Soft opening introduces new USU app
One of USU’s latest projects, the USU iPod App, has been approved by Apple and is now open for public use.
The application was originally set to be released Jan. 1, but the date was preceded and revealed on Apple iTunes Dec. 30, 2010.
“We like the soft opening,” said John Devilbiss, USU’s executive director of public relations and marketing. “It was a chance to make sure it was all in place and in very good timing for the return of our students.”
“It’s a welcome back gift,” DeVilbiss said. Although the app did cost the University around $6,000, the application is free and, “we want to keep it free,” he said.
“We’re happy first of all, that Apple accepted it. That puts us in a very good place because it essentially provides USU with an international platform on which to build and anywhere you go in the world you can pull up the USU app. It really puts USU in students’ pockets,” DeVilbiss said.
Lacey Nagao, ASUSU’s public relations director, was the student voice for the USU application. It was she who proposed the bill to the Executive Council for the application funding as well as student support.
“It makes USU progressive. I feel that as a student, I want to be a part of a progressive university,” Nagao said.
The application can be previewed on iTunes and is a USU original, with a Utah State University themed templates and widgets specifically specialized for the benefit of the students. It includes things such as a USU event calendar, bus routes, banner log-in and an office directory.
“What’s unique about this, is that we didn’t engage an outside, cut-and-paste model,” DeVilbiss said. “This is truly a USU-generated application that we did in conjunction with Utah State University’s PR office and the student ASUSU through the Interactive Design for Instructional Applications and Simulations (IDIAS).”
IDIAS is a department within the university whose objective, according to their website, is to “build on USU strengths in instructional design, interactive simulations and interface design to inform technology research and develop commercially viable and innovative products” through partnering with different entities on campus. Such was the case of the iPod application.
“The guts of it is where the instructional tech team comes in, they have all this wonderful expertise. Everything had to be though out very carefully, and involved USU all the way,” Devilbiss said.
Yuxuan Wang, a Ph.D. student in the Computer Science Department, was the lead programmer of the application with Brett Shelton, a lead investigator for IDIAS as well as a faculty member for the department of Instructional Technology & Learning Sciences, overseeing specific milestones, working with the Public Relations Office and making sure all agreements were in place.
The application began with a grant Shelton had, to help build a mobile application authoring system to assist hearing-impaired youth in their math skills.
“The PR office knew that we were working on mobile apps as part of the grant,” Shelton said, “and decided that it would be a good idea to build our own app rather than go through a thirrd-party company.”
Shelton also said with a third-party company involved the costs can vary and they would then keep the application code and programming and sell it to others, possibly making the USU application common and less unique. Because USU developed their own app they also own all of the rights.
For Wang, the actual process of developing an application through a program called Objective C, took about a semester’s worth of time not only to code and design the whole thing, but also to test the application, make some minor adjustments, and make sure the look and feel were an acceptable representation of the university.
“It took hard work for several different entities,” Nagao said. “The app would not have been possible without support from current students, alumni, and prospective students, but ASUSU officers understood the benefits the app would have on students.”
Many other groups were involved as well.
Shelton said artists were also used in the process to create the graphics and many of the different features, called widgets. The Public Relations office was also heavily involved in the “coordination between all of the groups.”
Shelton said, “We wanted to make sure people liked the way it looked and that the PR office was pleased with how it worked.” However, Shelton said the app is for the students, “and we want the students to be proud of it.”
Several students have already added their own opinions to the iTunes USU application page, reporting elements they like and think could be improved. Many of those who left comments appreciated features such as the events calendar, maps and campus news.
However, there have been opposing comments to make the application look more app-like and less like a web page.
“Are we perfect? No,” DeVilbiss said, “but are we striving for perfection? Yes. The comments help and we’re looking for suggestions. We’ll make adjustments along the way.”
“We just think its a great tool for our students and it’s a good start,” DeVilbiss said. “It’s a work in progress, it’s an application that we truly want to be useful and practical for students so we’re very open to ideas and suggestions. We encourage students to download it and use it and say what they like and don’t like and things they would like us to add to the application.”
The release of the iPod application is only the beginning, step one. Phase two is now in process.
“The key to that phase will be the introduction of the app to android users,” DeVilbiss said. “We’re meeting with the app team next week and I expect it to occur before the end of the spring semester.”
Because Android uses a different programming language than that of apple, the process of making an Android app will be a different process, Shelton said.
– allie.jeppson@aggiemail.usu.edu