Couldbee
Virtual Garden Design
Hackathon
In the RSDL-weeks I attended a Hackathon called “Living Data City Challenge” were the goal was to use or create open data for society. There were 8 challenges specified each with a different challenger. Together with fellow FBP-students Jochem Timmers and Max Aerts I attended this Hackathon. During the weekend our team expanded with a Game Developer, Software developer and 3D-model creator. We chose the challenge about improving the biodiversity in Eindhoven.
We created an app called Couldbee and won the 3rd prize with it on the Hackathon! It was an app to motivate people to remove tiles from their garden and replace them with plants. The app used augmented reality to generate a garden for you based on the open data from the city ecologist. I focused on the community aspect of the app, basically how can we motivate people to do so and stimulate even each other to do so. During the Hackathon I spend my time working out Wireframes of how the app would look like. The rest focused more on making the augmented reality work.
My role
A neighbourhood could combine goals to get new animals in their neighbourhood or repel certain animals like mosquitos. You could see the neighbourhoods around you and get advice from the city ecologist. Having a shared goal as a neighbourhood, you could even help people with their garden if they wouldn’t like to work in the garden.
Business set-up
After the Hackathon we went further with developing our idea. We could present our concept on the Open Data Congress in Eindhoven were municipalities from all over Europe gathered. Our concept draw a lot of attention and good contacts have been made. We have presented our concept to Eindhoven, Den Haag, Amsterdam but also companies like Groenrijk and next week Intratuin.
Groenrijk wanted to buy the app because it could give them a new target group. We are now trying to see what is best to do inviting different experts on the field of marketing, software developing and funding. In the summer vacation we will have more time to take it to the next level and create the first simple working prototype. To be continued…
Reflection
Within the group I apparently am the most critical one and good at doing sanity checks. Basically knowing if people would understand or do what we think they will do. Working in this multi-disciplinary group has taught me what my roles as a designer can be in it. Also how easy it is to talk to the direction of big companies like Groenrijk. They are open to new ideas, especially if there are from new fresh students.
