Tasks - 1st Prototype
1. Login
2. Update status message
3. Add “Mason” to your friend list
4. Create group “Study Buddies”
5. Add “Mason” to “Study Buddies”
6. View only people in “Study Buddies” on the map
7. Make yourself invisible to “Monica”
8. Browse statuses. Find who is working on the 6.813 pset
9. Message person found in Task #8.
2st Prototype
3. Add “Mason” to your friend list
7. Make yourself invisible to “Monica”
9. Message person found in Task #8.
BRIEFING
On a lively campus such as MIT, students aim to meet up with each other all the time for many reasons, most of which fit into three categories:
1. Studying: Working on a problem set, or studying for an exam.
2. Relaxing: Looking for someone to relax with, have lunch with, or watch a movie at home with.
3. Exploring: Going out to an event, a party, a bar, an afternoon, an evening, or night out.
Currently, students tend to facilitate these interactions through emails or texts. More often then not, they only have a vague idea of when their friends are free, or what they feel like doing. As a result, further communication must be initiated to develop a plan.
This application is meant to optimize this communication process by providing viewers with a constantly updated view of what their friends are up to. When logged on, M.I.T Marauders Map allows the user to see where his/her friends are on a map of the MIT campus and surrounding areas, as well as their moods and statuses. The user’s friends, in turn, can see the user’s location, mood, and status.
When viewing the map, tagging options allow the user to organize friends into groups and toggle which friends are visible on a map. The user also has the ability to control who they are visible to with the application’s hiding options. Interaction between friends is facilitated via the built-in instant messaging client.