Fun + Meaning2 = 2030 finals

designspace: Fun + Meaning2 = 2030 finals

DesignSpace noticed that the time spent in a public transit commute is often a wasted opportunity for fun. Today I Learned is a mobile-based interactive learning application that seeks to transform our often-idle public transit trip into a dynamic opportunity for fun, community development, and art. Users will be able to send 140-character SMS text (beginning with the words Today I Learned) to anonymously contact other users of the app who are located at the same transit stop. Users will decide whether a message is interesting, uninteresting, or offensive. Messages that are most interesting will get re-posted at the next stop, nurturing a fertile learning environment. The program will use a Twitter-like interface that uses the GPS already installed in phones and buses to transmit text to other users. Today I Learned is a platform for innovative and engaging user-generated content that can revolutionize public transit, social media and platforms for learning. What did you learn today?

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Fun + Meaning2 = 2030 semi finals

designspace presents "Today I learned..."

Designspace sees the time spent riding the transit as a wasted opportunity: nowhere else are diverse groups so randomly chosen. Today I learned is a mobile-based interactive learning application that seeks to transform the often-wasted public transit commute into a dynamic opportunity for community development, art, and fun by creating a mobile platform for discussion among riders. Users of the Today I learned application will be able to send 140 character SMS text beginning with the app’s title anonymously only to other users who are located at the same transit stop. Other users will be able to decide whether a message is “interesting”, “uninteresting”, or “offensive”, directly affecting the lifespan of the text. These words were chosen to highlight provocative and new ideas rather than merely the most popular ideas, with the intention to create a more fertile learning environment. Messages that are most “interesting” will get re-posted at the next stop. A user viewing the interface would experience an “update” every time the vehicle he/she is riding in reaches a new station. Uninteresting ideas will be removed, and interesting ideas from users waiting on the platform and users on connecting transit routes will be added to the scroll of ideas on a user’s phone. Other users will also be able to anonymously reply to these ideas, to encourage human connection and crowdsource innovation. Ideas found most interesting should travel great distances. The program will work by using a twitter-like interface that uses the gps already installed in the phones and trains to transmit messages to the appropriate users. The data pathways of interesting ideas will be colorfully mapped in real time on the main webpage for each region, with an audio component for the visually impaired. Today I learned will revolutionize both public transit and social media, saving the former from tedium and the grounding the latter in place. Today I learned will be the local platform for innovative and engaging user-generated content. What did you learn today?

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