Heather M Decker Execise 1 Interactive Design/Media Application (ITGM-705-OL)
Bartending Companion App (tentative title) To address an existing need in my fiancé’s current profession, I feel it would be useful to design an accessible and simple “pocket bartender” sort of application for low-tech cell phones. Similar applications already exist for smart phones, but for the multitude of people in the service industry still using basic cell phones, an affordable, simplistic application would be extremely useful. The stand-alone digital drink catalog devices on the market are often easy to misplace and can average between $9-25, but a basic cell application would always be available if the person has their phone on them. Optimal pricing of the app would be 99¢ to $1.99. To cover the widest range of phones, this application would include the rare usage of smaller images. To increase accessibility, voice playback of selected ingredients should be an option (via a specific button press at any time to toggle it on and off.)
This particular application would basically be a catalog of drink recipes that users may search by specific drink name, category, ingredient, event, and roulette (which offers a random selection for adventurous types.) When browsing and searching, the results are always displayed in alphabetical order and may be scrolled through using the phone’s button interface. Essentially, when a user navigates to a recipe, basic instructions are broken down like list items with universal terms for the techniques involved, such as “pour,” “shot glass,” or
“shaker.” These special terms are also highlighted in the listing. Selecting a special term and hitting the designated button will bring up a tool-tip style pop-up that briefly explains the term. Pressing the same button again dismisses the tool tip.
If possible across the broadest spectrum of phones, including a small “help” banner at the bottom, indicating which button can be pressed to access a help file, would be optimal. That way, if the user isn’t sure how to toggle a feature or access a certain section, they could find that information promptly. Concerning Murray’s qualities described in "Inventing the Medium," this particular application is procedural because it utilizes programming rules, participatory because it is interactive, encyclopedia in that it catalogs drink recipes, and spatial in terms of its interface and navigation.
Navigation Tree (draft) Name Search by name • Auto-fill suggests drink names beneath the input box as the user types, but the user must voluntarily scroll down to select any suggested drink names. Browse drinks alphabetically Category Cocktails Shots Punches Liqueur and Spirts
Beer and Ale Coffee and Tea Ingredient Type of alcohol Mixer ingredient Flavor Event Holidays • New Year • Valentine’s Day • Mardi Gras • St. Patrick’s Day • Passover • Easter • May Day • Cinco de Maya • 4th of July • Thanksgiving • Halloween • Hanukkah • Kwanzaa • Christmas • Yule • (etc.) Celebrations • Birthday • Wedding • Bachelor/Bachelorette • Graduation • (etc.) Sports • Baseball • Football • Basketball • (etc.) Roulette Options Voiceover On/Off Highlight Terms On/Off Hot Keys