“BathMap”
Creators: Anna, Shirley
Middle School Students from P.S./I.S. 95 The Gravesend School
Type of Project:
- Social Media,
- Visual Art & Design
Themes of Project:
- Community Advocacy,
- Physical Health,
- Resource Sharing
About this Project:
I am tired of constantly having to run around in search of a restroom when “nature calls.” I want to know where the nearest restroom is without having to stop by every single place to ask them. I also know many people that feel the same way as me. Many people out there have issues that may require them to be able to urgently find a restroom. Those people should be able to go out without fear of having an accident as well as being embarrassed. You can find a community of people just like you, and that feeling of “not being alone” in your troubles can also greatly help.
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Fun
Innovative
Helpful
Great Design
Makes Me Think
Feedback from the Judges:
This is a universally useful app, great idea! You identify a clear problem and provide some use cases to refine it. It would be great to see some quotes from people, really feel the impact of the problem. As you iterate I recommend narrowing the focus on functionality, make it really good and reliable at showing restrooms nearby then conduct user research and see how people might want to extend the functionality. It would be nice to tie it into maps and show bathrooms along my common routes. Dig the idea and think there's a lot of potential.
This app is intuitive and useful with mass-market potential. Ability to skip the logging in or creating an account is particularly handy from a user's perspective. Since such apps are not difficult to develop given the availability of APIs and plugins for location data, consider what compels someone to choose your app instead of similar ones that may already be released by the time you release yours. Ongoing ethnographic research tracing different user personae might be helpful.
What a clever concept with “BathMap” as I think that we have all had a time while out and about where you do need to get to a restroom asap. The creation of this app is providing a well needed solution to this urgent dilemma. “Not being alone” is a true statement of this circumstance and you have found a great option with this app which will be quick and easy to use. You can even take this concept to the next level and had other options such as “handicap accessible” to ensure that you are meeting the needs of all potential users. Excellent job!