Required permissions: Internet access, Phone number, GPS location, Notifications
General Premise: The RU Dining? App connects friends with busy schedules to share a meal. Rutgers is a unique environment which offers 4 different dining halls and while this is a convenient means of eating wherever your classes may be, this also creates division amongst friends who would like to relax and eat together. The RU Dining? App seeks to rectify desynchronicity between friends’ schedules by providing a convenient and non intrusive way to see when and where your friends are eating.
Convenient and Non Intrusive (And Explanation of the Menu): Our primary goal in development of the RU Dining? App is to provide a convenient experience that is easy, quick, and noninvasive to the privacy of the user. The app functions very simply and uses as few screens as possible to achieve its goal. When opened, the app immediately opens into the Menu screen, which provides 3 different lists that group friends. The first and default tab, “All,” is a display of all of the friends that the user has added regardless of current status. The names are displayed in alphabetical order and will be in green if currently eating. Their location is displayed on the right justified side of the page. From the All tab is where you will add friends using the “ Add Friend” button at the top of your current friends list and display your current eating status. More on adding friends and displaying your status follows in the next two sections. The next tab, “Available,” is a list of only the currently eating users on your friends list along, with their location. The last tab is the “Groups” tab which allows users to build and title groups of friends for a more convenient experience. All tabs are updated automatically without needing to refresh or exit the app. The refresh rate of the app is 1 minute.
Adding Friends and Creating Groups: In coherence with our convenience policy, users need not create an account to use the RU Dining? App. Your identity is determined by a one time sign in which confirms your phone number and asks you to input your first and, optionally, last name. Your name can be changed any time under the Options menu on the Menu screen. Users add each other by their phone numbers when prompted after touching the Add Friends button on the Menu screen. A pop up search window will ask for the intended user’s phone number. When entered and the search button is pressed, the window will display the intended user’s name and phone number, as well as an Add button and Cancel button to return to the Menu screen. After pressing the Add button, the button’s text will change to “Request Sent,” indicating the intended user has received a notification requesting their acceptance. Groups are managed similarly. To create a group, navigate to the Groups tab and press the Options button to bring up a selections panel. Select “Create Group” to open a popup that will ask for a title of the new group as well as a search box and list of current friends to add the users’ names. To add a user to an already existing group, navigate to the Groups tab and press the name of the group to open up its individual page. From here, press Options and select “Add Friend.” This will bring up a search box and list of current friends, where you can select the user’s name. You can leave a group at any time by navigating to its individual group page and selecting “Leave Group” from the Options menu.
Displaying Your Status: To change your status to “Eating,” swipe right on the All tab on the Menu screen. This will pull over a half screen from the left that displays the “Are You Eating?” button. Once pressed, the button will turn green and a location identifier will start by saying “Locating…” in the Location Bar. This will select your campus location based on GPS. If the GPS displays the wrong location, you can manually select your location by clicking the “Choose” option and selecting your current campus on the pop up. After changing your status to eating, you do not have to manually change it back. The app will automatically change your status to “Not Eating” when you have left the dining hall and traveled a small distance away from it. You can disable this feature under Extra Options from the Options menu.
Menu Screen: #on the bar at the top: ALL | AVAILABLE | GROUPS||Options
#defaults to ALL #ALL lists all friends names, by alphabetical order, and their status #AVAILABLE displays currently eating friends #GROUPS displays user made groups #GROUPS works akin to Facebook groups, such that if you add people it a group, everyone is notified and then is part of that group. this prevents people from adding others unknowingly and using the app to stalk. #can swipe to the left or click on the tab in the bar to switch tabs
adding friends creating groups leaving groups adding users to pre existing groups changing eating status
Options Menu:
From the All tab: -Add Friend -Create Group -Change My Status -Extra Options -Help
From a Friend’s page: -Edit Page (pop up to change name) -Delete Friend (pop up “are you sure?”)
From the Available tab: -Add Friend (add friend pop up) -Create Group (create group pop up) -Change My Status (status screen slides from the left) -Extra Options (new screen) -Change Name (change name pop up) -Auto GPS (enabled/disabled slider) -Help (new screen) -How to Use (text) -How to Use (Video)
From the Group tab: