TravelTech
Group Members
Yuchen Feng, ycfeng@mit.edu
Timmy Galvin, tgalvin@mit.edu
Neena Parikh, nsparikh@mit.edu
Problem Statement
The Problem: MIT students often find themselves in new environments, whether it is a semester in London, an IAP in New York, or a summer UROPing in Cambridge. In each of these cases, there is a lot of planning to be done, contacts to be made, and a new network to be established. While some programs, such as MISTI, provide students with living arrangements and a solid MIT network, other programs do not. As a result, MIT students often find themselves in a position where they want to reach out to other MIT students near them, but cannot do so easily. In addition to students, other MIT affiliates such as staff members may also want to identify groups of MIT students by geographic location. The staff members may want to email out region-specific information and refrain from spamming the entire MIT list.
Problem Scenario #1: Sascha went to Germany last summer for an internship. Because she applied to a internship outside of MISTI, she does not have an established living arrangement or a list of MIT contacts who will be in Germany. She is looking for a roommate and a way to make friends in Germany.
Problem Scenario #2: Ella works for MIT Admissions and wants to organize a Meet and Greet for newly admitted prospective MIT students. She has already located an alumnus willing to host the event, but now faces the problem of advertising and inviting current MIT students. She wants to specifically target MIT students living within a 60 mile radius of the alumnus' house, but is at a loss as to how to do so.
Example User Needs:
- Find a roommate who is at least an MIT student, if not someone in the user’s living group or a friend of a friend.
- Make travel plans such as sharing a cab.
- Find and communicate with MIT affiliates via mass messaging.
- Find a trustworthy network/group.
The Solution: TravelTech: a web interface that facilitates location of and communication with other MIT affiliates. TravelTech is designed for usage by MIT students, faculty, and staff. It allows users to find other MIT affiliates who will be in the same geographic location at the same time. Once other users are found, TravelTech provides easy means of communication within this group of MIT affiliates. It addresses the above-mentioned user needs by providing an easy to learn graphical user interface.