University Friend Finder410copper/handouts/Feasibility_V... · 2019-12-10 · University Friend...

University Friend FinderOld Dominion University

CS410 - Team CopperFall 2019 10/31/2019 v2

Table of ContentsTeam Copper

Problem

Solution

Major Functional Components

What University Friend Finder Won’t Do

Risks

Competition

Summary

References

2CS410 - Team Copper Fall 2019 OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY 10/3/2019

Team Copper- University Friend Finder

Matthew FulfordUI/UX Designer

3

Kira DeGrawProduct Manager

Jay SpeidellProject Manager

Mimi HoDatabase Engineer

Caden ConnerSoftware Engineer

Michael WadeArchitect

Brian JulienSoftware Developer

Duy Khang NguyenTechnical Analyst

CS410 - Team Copper Fall 2019 OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY 10/3/2019

Background1. Having friends is an essential part of life, but friends can

be hard to find.2. In a video gone viral ( October 2017), a first year Cornell

University student, Emery Bergmann, is curled up on her bed, hunched over her phone, lamenting how she hasn’t found friends on her new campus.

3. In a 2017 survey of nearly 28,000 students on 51 campuses by the American College Health Association, more than 60 percent said that they had “felt lonely” in the previous 12 months. ( Source: Why Socializing is Imperative for College Success).

4. The survey also showed that loneliness is a contributing factor to overwhelming anxiety and depression, 12% of the students also stated that they had considered suicide.

5. Students with a high degree of loneliness score an average of two letters grades below their peers (10).


http://www.acha-ncha.org/docs/NCHA-II_SPRING_2017_UNDERGRADUATE_REFERENCE_GROUP_EXECUTIVE_SUMMARY.pdf

Friendship Benefits for College Students● Friendships and peer groups have an effect on behavior. Students with strong peer groups are

more likely to:

○ develop a full-sense of identity (17)

○ persist through graduation (16)

○ and engage in positive behaviors on college campuses. (18)

● Friends may extend your life: 2010 research claims the effect of social ties on life span is twice as strong as exercising.(14)


Problem Statement According to The Foundation of Art and Healing, 64% of students feel very lonely which can result in students becoming more isolated and depressed and can negatively impact academic performance and their mental and physical well-being.


Problem Characteristics ● Finding friends in a university environment relies heavily on face-to-face interactions (in the classroom, in the

dorm, an at event,...)

● Online and night class students have limited, if any opportunity to meet and develop friendships.

● Schools invest heavily in first year orientation programs, but more than 10% of students transfer in after

freshman year. (5)

○ Part of the first-year orientation focuses on social integration to help their transition to college, transfer,

non-traditional, and international students often have different challenges in this area.

● Interaction among students tends to evolve around fellow classmates or common majors.

● Available social media options for finding friends do not satisfy the preference of students who want to

explore friendship opportunities strictly within their university community.

● Social media options may also pose additional risks to students exploring friendship opportunities.

○ Students with a high degree of loneliness score an average of two letter grades below their peers. (10)

● There currently is not an effective tool that provides students the opportunity to explore friendship

opportunities based on their individual interests within the broader university environment.


Customers/Users and Stakeholders Customers/Users:

● Students looking for new friends at their university.● Students looking for organizations/clubs to join at their university.● Students seeking friendship opportunities with specific cultural, ethnic, or underrepresented groups.● Campus clubs and organizations.● Advertisers who want visibility with the student body.

Stakeholders:

● Instructors and advisors interested in guiding students through a successful college experience.● Campus student engagement organization tasked with managing, monitoring and improving the

student experience through effective social integration.● Parents/loved ones interested in the emotional and physical health and academic performance of

their student. ● Universities seeking to reduce drop-out rates through increased student engagement.


Current Process Flow


Solution StatementUniversity friend finder is a mobile application designed to help students match other students within their university community who will help them grow both personally and academically.


Solution Characteristics● Allow users to establish a profile of interests, goals and preferences.

● Display possible matches of user profiles based on likelihood of a good friendship.

● Allow users to accept or deny these matches.

● Users who mutually accept a match are able to communicate in-app.

● Users can unmatch or reject current matches, giving them control over who they communicate with.

● Constrain user base to university students with a valid student email address.

● Allow users to filter by characteristics such as gender, age, and distance.

● Opportunity for student organizations to build a profile of interests.


Solution Process Flow


Major Functional Component Diagram


What University Friend Finder Won’t Do● It won’t match users with incomplete profiles. ● It won’t match people on images alone. ● It won’t guarantee successful friendships. ● It won’t guarantee safety. ● It won’t sell or release user data.


