Client: Dept. Electronics and Computer Science
Project: NaviGap Smartphone App
Date: March 8, 2017
Document Version: 1.0

JAMR Project Team: Who will be working on this project?

Module Comp 6217
Rachel Taylor Hamilton
Maria Bobkova
Amy Wales
Jason Deng

Assignment:  What’s our deliverable?

JAMR will develop a smartphone app called ‘NaviGap’ which is based on an online social network to help like-minded travel enthusiasts connect.

Program Background: What is the history of this client and the objective supporting this assignment?

JAMR’s objective is to help young people who plan to embark on a gap year, connect with like-minded travel enthusiasts in order to plan their trip and find travel companions. The online social network will connect individual and groups of gap year travelers, to discuss, plan and share travel information. It will allow users to discover and identify places of interest to visit, and important information regarding those places from users that have already been. It will enable users to connect to tailor their trips, incorporating tours and activities with people sharing the same interests.

Objective(s): What is our purpose? What are we trying to accomplish with this assignment?

• To connect gap year travel enthusiasts.
• To offer advice on travel planning.

Target Audience, Demographics / Psychographics: Who are we communicating to? What do we know about the target?

Primary Target: Gap year Travelers

Young people who wish to plan and take a trip/gap year and travel with(out) others.

Secondary Target: Experienced travel enthusiasts

We also want to attract people who have traveled to share their travel stories and advice others.

Opportunity: Based on the competitive marketplace, what presents itself as an opportunity? How will this app add value?

There are five categories of travel based apps currently available:

1. Booking Apps: e.g. Travel Republic.
2. Advice Apps: e.g. TripAdvisor
3. Magazine Guide Apps: e.g. NomadHead
4. Blogging Apps: e.g. Off Exploring
5. Volunteering Apps: e.g. Involver

There are no social networking travel based apps that we have encountered at this point. There is an opportunity to provide gap year travelers with a better and easier way to reach other travelers and real-time advice. We also have the opportunity to create a supportive community for travellers who may otherwise be traveling alone and/or to at-risk areas.

Tone and Manner: What adjectives would you use to describe the product/service? What are its attributes?

Helpful, engaging, inspirational

Work Scope: What is needed for this project?

Functional Specification Document (FSD) / Storyboard with wireframes detailing how the app will look and work, with what content/functionality is required for each screen.

Design a user interface for each screen including:

• User profile entry screen
• News feed
• Group chat
• Interactive Map

Development: Design and program a mobile app for Android and Apple iPhone that includes the functionality and designs set out.

Testing: Test apps across all supported mobile devices to ensure functionality works as described in the FSD.

Content and Functionality: What content will be included in the app? What is the required functionality?

Create a user profile

• Photo
• Name
• Location
• Travel photos
• Experience badges for posts

View user profiles

• Option to connect ’companion’
• Contact user via in-app message
• Tag users/ photos
• ‘Like’ travel ideas and destinations to visit

Post to ‘Trips Bulletin Board’

• Lists desired destinations
• Notifies users with same destination interests
• View ‘Wanted’ travel companion listings
• List view
• Map view
• Interactive map of places visited viewed by others
• Downloadable map with personal pins
• ”what the expert says” advice and facts will offer push notifications.
• Recommendations based on web data crawling and algorithm

Platform Accessibility: What mobile platforms are we optimizing for?

iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Android Smartphones, Future directions – Apple watch)

Creative Considerations / Mandatory Requirements: What should be considered when developing and creating this piece?

• How can this app help people to connect with like-minded travelers?
• How can we build a community to support travelers?

Post by @RachelHamilton