Sparky +The Next Generation College Mobile Solution

Ruoyang Zhang ENG 302 Class ProjectAll rights reserved 08/06/2014

I called my mobile application “The Next Generation Mobile Solution”, but first, the question is why students needs an mobile application?

Why College Students Need A Mobile Application for Daily Life?

They need to use social networking websites to stay connect with the world everyday

They need a phone to be reached by other people

They need get school course updates, check their emails

They need to search internet for what the answers, anytime, anywhere

College Students True Needs

Access all their course contents anytime, anywhere

Stay connect with their friends, real time update of what is happening within the campus

Know the fun things to do around campus

Cheap consumer goods with fast delivery speed

User friendly website/tool to buy and sell staffs

Vacation/Event planning website with low price

Current Websites College Students Using

Social Networking Websites Facebook: World’s largest social networking website Twitter: popular micro blogd

Groupon: discounted gift certificated website

Amazon: Textbook/consumer goods online delivery company

Study website: StudyBlue, Quizlet (popular study material/flash cards share website among college students)

Buy/Sell staffs: Craigslist (World’s largest online catalog and free listing website

BlackBoard (Arizona State University official courses/online courses website solution provider)

Mobile Application Market Potential

New Generation Mobile Company Facebook: IPO in May 18th 2012 with $192 billion

current market value Twitter: IPO in November 2013 with $26 billion

current market value

Current education online/software solution leader Blackboard: their online course system been used

by more than 160 national universities with current estimated market value of $8 billion

ASU’s current mobile solution

MyASU Mobile Application developed by Arizona State University Department of Technology

Why MyASU Mobile Application is not good enough?

It did not meet students’ needs Basically students can do nothing in the application No social networking function built in No event list students interested To access course contents, needs download another

application

It was developed under HTML format Means the application itself running on web browser Without internet connection, the application can do

nothing

It did not optimized for smartphone

Current Customer Review of myASU App in Apple’s App Store

About Sparky +

The idea of Sparky + is to build a better version of MyASU

Sparky+ has all the built-in functions to satisfy students needs with in one application

Sparky+ can help you discover what’s inside and outside ASU’s campus

Sparky+ can also help you make friends, find parties, and stay up to date of your classes at the same time

Why Sparky+ is better?

Sparky+ is designed to be smart and intelligent, with minimum of info to input, it can automatic get everything from myASU’s website, like course assignment due dates, instructor’s contact info and classmates name.

How to define a smart mobile application

Sparky+ is also designed to help students know each other within the campus, even outside the campus. Just choose you hobbies, joined student organizations, it will automatically match you with the people you may know, or you may interested

By knowing your interests and courses taken, Sparky+ will also give you related contact info based on Arizona State University alumni database, to extend your social networking

Sparky+ will also allow you to post pictures about staffs you want to sell, matches with you the students needs them

Function IntroductionsSocial NetworkingSocial Networking:

Allow students share photos, videos and text and sync instantly to all the social networking websites connected to this account at the same time.

Function IntroductionsCourses Push NotificationOnce logged in to myASU account, Sparky+ will automatically download all the course deadlines and due dates, as well as or the event dates based on students’ interests, remind student in the right time and automatically organize students’ time.

Function IntroductionsEvent FinderTo enrich students after class life, Sparky+ will sync the campus area and input all the activities within school during the semester and update daily. Based on students interests, show events they may interested in the app.

This function optimized for smartphone and can directly message and invite friends.

Function IntroductionsFind ConnectionsOnce you logged into Sparky+, it will not only automatically input you class schedule, and also input your whole classmates including your instructor into your class contract list. Help you make friends, ask questions and score a better grade during the semester.

Target Market

Sparky+ currently will only focus on Arizona State University Tempe campus’ students and instructor, the function built in this app such as location and event list will specific optimize for Tempe area.

Sparky+ will first release in iOS plan form, come to android plan form later.

ASU has more than 60000 current enrolled undergraduate student, over 3000 undergraduate faculties, around 79% of the students have a smart phone.

Future Business Plan

Once Sparky+ collected enough data from ASU and have a stable version, it will extend to all four ASU campus.

For event list function, it would be a great business opportunity for business owners around campus to advertisement their products and services.

If it get success in Arizona State University, will consider working with other universities to deliver this application to other states, and optimize for other campuses.

Challenges We May Facing

Copyrights and tech supports from Arizona State University technology department.

Authentication costs of using Sparky logo and BlackBoard online system.

Questions?

Thank You

Work Citied

Arizona State University, T.D. (2014, July 28). myASU Computer Software. Apple App Store. Vers. 4.0.

Retrieved from https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/arizona- state-university/id453761080?mt=8

OOHLALA Mobile Inc. (2014, July 31). OOHLALA – Campus App Computer Software. Apple App Store. Vers. 5.3.0.

Retrieved from https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/oohlala-campus-app-events/id389713598?mt=8

Smith-Farrow. D. (2013, Dec 3). “10 Universities With the Largest Undergraduate Populations” , Retrieved from http://

www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/the-short-list-college/articles/2013/12/03/10-universities-with-the-largest-undergraduate-populations