application/

A somewhat random blog post that I came upon. Offers some interesting information regarding writing in HTML5 and building out location based information and collection. This could be a possible avenue for me to take in learning how to write for iOS and where I should get started.

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/location-based-marketing-tips/

A neat blog that offers tips and information on social media issues. This particular article details 26 tips for success in developing location based applications. While there are some irrelevant tips pertaining to making profits many of the tips I found to be useful and even insightful.

http://lt11.com/

This is a media production firm with a focus on the climbing community. I really enjoy their work and gather some inspiration from them. Also, I think that promoting this project through some sort of short documentary could be very successful.

http://www.mountainproject.com/

This is a similar service to my project. The website and mobile application allow members to sign in and research information about climbing areas. A lot of the information is user submitted which I think is the long term goal of my project.

http://www.logodesignlove.com/

This is a very popular blog that deals with logo design. The website offers tutorials and interesting articles. This could be very useful in the actual aesthetic design of my application and the accompanying website.

http://mobile.tutsplus.com/tutorials/mobile-web-apps/html5-geolocation/

I have used this site for tutorials before and they are definitely very helpful. I found this tutorial using HTML5 and I think that it will be useful in giving me an idea as to how to actually structure my code.

After the class discussing and feedback on my capstone idea, I believe that I have a clearer and more developed idea of what I would like to accomplish with my capstone project. I have developed my plan for the climbing app as my project.

The idea is that I will start using a local area that already has a guide book developed for the area, this way I can find the specific rocks with ease and I will eventually be able to compare the ease of using my app against that of the traditional guide book. I would use this local area as a prototype to test the app on. In the later versions, the user will be able to choose from a variety of climbing areas, but the app for the capstone project will launch with this one specific area. I plan to travel to the area and make a database for the area containing names, grades and gps locations. From there it should not be to amazingly difficult to write a program through which you can search for by name, difficulty and even popularity. It would be nice be able to use augmented reality in this app. If the user could just show up to an area and hold up the phone as if to take a picture, and see a beacon hovering in the woods leading you to the boulder, even though you cant see through all the bushes and foliage.

I think that there could be an opportunity for some sort of social networking experience to be had with this project. As I said, the idea is that as the prototype, it makes sense to keep it local and contained to really develop the project as best as possible. However, as a connected part of the project that could potentially extend the projects life into a sustainable app would be the opportunity to interact with the app through a website developed for the app. Maybe even an extended part of the app itself. Users would be able to upload new climbing areas or new rocks with in an area. They can upload the name, grades and even some comments on the area or climb itself. This would then be updated into the app itself. The reasoning for the separate website is that I think it would be smart for this app to run off-line. Many of the climbing areas around this part of the state do not get very good reception so, like some other apps, everything is already stored in the database and any new content will be available by just getting an update which can be promoted through the website.

Capstone Purposed Budget:

Andrew Robbins

MMD498

As a first draft proposal for my capstone project, I would like to, in some way, examine our use of brand identity in our culture. I have not totally decided what direction to take the project in, but I am confident that it is the subject I would like to focus on. I really enjoy the idea of branding. Not so much from the corporate end of things, but rather the aesthetic value of the marks as well as the concepts of design for purpose and the idea of strong symbolism.

I obviously have to link the project to new media in some way and this is where I am having trouble finding direction. There are several ways I have considered designing the capstone. It could possible take the direction of showing the prevalence of branding within our communities through some sort of narrative story using only brand marks in hopes to exemplify our ability to determine a course of events simply through the brands that are shown. This medium could be animation or video or possibly photographic. Another idea that I have been playing around with is that people have begun to brand themselves as individuals much like corporations do, I would like to somehow play with new media themes such as social networking and link it with individual branding and identity in some way.

I think that it is important to keep in mind themes such as many to many when designing my capstone. I understand that in branding identity design it can often seem to be a one to many situation and I look forward to finding a way to work with the concept on a many to many platform.

Exercise One:

In response to Problem One, I think that solution B would be the appropriate many to many solutions. I think that the idea of keeping the languages alive through a form of communication much like they used to back in the day. Not only would this solution offer a look back in time and a history lesson, but would promote communication between generations as well as offering educational links and resources.

In response to Problem Two, I think the most appropriate action would be Solution B. While a documentary would be entertaining, it seems to be only one or a few to many. If we were to execute solution B, we would be able to expose and share the beauty of the abandoned buildings while still offering the user to ability to leave their mark on the project as well as share with others.

For Problem Three, I would have to choose Solution A. While neither solution seems like it holds true to the many to many characteristic, I find that the first solution offers more interactivity and a better user experience. I think that anytime we have the opportunity to allow the user to help in the experience or find their own way through a problem or in pursuit of information that is usually the most effective means.

For the final problem, I think that solution B is the more practical of the two. The first solution has too many ways to go wrong and would also rely on trusting people to not vandalize and or steal the food. The projection idea is not only more feasible, but more than likely it is cheaper as well and offers more versatility. I think that this solution would also serve as a showcase for the NMD department being set in such a populated area of campus.