Assignment 2: Divergent Design
Assignment Instructions
These are the 6.1040 assignment instructions for this assignment. It goes into greater depth about the expectations, requirements, and deliverables for this assignment. It also includes a rubric detailing how this assignment will be graded.
Application Summary: Community Carpool
Community Carpool: A communal carpooling service.
Parents driving their children to the same destination as other parents can be easily linked with other families making similar trips. This allows them to quickly set up carpools with other kids that are participating in the same after-school activity.
Currently, the process of setting up carpools is relatively laborious, manual, and inefficient. With Community Carpool, the process of arranging carpools for their children is drastically simplified, automated, and optimized.
Definitions
| Term | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
Activity | An Activity is an organized (after-school) program that takes place on a regular/periodic basis. | MIT Varsity Water Polo |
Activity Manager | The Activity Manager is the group leader or organizer that is responsible for leading and managing the activity. They are affiliated and represent the organization that is hosting/running the Activity. | Coach Austin Ringheim |
Participant | A Participant is a member of an Activity. Unlike the Activity Manager (who is responsible for organizing and running the Activity), a Participant is simply a person that partakes in or signed up for the Activity. Participants are the guardians of the children that partake in an Activity. | Tim the Beaver |
Neighbor | A Neighbor is another Participant who also partakes in the same Activity. Neighbors are relative: A Participant is a Neighbor for all other Participants in an Activity. | John Harvard the Pilgrim and Rhett the BU Terrier |
Carpool | A Carpool is a subset of Participants all participating in the same Activity that has established a carpool with each other. | Tim the Beaver and Rhett the BU Terrier |
Carpooler | A Carpooler is the driver of a Carpool. They are responsible for actually transporting all Participants in the Carpool to the Activity. | Tim the Beaver |
How It Works
An activity organizer (a coach, school, etc.) would set up a profile on the app, establishing themselves as an Activity Manager. The would create a corresponding Activity for the activity/program that they manage. Parents would also set up their own personal profiles on the app (they would be Participants), entering their home address as well as other relevant information about them and their children. Parents would request to join the Activities that their children are a part of, and only the Activity Manager (the organization that created the Activity) can approve these requests to join the Activity.
This manual membership approval process ensures that the
Activity Manageris aware of every single member in theActivity. This negates the risk of bad-actors erroneously/maliciously becoming members of groups that they should not be part of and consequently gaining access to potentially sensitive data about a family and their children.
Members of an Activity would be able to see how many miles/minutes away they are from their Nearest Neighbors.
Important Note
Only parents of kids that are participating in a particular after-school activity would be eligible to be Carpoolers. External drivers would not be able to become Participants or members of an Activity.
Example
Chef Evan is the Head Chef of a biweekly cooking class titled "How to Live Off of Beans" that he is teaching at a local Culinary Institute. Alex, Colin, and Henry sign up for Chef Evan's classes.
Chef Evan would be the Activity Manager for the Activity titled "How to Live Off of Beans", since he is the one that is organizing and leading the Activity. Alex, Colin, and Henry are all Participants of this course, and are therefore each others Neighbors.
Alex and Colin set up a Carpool with each other, designating Colin as the Carpooler since he will be the driver of the Carpool. Colin was chosen to be the Carpooler because he lives further away than Alex from Chef Evan's cooking course and Alex's home is along Colin's route to the course. Unfortunately Henry lives across town from Colin and Alex, so there isn't a convenient method of transporting him to the class in a carpool.
Features
In this section, a "list" of 15 intended features is included. Each feature includes a one-line "Summary" (as described in the assignment instructions), as well as "Additional Details" which goes into greater depth regarding the intended feature and how it could be implemented.
Activity Groups
Form Activity Groups, which are organized events that Participants can become members of, representing that they partake in an Activity.
Participant Profiles
A Participant would be a person (or a parent)'s profile where they can register for the Activities that they (or their children) partake in.
Activity Schedule
The Activity Manager would be able to establish a formal calendar with the times of the Activity as well as location details for where the Activity will take place.
In-App Messaging
A builtin method of communication between Participants in an Activity.
Algorithm to Determine Nearest Neighbors
From all of the Participants in an Activity, there would be an algorithm that is able to compute the closest other Participant (Nearest Neighbor) to a Participant.
User-Specified Nearest Neighbor Computation
Participants can choose different methods of computing their Nearest Neighbors, taking physical distance, estimated ride-time, as well as expected impact on total commute-time to account.
Carpool Groups
Carpool Groups can be established as a collection of Participants who are all participating in the same Activity with a designated driver (Carpooler) and its own webpage to include details about the Carpool.
Participate in Multiple Activities
Participants would be able to join multiple Activities.
Route Planning and Ride Time Estimations
Carpoolers that need to pick up kids would be able to view an optimized route to their Activity, taking traffic conditions as well as the locations of Carpool Members into account.
Location-Sharing During Trips
For safety reasons, Carpoolers' realtime locations would be shared with all of the Participants whose kids are riding in the Carpooler's vehicle.
