As alumni of the Art Institute of Boston (AIB) at Lesley University, we wanted to give something back to the great faculty and staff, and especially the students.

The whole conversation started while talking with Deb Verhoff, Librarian at AIB. She wanted some sort of digital resource for common questions that students come into the library with. Sometimes the questions were library related, and sometimes they were not. She also mentioned that with all the iPod promotions for students, and the $99 iPhone, more students than ever have access to iTunes Store Apps at AIB.

We brainstormed about various methods and ideas, and ultimately, she left it in the hands of Dirk+Weiss to make something happen. Deb sent us a list of content sections that would be appropriate in the app. We then designed an interface that is clearly branded, and tested for usability.

After speaking with Deb, it was clear that AIB was in need of connecting students with mobile devices. Brian and I sat down to decide what was appropriate to build. First, we considered a microsite that would be designed for mobile browsers. This was most certainly doable, but it did not quite have the pizazz of a full iPhone app. So we decided to go ahead and just build an iPhone/iPod Touch app, and when it was approved by apple, announce it officially.

The Art Institute of Boston app has been approved, and lives in the iTunes App Store. Download it now!

App Features:

1. Showcase student artwork via Flickr
2. Shuttle schedules from Boston to Cambridge campuses
3. Foundation and Illustration department blogs
4. News and events listings via the AIB Front Desk Facebook page
5. Library book look-up (FLO Catalog)

Since the boom of the iPhone platform, tens of thousands of apps have been created. It’s not just games either. Smart, useful apps not only help out their users, they can also carry a price tag.

What about the education market? Recently, there have been some software development companies specializing in mobile apps for colleges, and have gotten a few big names. The problem we find though, is these apps are of a templated nature. One app to the next are almost identical. Basically, a logo attached to a bin of buttons. While we see that this could work, and probably just fine, it doesn’t quite have the ‘wow’ factor of a customized app, with a smart, clean design.

We have started our venture into education based apps. Recently we began to work with the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University, to create an iPhone app for the students. While speaking with Deb Verhoff, librarian at AIB, she expressed the areas of interest that she finds useful, based on her experience in day to day library tasks. Basically, when people need information, they come to the library, books or no books. So, we have included certain college information inside the new AIB app including:

1. Current Student Artwork, pulled in from the AIB Flickr Account
2. Current Shuttle Schedules, for campus to campus travel
3. AIB News, via the AIB Front Desk facebook page
4. Blogs of college departments
5. Library Research/Book Lookup

Also, we have been contracted with Bunker Hill Community College to create a new iPhone/iPod Touch app for their distance education department: BHCC Online. This app contains student testimonials, video tutorials for navigating the online learning environment and all information related to courses and degrees that are available for Distance Education. The target of this app is mostly for current students, but also works for recruiting new students for the Distance Ed program.

In both cases, the development process is focused on customization, and smart and effective user interface design. We would love to create something for your college, just let us know!