The application provides point-to-point directions to 130 campus buildings, over 85 images, and links to the UMass homepage, SPIRE, SPARK, athletics, Dining Services, transit schedules, and other campus-related sites.
The university released an advertisement looking for someone to create the application, and Stewart responded. This allowed UMass to compete with other universities who had a similar application.
“It took two weeks,” said Stewart when asked how long it took to develop. “I spent the rest of the summer getting feedback and working out all the bugs and issues.”
When Stewart started his UMass career he was a computer science major, which he says provided him with the experience necessary to succeed in this project.
The university funded approximately $1000 toward the project, which Stewart used to purchase guides on how to use the program. Since the application is an Apple product, he had to purchase a Mac computer for about $1200, which was an out-of-pocket expense.
Now that students are able to have the app right at their fingertips there is no need for those bulky maps. So fear not freshmen, days of standing out are over. And for all you upperclassmen: finding game times, checking grades, and making sure you have enough credits to graduate is just a click (or touch of the screen) away. This app is a must-have thanks to Daniel Stewart and it can be downloaded via iTunes. Staying connected has never been so easy!