Locative Media: Assignment 3 Questions

• What new problem will you be trying to solve?
We are trying to solve the problem of new students not knowing their way around campus.
• Why is this interesting or valuable as a problem?
It is valuable as a problem because it makes it hard for new students to adjust to campus and begin classes on a good note.
• Who is your audience?
The audience is the new students/transfers or anyone who wants to use it (if they have a net ID and password and is connected with UIUC).
• What form of information will you be storing, retrieving, and why this form?
The form of information we're storing will be comments in text format and images. This form (images and text) allows for quick processing and will allow the user to recognize the location when seeing the image and reading the text from the app.
• Answer at least four of the Formal Considerations questions above.
Our device will be used through an application made available on Iphones, or other phones that utilize apps. The act of storage and retrival will be voluntary. The information stored can only be accessed by students at the University of Illinois. It is intended for giving advice to incoming freshman and transfer students, but all students can access this app by signing in with their NetID and password. The design of this device is intended for routine use, and always will be available with the same information. The act of storing and retrieving will not be obvious to others, and is really meant for personal use. The nature of this device is meant to be a friendly and helpful environment.
• Design 3 personas and scenarios based on your answers above.
1) A freshman walks around campus trying to find the building for his first class. He reads his schedule and is unsure where Altgeld Hall is. He points (?) the app at his dorm building and it displays it on the app. He sees comments that students have left about it. He then types in Altgeld Hall and the app creates directions on how to get there from his current spot, while pointing our interesting landmarks on the way (which includes comments from other students).
2) A group of new students are looking for a place to eat. They walk around campus and end up in front of Za's. Unsure how the food is, they type in Za's (or scan the place with their device/app). It immediately brings up comments and images from other students who have eaten there before. They can now make an informed decision of whether to eat here or go somewhere else.
3) A group of graduate students are looking for a more mature bar scene than Campustown offers. They walk around downtown Champaign in search of a place to hang out. They come across Jupiters...not knowing what its like they scan it with the device/app (or type in the name) and immediately see, based on the other users' comments, that Jupiters is the kind of place they want to hang out at. They then leave their own comments after leaving to help other users make an informed decision.