Activity-Wide Carpool Requests
Participants would be able to make a formal Carpool request to the entire Activity.
Karma
There would be an Activity-level Karma tracker, a Profile-level Karma tracker, as well as a Participant-to-Participant Karma tracker tracking how good/bad a Participant has been.
Carpool Comments
Each Carpool group would have its own page that includes details about the Carpool such as Participants' comments and other information.
Climate Impact Statistics
The app could have climate-impact metrics, calculating the additional positive/negative impact Carpools have had on the climate.
Personal Calendar Integration
This app could build a calendar/schedule of Carpools and anticipated commute-times, integrate with a user's personal iCal, Outlook Calendar, or Google Calendar.
VSD Analysis
Value Sensitive Design must be considered when developing a product that will be deployed and used by a vast number of people. It is important for developers to consider the impacts of their products, anticipate (or at least put some thought into) potential impacts and consequences of their product, as well as be mindful of how their product might impact the world.
Stakeholders
Identifying the people directly or indirectly impacted
Non-Targeted Use
Definition
Technologies are not always used in ways that the designers intended. Who might use your app for unplanned or nefarious purposes? In what ways might they do so?
Location Sharing During Carpools
| Observation | Design Response |
|---|---|
If an unauthorized user were to gain access to a Carpool's realtime location data as that carpool is commuting to the Activity, that could put everyone involved at risk and would be a breach of privacy. | Activity Managers would need to manually approve every member of the Activity. Additionally, only members of the Carpool (and the Activity Manager) would be able to view this sensitive data, and the Carpooler would need to manually approve the Carpool's membership. |
Children
Definition
Children often appropriate systems originally designed for adults. How might this system influence a child's social and moral development? Develop a scenario that portrays a seven-year old interacting with your app. How might your app influence the child's learning, or play with other children?
In-App Messaging
| Observation | Design Response |
|---|---|
| It is up to the parent whether they or their child is the main user on the platform, so if children were to use the app, they could be exposed to potentially un-moderated or inappropriate content posted by somebody else. | There should be content moderation algorithms in-place to ensure that only appropriate messages/content is shared through the platform. This includes filtering out inappropriate messages or blocking users who send unwanted content. It should be possible for users to report spam or other content that violates community guidelines. |
Time
Thinking through short, medium, and long-term effects
Reappropriation
Definition
In some cases, after a system has reached widespread use, it is later reappropriated in novel ways by the same community (e.g., use of telephone wires to deliver Internet service). What are 2-3 ways that your app is or might be reappropriated? Consider how this reappropriation might affect both the community in which it originated and new communities of use.
Route Planning and Ride Time Estimations
| Observation | Design Response |
|---|---|
This app would be able to create a hyper-optimized route for Carpoolers that are picking up Carpool Members, taking users' locations, proximity to the Activity, and traffic conditions into account to optimize the Carpooler's drive. Schools Districts might use this aspect of the program to plan bus routes, picking up students while taking vehicle capacity into account, optimizing for efficiency and distributing buses as needed. | The app could have a feature where a user enters their starting location, vehicle capacity, and destination (in addition to any pick-up locations along the route) to generate the most optimal and efficient route for this drive. |
Adaptation
Definition
People are inherently adaptive, changing themselves or their behaviors in order to fit current conditions. Technologies can facilitate adaptation (e.g., a device that displays home energy use may encourage a homeowner to turn out the lights) or hinder adaptation (e.g., a person may be prevented from adopting a useful new technology if it is incompatible with other currently used technology). What is a lifestyle change that you app might support? Does it inhibit any positive lifestyle changes, or encourage negative ones?
Karma
| Observation | Design Response |
|---|---|
People that are chronically late might be bothered by the Karma feature of the app, as this would publicly display how "good" a Participant is with this app. This might push users to act better than they normally would, or may discourage them from using the app altogether. | While the app should always track a user's Karma, Participants and Activity Managers can be presented with the option to disable Karma from being displayed for themselves or the entire Activity. While the goal of Karma is to pressure/encourage better behavior, it shouldn't be something that discourages use of the app. |
Sustained Friendships
Definition
As we integrate technologies into our lives, they may affect or be affected by our relationships with other people. How might your app influence how people make and sustain friendships and family relationships? Imagine five years out from now and consider 3-5 ways your app might influence friendships and family relationships.
Carpool Groups
| Observation | Design Response |
|---|---|
Long-time Carpool Groups might develop friendships and relationships after years of carpooling to the same activity with each other. Even after the Activity concludes (or people "outgrow" the Activity), there could be a way to connect with previous Carpools if a user chooses to do so. | After a certain period of time, Participants can choose whether or not they wish to share more "direct" contact information with others in the Carpool. The app may prompt Carpools to share their contact information with other members of the carpool if they wish to stay connected with them. |
Pervasiveness
Imagining what might happen if the design is broadly adopted
Diverse Geographies
Definition
A system designed for one geographic setting may perform quite differently in other geographies (e.g., a laptop computer designed for an urban setting may not function well in a desert setting). Enumerate 2-3 diverse geographies. For each geographic setting, consider ways in which your app has or could be adapted to better fit that environment.
