For our midterm projects due next week, I have two potential directions I'd like to take. The first is an AR Google Streetview experience, and the second keeps track of how often you spend time with your friends.
Google StreetView Travel Machine
Do you remember Super MarioWorld, and the idea that you navigate this island to go into different levels? The island seems small, but as you get to certain points, you are led through a tunnel into an expansive world?
So, that's kind of the outer shading of my idea for a mobile app that allows you to explore Google Streetview all over the world. Using your geolocation data, it turns Manhattan into something like MarioWorld. Depending on where you are, StreetView takes you to another place. For example, the Lower East Side could be the portal to Paris, and then, as you navigate the streets of Manhattan, all of a sudden the world inside your phone makes it seem as if you're in Paris. The idea of tethering two different maps to one another is what originally gave me this idea. I also like the idea that many people consider New York to have everything you could ever need in terms of culture and exploration. In this mobile experience, you can explore the world's cities without ever leaving Manhattan.
Friendship, IRL
My second idea comes from trying to balance my personal life with work and school. I often feel like I never see my friends, especially those that don't go to ITP.... but is that necessarily true? How long has it been since I've seen Kim, or how often do I really hang out with my boyfriend? It works by first entering the names of specific friends, and, with user input, tracks how often you see each friend. Another variable could track what you actually do with those friends. Do you always go to dinner at the same spot with Zoe? Are you always getting coffee with Marika?
If you haven't seen your friend in a certain amount of time, you can set reminders that alert you to make plans soon. These are specific to individual friends, because some people we're comfortable with just seeing twice a year, and others we'd like to see weekly.
I see this as useful, but also interesting conceptually with regards to online networks for friends, that actually rarely connects them in real life.