Developing Apps for Online Social Networks

JHU graduate students Carol Reiley and Dan Mirota created and taught an Intersession class in which groups of students developed applications for online social networks such as Facebook. The focus of the class was to utilize user feedback in an interactive, responsive development process in order to more efficiently and effectively develop successful and marketable applications.

Over a three-week period, teams of students identified a needed utility, designed an application to meet that need, developed a marketing strategy, solicited user feedback and employed that feedback to quickly modify and refine their applications. Five applications were developed and demonstrated at an open house on January 29, 2009.

The Digital Media Center’s Creative Use of Technology Grant supported the technical aspects of this project by providing technical support in the design of the class and funding for equipment including input devices and Bluetooth communication adaptors.