TravelTech
Group Members
Yuchen Feng, ycfeng@mit.edu
Timmy Galvin, tgalvin@mit.edu
Neena Parikh, nsparikh@mit.edu
Problem Statement
MIT students often travel to new places whether it is for a summer in London or an IAP in New York. While some programs, such as MISTI, are very structured and provide students with living arrangements and a solid MIT network, other programs do not. When people travel to new places they often crave a familiar face, at least at first. MIT students currently do not have a tool to easily locate other MIT students when they are thrown into a new environment.
Problem Scenario: 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.
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 friends to hang out with and communicate with them via mass messaging.
- Find a trustworthy network.
A Solution: TravelTech: a web interface that facilitates location of and communication with other MIT students. 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.