Interaction Design: ScubaBuddy

With interaction design in mind, I designed an app for local divers to record their diving information, where it can later be accessed by anyone interested in the health of the Puget Sound. I started by asking, who would be interested in recording and accessing information about the status of the Puget sound? A walkthrough of the app can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nr26Z-brGSI

And a preview of the app here: https://popapp.in/w/projects/57fbf81a9bc3240d159ec97d/preview

Immediately, I thought of divers. A diver may be interested in planning and recording their dives through this app, so they would readily record information that can be accessed. This meant that I had to figure out how to allow the uploading of new data as well as the observation of data already in place.

The main difficulty was finding a smooth way to navigate between uploading data and viewing data. I decided to go with a system of tabs and pages. The main transitions were between three main pages, and within those pages were tabs that held various different types of information, corresponding to a symbol. Additionally, this allows the recovery of errors by simply tapping on a different tab, making navigation simple and effective. Additionally, I learned that the word “turbidity” means murkiness of water, and I was more than pleased to add that word to the app.

This project was interesting because it required me to think about the point at which someone would want to upload their own information into a database. More specifically, I asked myself, would someone want to see original information before overwriting it, or upload information in a completely different location entirely? Additionally, I got to experiment with some of the transitions available on Pop, and I had some fun deciding when and where transitions would be appropriate. At first, I added far too many and found out that it really is difficult to judge the quality of something before trying it out yourself.

This work could be valuable anywhere that data is being recorded and accessed from different places. This system is not tailored for mass data gathering, but rather specific pieces of information. This could be useful for park rangers, small business owners, managers, environmentalists, and basically anyone who wants to record small pieces of data. It works most effectively in a community where there are multiple sources updating the information throughout the day, and people checking the information regularly.