Hacktivism Intent—FrankO
After seeing all the new ideas that have been presented to us for the past two weeks I’ve been open to a lot of different ideas that would make my life easier, and do the same for others. For my project I would like to make an interactive app that students here at umaine can use to inform others when the gym is crowded. The app would inform other users if the pool is crowded, if there are a lot of people in the sauna, are the basketball courts too crowded, and if other gym equipment is heavily in use. Basically the app would show how much traffic is in the gym. The app would also show how busy the previous week was, and a graph would be constructed predicting how busy it will be on that day based on data collected during the previous weeks.
This app would benefit students who currently attend the University, and it would also benefit other people who have a membership with the gym. It would make a gym goer’s life easier because they would have an idea of what to expect, and they can plan accordingly. This idea is important because I hate it when I go to the gym and I can’t use the equipment that I want to use because it’s too crowded, and someone’s always using it. The budget for this app is currently in the works, because the resources needed to develop it are unknown. To develop this app correctly it would take about 6 months because it has to be developed and has to be tested to see how it responds when it’s used.
5 thoughts on “Hacktivism Intent—FrankO”
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Concept
The only issue I can see with this is that there would be a weird flux going on with users shifting their gym hours to the more open ones, making it more busy in the previously free hours.
Design
In terms of clarity, you might have each section of the gym set up with “heat maps” that display the density of users in that area. Think of population density maps.
Technical
From a technical inspiration aspect, you could look at the way Google displays when a business is busy. If you search a business’s hours, you’ll also get a bar graph (like the one you have) that displays the peak times.
Audience
One part of the audience you might want to consider is the “gym bros” who just sit on the bench or stand in the rack and just talk. Maybe implement a notification system that they should tell them to share the equipment?
Concept
I believe that this concept is a really cool idea. I go to the gym at least 3-4 times a week and this would be very helpful to all college students and other people who use the rec gym or any type of gym around them.
Design
I can tell by the design on how you want to lay your app out. Their would be a lot of engagement with the app and it would be cool if you could message your friends on it as well and see who is at the gym.
Technical
I do like how you added in that the budget is in the works because nobody really knows ever how much this would cost to make it work, and you seem to have a good idea on how long it will take this app to develop.
Audience
This audience would mostly be college students, and I think you made that clear in your posts, and also other people who are a member at the gym.
Creativity
The creatively to this project is really good. I can connect with this idea a lot because of how much I go to the gym and how frequently I would be using this app.
I like the idea of an app that lets people know if the gym is too crowded. I like UMaine’s gym a lot too, but I haven’t even used it in almost a year because every time I’ve been able to go I’m usually only there for like a few minutes because most of the areas I want to use are too crowded. Having an app where users let people know if an area is really crowded or if there’s a lot of space would be really helpful for people like me that generally don’t wanna use the gym
Looking at the sketch included in this post, it looks like the first page will have certain areas of the gym to click on to see how crowded they are or not. That part I like, but I’ll admit I’m not sure what the graph on the right is keeping track of. I know that on the top it says UMaine Rec Today, but I have no clue what the numbers on the bottom are supposed to represent.
I really like the idea of this project, and I certainly think that it targets and solves an issue that is big to those who use the gym. Daniel brought up an interesting issue about how people will change their hours once they find more open ones changing the app results. Maybe a solution could be if the app was more of a check in for people at the gym so that the results are more real time.
I like the design of the app how you would be able to check specific areas such as the pool vs the basketball court.
Concept
The issue: Sometimes people can’t use certain equipment because the gym is too crowded and someone is using it for a long time. I like the concept because I would like to avoid the most crowded times.
Design
I think a interactive map would help. You could make a map of the gym. When the mouse is over a certain area, the screen shows the number of people in that area.
Technical
The graph would be a good idea. It is informative.
Audience
The intended users would be people who go to University of Maine. They would like this project because they would like to know how many people there are at the gym.
Creativity
The issue is related to the creator. I go to the gym sometimes, so I can relate.