User-Specified Nearest Neighbor Computation
| Observation | Design Response |
|---|---|
Users in different geographies may define Nearest Neighbors differently depending on the most commonly used mode-of-transportation, traffic conditions, weather conditions, and more. | Users would be able to specify how they would like their Nearest Neighbors to be calculated. In regions where the subway/metro is the most popular form of transportation, a user can define "Nearness" to be a Participant's proximity to a metro stop. There would be a number of different methods for calculating "Nearness" that each user can choose depending on their personal preferences. |
Values
Evaluating in terms of common values such as autonomy, community, inclusion and fairness
Value Tensions
Definition
Value tensions occur when supporting one value in a technology challenges another value (e.g., sharing more information in a social networking system may support sociability, but reduce privacy). They can occur within a single individual (conformity vs. autonomy), between an individual and a group (individual privacy vs. national security), or across different groups vs. a culture that values interdependence. Brainstorm three value tensions that your app might experience. For each value tension, identify one or more design features that favors one of the values over the other.
Activity Groups
| Observation | Design Response |
|---|---|
Activity Groups are inherently public and private. They are public to everyone participating in the Activity, but private to everyone else. Users' addresses can be shared with the entire group, meaning that all members of the Activity have access to this data. | To juggle the right to privacy while still maintaining the utility/functionality of the application (which requires that people collaborate with each other), people can be prompted to opt-in or opt-out to certain features. Participants that opt-out to share certain data with the Activity would not be able to view that data for other users in the Activity. |
Environmental Sustainability
Definition
Many systems can be applied or extended to support a desirable environmental outcome (e.g., a system designed to support efficient printing from web browsers may lead to less use of paper and ink). At the same time, systems may have unintended negative effects on the environment (e.g., pollution and waste created in the production of electronics). How might your app and its design support a position environmental outcome? How might it or its use lead to negative effects (intended or unintended)?
Climate Impact Statistics
| Observation | Design Response |
|---|---|
| By encouraging and enabling carpools, this app might lead to a reduction in the amount of vehicles driving to the same destination. This would positively impact the environment through reduced transportation emissions. | Users can be periodically reminded of their climate impact through their use of the app and Carpools. This might encourage people to set up more Carpools, or be more conscious of how their commuting habits contributes to the climate. The app could also make "suggested Carpools" for people that are very close to each other and are commuting to the same location, encouraging the creation of more Carpools even without the user's direct input. |
Concepts
What is a Concept?
| Semantic | Purposive | Modular |
|---|---|---|
| user facing, not internal not UI, but underlying function behavioral not just structural | fulfills a user need included for a reason end-to-end, not a fragment | mutually independent generic (polymorphic) reusable in other apps |
| Concept Name | Purpose | Operational Principle |
|---|---|---|
| User | Individuals (Participants) must be represented within the app. | Users would be able to create unique Profiles for themselves, as well as interact with the application. The app is for the User, so the User-experience must be prioritized. |
Profile or Participant | Participants would be able to represent themselves and their information in the way that they desire on the app. | A profile representing an actual human being can be created with a user's associated data. Users would be able to customize their public profile to their liking, configuring their privacy settings (as well as other features) exactly as they desire. |
Activity Groups | A small, designated sub-community within the app of users that share the commonality of being members of this activity. | Activity Groups enable users to communicate with each other, share relevant activity-related information with one another, and connect with others that participate in the same Activity. Those in Activities would be able to setup Carpools with each other. |
Carpool Groups | A sub-community within an Activity of people that all commute to an Activity together in an organized fashion. | Mapping information, realtime location data, addresses, and other information would be shared within a Carpool. Carpools are composed of Participants, have shared communication, and tend to be smallest "groups" of Participants in the app. |
| Posts | Users can share content/information publicly with each other. | Within an Activity or Carpool, Participants can post different content that is viewable to all other members of the Activity or Carpool. This information is assumed to be relatively publicly viewable. |
| Messaging | Users would be able to message each other and communicate within the app. | Depending on a User's privacy settings, they can communicate with other users in the same Activity or in the same Carpool. This dialogue is necessary for coordinating rides and general communication. |
| Comments | Users can engage with posts and content interactively. | Users can comment on posts, sharing their insights, thoughts, opinions, or preferences with those that can see the original post. This facilitates a dialogue between users where ideas, feedback, and responses can be shared. |
| Karma/Upvote System | Enables the community to give positive/negative feedback to a post, user's timeliness, or other concept. | After a series of up-/down-votes, concepts (posts, other users, etc.) can be ranked based on their popularity and compliance with the groups' expectations. |
Dependency Diagram
User Interface Concepts
Carpool Page Layout
Activity Page
