#thursdayapp: Duolingo

I really LOVE Duolingo. It's been around for awhile, but I am just now getting into it as I want to learn French since Buzzfeed told me I should move to Paris :). I like the gaming aspect of learning a language and testing out one's accent and pronunciation of words is really cool through the audio/mic feature. It is easy to use and puts my language teachers in high school to shame.

Digital Doula - NYC App Idea

I am creating a mobile app for high-risk pregnant women of color in Harlem to reduce infant mortality – which is double the citywide average and similar to developing countries!

Could a mobile app act as an advocate for expectant mothers in Harlem?

The health of mothers and children is a critical indicator of the overall health of a community.  With infant mortality rates in Harlem similar to developing countries, the health and future success of this neighborhood is at risk. 

A media technology intervention has the power to turn the tide. 

While many factors lead to this outcome in Harlem, one solution is to create an opportunity for expectant mothers to effectively communicate with their doctors. 

A digital storytelling mobile app will provide expectant mothers with the tools to record personal health anecdotes and information to share with one’s entire spectrum of health supporters including doulas, social workers, community health workers, health advocates, and doctors. 

It is my hope that this mobile app will help decrease infant mortality in Harlem,  improve health literacy, and support doctor-patient relationships.

More About Me!

The question that always leads me is "How can I serve my community?"

I have nearly ten years of professional experience in the areas of international

development, HIV/AIDS education, and social marketing. 

I have done my small part to shed light on the HIV/AIDS crisis in the U.S. and abroad, 

address theplights of street children in Uganda and Ghana, 

and volunteer for causes I care about deeply 

like rebuilding homes post-Katrina in New Orleans and post-Sandy in New York.

My most rewarding professional experience thus far was my role as the manager

of the RealTalkDC social marketing campaign for Metro TeenAIDS, a non-profit

that encourages youth to get tested for HIV and STIs in Washington, DC – 

the city with the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in the United States. 

I saw firsthand the role that media technology 

and social marketing can play in improving lives.

I hope to use my experience employing social marketing strategies in the civic

sector as well as my education in digital media storytelling 

to help solve the crucial social justice issues of our time.

I am obsessed with eyebrow threading and fall fashion (ankle boots and layering… yes please!)

Can’t wait to learn more about you!

NYC App Idea

My idea is an app that maps the places in NYC that has inclusive policies for transgender. It includes places that offer gender-inclusive bathrooms, provide a means for trans people to use their preferred name and to change the gender on records and documents.

App Idea

I'm going to attempt a wireframe for a mobile wallet and payment system that "could" allow crypto-currency to be used at participating merchants- Nightclubs, Car Services, Fashion Boutiques, Restaurants.

This app would allow for user credit card and back account information, loyalty programs, and coupons on the smartphone, while also rewarding users as "Influencers" with crypto-currency/Rewards for interacting and sharing brand marketing on social networks via mobile ads.

#thursdayapp: Threes!

Threes! is infinitely better than Candy Crush and Flappy Bird. Original game design. No in app purchases. Brilliantly simple but endlessly playable. Smile factors such as cute animations and sound effects definitely keep me coming back for more. 

Gameplay consists of sliding numbered blocks onto one another to form higher numbers, but some important rules turn an easy concept into a challenging puzzle. Only like numbers can combine together, for instance, 3 and 3, to form a 6, which can then only combine with another 6. 1 and 2 are limited to combining with each other.

Tis a simple game, but difficult to master.

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UPDATE:

Here’re some suggestions for improvement:

1. Retry button. I don’t get why the retry button is way up on the left. It isn’t user friendly, the game is designed for a single gesture : swipe. I play the game with just one hand (which I’m sure many of us do). The stretch for my thumb to tap that button is quite annoying, it’s in the OW zone (as written by Scott Hurff). Move it to the top right please, and replace that twitter button. I think the tweet/share button could be integrated with typing the player’s name after the score. Having said that, I’ll probably forgive the game designers because of the much enjoyment I derived from playing the game. 
2. Give me my score now. Please? Why do I need to swipe to see my score and swipe again to type my name in the scoreboard? I think a smoother transition without having to swipe would be nice.
3. Previous games. The other thing I don’t really get is why would I want to see my previous games, they display only the last move on these boards. If I can tap on it and be shown what and where I did wrong, I wouldn’t mind. All I want to do is to continue playing the game (start with a new board) and beat the game!

Project #1. App Idea.

There is no question about it, not only do acoustics effect our mood, the also change our memory of a place. The blaring of the ambulance siren constantly remind me that i am in Manhattan, but not Brooklyn to. Similarly the Hare Krishna music immediately summons the image of Union Square into my mind. For sure, my Union Square is different to yours or the lady sitting next to me in the subway. 

At a time when personal listening devices and tailored playlists are ubiquitous, it’s no surprise that we forget of how important sounds are. At the park, in the subway, waiting in line for coffee, we block the world with our own bubble of chosen acoustics. 

&sounds aim to archive the sounds that surround us when we take the time to emerge from this bubble. And in time, our memories of a place. You can record, listen and tag your own acoustics with a place. 

This is my thesis. I'm building a collective sound archive.