RyanL – Design Guide Check

1. PROJECT:

For my New Media Capstone, I want to create an app called “JoyRyde”. This app is going to allow people who go on drives to blow off steam, de-stress, or smoke in the amount of time they choose, with whatever scenery they prefer. When the joyryde is over, the app will send them back to their original position. This app will use geolocation and mapping to determine the most time-accurate loop from your location and back, and allow you to set the amount of time you’d like to be on your joyride. As an example, someone could set the time to 20 minutes, and scenery to rural. The app would calculate a loop that takes approximately 20 minutes to get back, going through more rural areas and backroads.

2. KEY VALUES (YOURS, AND THOSE OF PROJECT):

It supports the mental health of humans by allowing them to go on joyrides without worrying about time or route, because the app takes care of it for them. It also provides a community of like-minded joyriders that can get together on rides.

3. MEASURE OF SUCCESS:

CONSIDER YOUR PROJECT AND HOW YOUR DESIGN CHOICES MAY AFFECT EACH OF THE SIX HUMAN SENSITIVITIES DESCRIBED ABOVE. BESIDE EACH SENSITIVITY, LIST WAYS THE PROJECT CURRENTLY ENGAGES THESE, AND WAYS YOU MIGHT IMPROVE ON CURRENT PRACTICES.

4. EMOTIONAL

The project allows people to create emotional connections with other joyriders by allowing them to link up with people and potentially meet new friends.

4. ATTENTION

The attention is less on how much time they have left, and more on themselves allowing them to think their problems over and blow off steam during the ride.

4. SENSEMAKING

The people using the app can feel grounded knowing the app takes care of their drive route for them, allowing people to focus on the road.

4. DECISIONMAKING

Instead of putting stress on others, it lets the people using the app get away on their own drive to take out their anger.

4. SOCIAL REASONING

It let’s people connect with other people struggling, sort of like a group therapy session in a car ride.

4. GROUP DYNAMICS

The app has an option to connect to other joyriders and make new connections as a community, ultimately helping personal relationships.

NOW DEVELOP AN ACTION STATEMENT FOR HUMANE TECHNOLOGY USING YOUR EVALUATION ABOVE AND PRIORITIZATION FROM THE PREVIOUS SHEET.

This project focuses on the human need of destressing and venting, and allows the community to come together to battle the struggle with mental health, ultimately saving relationships from unwarranted stress and resentment.

10. IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR PROJECT CURRENTLY ENGAGE HUMAN SENSITIVITIES?

    • Which specific elements might warrant redesign?
      • There are probably better ways I could design this to be more community based, such as allowing riders to request joyrides too for people with no access to a car.
      • Are the success criteria in tension with any sensitivities?
        • Not really.

11. HOW MIGHT YOUR PROJECT SUPPORT OR ELEVATE HUMAN SENSITIVITIES?

    • This project will help human sensitivities because a lot of the time with technology people are feeling lonelier and more secluded from the community. This app helps people get back that sense of community and allows people to connect to others with the same struggles.

12. ACTION STATEMENT

    • What is one thing you want to learn more about?
      • Making apps, coding
    • What would you like to discuss with your team?
      • How to focus this around mental health
    • What would you like to design or prototype?
      • • My joyride app
    • Are there any new design principles you might employ?
      • Probably a new system more community based.