loop: email-based social calendar messages and cell alert system

loopJessica GattoInteractive MediaSpring 2007Kames & Powell

loop | concept models and persona | Jessica Gatto | Interactive Media Spring 2007

We are constantly juggling appointments, meetings, and family commitments along with social events, shows and gatherings.

Overwhelmed by what we have to do, it’s easy to lose track of what we want to do.

loop | concept models and persona | Jessica Gatto | Interactive Media Spring 2007 | concept models and persona | Jessica Gatto | Interactive Media Spring 2007


Problem

People want to see shows, try restaurants and attend events with friends.

Events and shows are often cancelled or forgotten amidst the chaos of everyday life.

People want access to their social calendar and daily options when on the go, i.e. at a restaurant, leaving work or at a friend’s house.


Introducing loop

Find events and invite friends to accompany you to shows, events, restaurants and bar outings.

Stay notified of changes in your social calendar and be reminded of places you would like to go.

Have access to your social calendar anywhere you go with your mobile phone.

Loop is a plug-in to Metromix and Gmail.

Problem

People want to see shows, try restaurants and attend events with friends.

Events and shows are often cancelled or forgotten amidst the chaos of everyday life.

People want access to their social calendar and daily options when on the go, i.e. at a restaurant, leaving work or at a friend’s house.

+


Holly Hostess

just secured her first job with an insurance company downtown and spends much of her time planning for the weekend.

Life goals:- become a successful sales rep for her insurance company- meet a guy she can’t live without- make new friends and strengthen current relationships

User end goals:- find something fun to do this weekend- share events and plans with friends- try the new restaurants and bars that she reads about online

User Personas

Marissa Maybe

busy graduate student who values her time with friends and family . . . when she can find it.

Life goals:- advance her career in environmental law- find a place to call home- make an impact on the world through hard work and dedication to a cause

User end goals:- let others know where she’s going and be able to change her mind and let all know- not miss the Metro show at the end of the month- see what friends are interested in doing


Vivien Visitorcurrently a med student in Los Angeles, went to undergrad in Chicago and often visits friends who have stayed in the area.

Life goals:- complete medical school and become a radiologist- meet someone smart, funny, and willing to deal with busy lifestyle

User end goals:- easily sign up for the same social network as friends in Chicago- see each and every friend regardless of different social groups- try a few new places and visit old favorites

User Personas

Wally Whatsup

career plans temporarily on hold, spends each night hopping between hip events, bars and restaurants.

Life goals:- find a job and a career that he enjoys- make his parents proud- find friends, keep friends, reconnect with old buddies who have lost touch

User end goals:- find the hottest events going on this weekend- make an appearance at every party or gathering- meet new people, make new connections


Interaction framework: find something to do

Uploads an event found online

Emails a friend an invitation

Reads about event

Accepts invitation

Forwards invitation to other friends

Reads about event

Declines invitation, sends email to invitor

System uploads event to social calendar (H)

Sends invite + message to W

System uploads event to social calendar (W)

Sends confirmation + message to H

Sends declination + message to W

Uploads a restaurant she would like to try

System uploads restaurant and location to individual social calendar

Uploads a concert date found online to her social calendar

System uploads event to individual social calendar


Contacts visiting friend regarding plans for the weekend

Friend tentatively accepts invitation

Uploads H’s calendar to her social calendar

System sends social calendar to V

System uploads weekend events from W social calendar to V social calendar

Sends invite + message to M

Emails friend entire month’s social calendar

System uploads event to social calendar (M)

Sends confirmation + message to H

Reads about events

Chooses to select 3 of 12 upcoming events to add to her calendar

Interaction framework: find something to do


Syncs calendar to cell phone before leaving for a night out


System uploads social calendar to individual cell phones

Marks locations on a local map


Checks calendar to see what events are nearby

Selects bar and alerts friends with same option

System texts all friends who have confirmed/tentatively confirmed event that night

Recieves alert and checks out alternatives

Decides to meet W at bar

System provides area events by distance, time, people, category, urgency

Checks the evening’s events

Concert sold out - decides to attend a play with friends

System lists chosen events and their nightly status.

Interaction framework: find an event on-the-go


User flow: post an event

remove invitation

send emailcompose new email

do not post to metromix

check friend availability

add invitees

compose message



Wireframe: post an event

Wally Whatup, Vivian Visitor, Marissa Maybe


Wireframe: post an event

Hey! We’ve added an invite to this email.

inviteMetromix posting

Wally Whatup, Vivian Visitor, Marissa Maybe


recieve invitation via

email

invite others (forward)

return email

accept invitation?

no

yes or maybe

User flow: accept/decline an invitation

Marissa Maybe

User end goals:- let others know where she’s going and be able to change her mind and let all know- not miss the Metro show at the end of the month- see what friends are interested in doing

invite others?

no

yes

read about event

check friends in attendance

get more info on Metromix


Wireframe: accept/decline an invitation

Holly’s Birthday Party!

512 N. McClurg Ct. #4208

Sunday, March 5 at 9:00pm

respond/upload:

yes

maybe

no

Xinvitees:

XX

yesmaybeno?*you are currently available

at this date and time

yes no maybe

www.metromix.com/barsandclubs/070227.html

Will you attend? Wally Whatup

Marissa Maybe

Vivian Visitor

view more friends



Holly’s Birthday Party!

