Thesis project: MyNeighbors.com

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MyNeighbors.com

Social Networking Website - User Interface/User Experience Design; Front-End Implementation

Project Breakdown

Unique Positioning Statement

There are many social networking websites with worthy competition but.....It is clear that my audience wants a more interactive “open source” experience to enhance benefits that knowing the neighbors brings them.

MyNeighbors.com meets those needs by having added features based on Web 2.0 technology, a consistent user experience and a greater focus on community-building..... below is a description of the functionality based on one area of the city of San Francisco, Nob Hill and the radius extended up to 1.5 mile.

Surveys and findings

In order to get some background information and identify the problem and the target audience, I used three methods: First, I found demographics of the city of San Francisco provided by the California Department of Finance. According to this, the estimated population of San Francisco city, as of January 1, 2010, is 856,095 with over 17,000 people per square mile. Moreover, the total housing units based on 2000 US Census data is 346,527. Then, I conducted an online survey (using SurveyMonkey.com) to compose a brief 5-question survey, which was mailed to friends and acquaintances living in the city of San Francisco. Finally, I talked to potential stakeholders by visiting complex apartment buildings and stores in the city of San Francisco. I collected the thoughts and opinions of 20 users in all.

Primary Target Audience

- Age group: 18 to 45 years old
- Gender: Male and female
- Ethnicity: All ethnicities
- Location: City of San Francisco

Details

- People who want to know their neighbors, feel more secure and be part of their community.
- Students who are new to a neighborhood and would like to introduce themselves and meet new people.
- People who are interested in staying up to date and participating in special events i.e. cultural, environmental, political events concerning their community.
- People in search of bargains and “hidden gems” within their neighborhood, i.e. garage sales, affordable dining, coffee shops, nightlife etc.

Personas

Julie Guerra
Admissions Representative at Academy of Art University
“I’ve just moved in SF with my lovely dog. Is anyone interested in dogs meet ups?”

Proﬁle

Age: 25
Location: Nob Hill
Occupation: Admissions Representative at Academy of Art
Work hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Platform: MacBook Pro 15’’
Browser: Safari, Mozilla
Technical Experience: Intermediate
Mobile: iPhone
Hobbies: Watching movies, dining, walking with her dog.

Technology

Front-end technologies
- HTML
- CSS
- JavaScript

Back-end technologies

- PHP / CodeIgniter PHP framework for full functionality
- MySQL database

Software applications

-Adobe Illustrator
-Adobe Photoshop
-Omnigraffle
-Google Maps JavaScript API V3 for full functionality.

Scenarios