Risk and MitigationCustomer Risks:C1 : Unsatisfied with applicationC2 : User failed to find a friend based on interestC3 : User fails to find a student organization based on interest

Technical/ Security Risks:T1 : Losing internet connection T2 : Losing passwordT3 : App attracts a large user base S1 : User and message data exposedS2 : User security is email verification

Mitigations:C1 : Provide feedback method to improve applicationC2 : Encourage user to expand their interestsC3 : Encourage user to advance their interests to find a club

T1 : Create a buffer to smooth out temporary lost connections. T2 : Allow app to reset user passwordT3 : App will be designed to take advantage of scalability

S1 : User and message data will be encryptedS2 : Require user to confirm email

15

Very Low

Low Moderate High Very High

Very high T1

High S2

Moderate T3 C1 S1

Low T2

Very Low C3 C2

Probability

Imp

act

CS410 - Team Copper Fall 2019 OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY 10/3/2019


Competition Direct Indirect

Features University Friend Finder Bumble BFF Friender Patook Meetup

Help students make friends at their university ✔ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌

Shows potential matches based on common interests ✔ ❌ ✔ ✔ ✔

Shows students based on current classes being taken ✔ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌

Promote school activities/clubs ✔ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌

Create a safe environment through school email verification ✔ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌

Ability to plan hangout through app calendar ✔ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✔

Only connect users with friends at the same school ✔ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌

SummaryThe University Friend Finder will provide an easy way for students to find friends who share interests, hobbies, and majors to combat loneliness.


Dr. Mark Vernon, a philosopher, psychotherapist, and author of The Meaning of Friendship, says that even one very good friend can improve your life in profound ways.(13)

Questions?


References1. Knapton, Sarah. “Having No Friends Could Be as Deadly as Smoking, Harvard University Finds.” The

Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 24 Aug. 2016, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/08/24/having-no-friends-could-be-as-deadly-as-smoking-harvard-universi/.

2. “Old Dominion University.” Data USA, https://datausa.io/profile/university/old-dominion-university.3. “Campus Loneliness Fact Sheet.” The UnLonely Project, 10 June 2019,

https://artandhealing.org/campus-loneliness-fact-sheet/.4. Bronkema, Ryan, et al. Campus Friends, Gender, and College Student Success, 2014, pp. ProQuest

Dissertations and Theses.5. “Student Population and Demographics: Old Dominion University.” College Tuition Compare,

https://www.collegetuitioncompare.com/edu/232982/old-dominion-university/enrollment/.6. Eagan, K, et al. The American Freshman: National Norms Fall 2014. The American Freshman:

National Norms Fall 2014.7. “The College Student Mental Health Crisis (Update).” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers,

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/theory-knowledge/201811/the-college-student-mental-health-crisis-update.

8. Zong, Jie, et al. “International Students in the United States.” Migrationpolicy.org, 5 June 2018, https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/international-students-united-states.


References9. ”Loneliness at Universities: Determinants of Emotional and Social Loneliness among Students.”, 29

Aug 2018,https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6163695/#B34-ijerph-15-0186510. Loneliness, Mindfulness, and Academic Achievements: A Moderation Effect among First-Year College

Students,https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279273646_Loneliness_Mindfulness_and_Academic_Achievements_A_Moderation_Effect_among_First-Year_College_Students

11. Ballard, J. (2019, July 30). Millennials are the loneliest generation. Retrieved from https://today.yougov.com/topics/lifestyle/articles-reports/2019/07/30/loneliness-friendship-new-friends-poll-survey.

12. Heid, M. (2015, March 18). Friendship: The Social Health of Friends. Retrieved from https://time.com/3748090/friends-social-health/.

13. Vernon, M. (2010). The meaning of friendship. Basingstoke (England): Palgrave Macmillan.14. 7 Ways Friendships Are Great for Your Health. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.livescience.com/53315-how-friendships-are-good-for-your-health.html.15. Radowitz, J. von. (2012, December 11). Loneliness 'can increase Alzheimer's risk'. Retrieved from

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/loneliness-can-increase-alzheimers-risk-8405166.html


References16. Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving College: Rethinking the Causes and Cures of Student Attrition, 2nd Edition.

Chicago: University of Chicago Press.17. Chickering, A. W., & Reisser, L. (1993). Education and Identity: 2nd Edition. San Francisco:

Jossey-Bass. 18. Pascarella, E. T., & Terenzini, P. T. (2005). How College Affects Students: A Third Decade of Research

(Volume 2). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.


References - Direct Competitors1. “Bumble BFF.” Bumble, https://bumble.com/bff.

2. “Friender - Your Life, Connected.” Friender, https://frienderapp.com/.3. “Patook - the Strictly Platonic Friend-Making App.” Patook, https://patook.com/.


References - Indirect Competitors1. “Find Your People | Meetup.” Meetup, https://www.meetup.com/.


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