512 N. McClurg Ct. #4208

Sunday, March 5 at 9:00pm

respond/upload:

yes

maybe

no

Xinvitees:

XX

yesmaybeno?*you are currently available

at this date and time

yes no maybe



Marissa Maybe

Vivian Visitor

view more friends

Friend 4

Friend 5

Friend 6

Friend 7

Friend 8

Friend 9


choose to browse

search

enter event or location description

choose friends to invite

enter area or genre

User flow: find something to do

attend event?

no


yes or maybe

reviews

map location

write a review

invite a friend?

no

yes

add message?

upload to calendar

no

yesenter

message

send invitation


Wireframe: upload an event from metromix


maybe

Wireframe: upload an event from metromix

uploading to calendar . . . yes


Wireframe: invite friends to event on metromix

message:

invite

*event has been uploaded as “maybe”

Wally Whatup

Marissa Maybe

Vivian Visitor

view more friends

maybeyes no

invite a friend?



message:

invite

Wally Whatup

Marissa Maybe

Vivian Visitor

view more friends

maybeyes no

invite a friend?

what do you guys think? we could stay for the show afterwards . . .

inviting friends . . .



message:

invite

Wally Whatup

Marissa Maybe

Vivian Visitor

view more friends

maybeyes no

invite a friend?

*invited Wally, Marissa, Vivian.


‘Hudson Lake’ Book Launch

The Green Mill

4802 N. Broadway


Laura Mazzuca Toops signs her historical Jazz Age novel about the architect of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, Machine Gune Jack McGurn, and other 1920’s mobsters. The book alow features The Green Mill as one of the settings.

Feb. 14: 6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Price: Free.Phone: 773-878-5552

yes no maybe



Marissa Maybe

Vivian Visitor

view more friends

*you are currently available at this date and time


User flow: find an event on-the-go

view events

who’s there

read details

notify friends

no

yes

Wally Whatsup

User end goals:- find the hottest events going on this weekend- make an appearance at every party or gathering- meet new people, make new connections

view restaurants

view friends’ locations

view suggestions

check map on PDA

change response?

select event for details

connect to friend via cell


Wireframe: fi nd an event on-the-go

suggested no’s exit

*Maiz Restaurant2156 N. California Ave.773-948-5555

Fernando’s Restaurant3680 N. Lincoln Ave.773-555-5555

*Wishbone Restaurant3120 N. Lincoln Ave.773-555-5555


Pat McCurdy @ Beat Kitchen 9pm3120 N. Lincoln Ave.

W

House of Sushi3001 N. Lincoln Ave.773-555-5555




Friday, February 8, 2007 8:52pm


Wireframe: find an event on-the-go


Blue Line RidersElbo Room2971 N. Lincoln Ave.9:00pm

Friend 1

Friend 2

Friend 3

Friend 4

Friend 5

Friend 6

Friend 7

there nowevent details

yes

no

maybe









W













W







*confi rmed


Vivien Visitor

User end goals:- easily sign up for the same social network as friends in Chicago- see each and every friend regardless of different social groups- try a few new places and visit old favorites

User flow: find something to do

find event on metromix

recieve confirmation

email

enter email address

select “yes”

choose to sign up?

yes

no

sign up for suggestions?

yes

confirm membershipno


Wireframe: create an account

upload this event to your PDA with loop!

sign up free!

your email address



thanks for joining loop! a confirmation email has been sent to your account!


Welcome to loop!

You’re offi cially one click away from being in the loop . . .

Based on the events, restaurants and parties that you attend over time, the loop staff will begin to suggest locations based on your history. These can be turned off and/or email us and we will remove the suggestion service. Thanks, and welcome!


confi rm


Welcome to loop!

You’re offi cially one click away from being in the loop . . .

Based on the events, restaurants and parties that you attend over time, the loop staff will begin to suggest locations based on your history. These can be turned off and/or email us and we will remove the suggestion service. Thanks, and welcome!

confi rm


membership confirmed!


On social networking . . .

A very fine line exists between sharing information and sharing too much information. An example of this controversy is the Facebook’s “News Feed,” released in mid-2006. Users were immediately appauled that the social networking site was posting their every move - what friends they had added, who they had messaged, and so on. They soon apologized for the control they took away from users and added new privacy levels to accomodate different user needs.

Social networking sites house cliques. While the name may shout “meet new people,” I found through speaking with people and looking at different sites that there are two distinct types of social network users: those who are looking to find new friends and those who want a new method of communicating with current friends. The ratio of the two types seems to vary substantially between sites (i.e. Facebook vs. LinkedIn).

The stigma has been lifted. I read in Harper’s Index that 1 in every 8 US couples that married in 2006 met online. No joke. I wonder where they got that information.

Social networking site users are loyal. Groups of friends have the tendency to be loyal to one social networking site while refusing to join others. I suppose this may stem from the exclusivity of sites like Facebook (which may change soon) and the annoyance of checking a number of different sites.

Different types of communication between single user and her or his contacts. What a user may say on a dating website is not something they want to share with a school networking site or with their parents via email. The clearest example of the problem this could create took place in 2004 when news broke that employers were looking up employees and potential employees on Google, Facebook, and MySpace.


Principles of design, hueristics

Consistency. Loop crosses over three distinct platforms, presenting a need for consistency. The primary use was color - red for “not going,” yellow for “maybe going,” and green for “defi nitely going.” Blue was used for system feedback, which includes suggested events and locations on the PDA/cell phone map. Both system feedback and suggestions are communicated in script with an asterisk preceding.


W

*confi rmed

Wally Whatup

Marissa Maybe

Vivian Visitor

view more friends

maybeyes no

invite a friend?

*invited Wally, Marissa, Vivian. Wally Whatup, Vivian Visitor, Marissa Maybe

loop: email-based social calendar messages and cell alert system

Technology

social events

new friends

social calendar calendar

friends house

life goals

busy lifestyle nd friends

hip events

hottest events