Students’ Queen’s To Go app hits top 5 trending on Android

Creators aim to make campus resources more accessible

Image by: Chris Yao

After student app Queen’s to Go’s Sept. 11 release, campus resources have never been more portable.  

The app was developed by second year CompSci students—Yifei Yin, Faranak Shairifi, Shreyansh Anad, Sammy Moss, and Rithik Bhatia—with the goal of making campus more accessible.  

“The application is meant to be a simple go-to Queen’s app including everything you need in one place,” co-creator Shreyansh Anad said in an interview. 

According to its creators, the new app will include a map which syncs to SOLUS to a user to the class’s location. The creators said the feature highlights the app’s ability to stand out when compared to other University-related applications.  

“When you log in to your SOLUS account, we have a map including pins which includes all names 

and locations to all of the buildings which you have classes in.” Yin said. “Other apps may include the names of specific buildings, however they don’t include a map.”  

Another unique feature of Queen’s to Go is it can be used without cellular data or wi-fi. Anad explained the only time wi-fi is required to use the app is when syncing to a SOLUS account. 

“Most of us don’t have data.” Anad said. “The ability to access your account without looking at a screenshot or connecting to WIFI makes the app so much more accessible to students.” 

Additional features of the app include a separate page, which displays a list of campus dining facilities, including a short description and a link to the menu. Queen’s To Go also includes an accessible version of a class timetable and a course schedule. 

“Once you have your schedule, it’s the first thing you see.” Moss said. “On the bottom you have your timetable, on the top you’ll have your schedule for the week.”  

The app also features a resources page, including transportation methods, links to Facebook pages, and a list to various discounts tailored to students.

The idea for the app came only a month into first year. At the time, Anad thought there had to be a way to navigate between an unfamiliar campus’ resources.  

In March 2017,  Anad said he “got bored” enough of studying to work on the app as a side project, at which point he brought the group together to work on it. 

“We really started working together in May, when exams had finished.” Said Shairifi, Co-creator of Queen’s To Go. “From May until approximately a week ago we kept working on the app” 

After the app’s initial release, it hit the top five trending ‘tool apps’ and took the 35th spot in overall trending apps nation-wide.

The Queen’s To Go app is available for download on Android devices.  

 

Tags

app, app development, Computing

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