Two fourth years have created an app to find you a seat in the library

Two fourth years have created ‘Spaces’, an app which predicts how likely you are to find a seat in each library.

Jack Ryder and Sam Howarth, fourth year Management students from Leeds and Edinburgh respectively, began researching the idea after reading an article in The Tab about how difficult it was to find a seat in Laidlaw.

The app works by allowing users to vote on how busy a library is, using a traffic light system.

The app’s minimalist layout

These votes can be seen by other students who can then decide whether to venture to the library, or to just continue procrastinating at home.

Jack, a self taught iOS programmer, told the Tab: “I thought crowdsourcing how busy the library is would help people make informed decisions and avoid searching awkwardly for a space when they got there only to be disappointed

“I ran the idea past my mate Sam, and he said they have the same problem in Edinburgh – the libraries are too busy.”

Jack and Sam

Jack added: “It’s a gamble whether you get a seat or not – that’s why we started working on Spaces.

“At the end of the day you want to find a space in the library as fast as possible without looking like a lemon in the silent study area.

“We’ve set up a traffic light system which is super easy to use. Basically if you’re inside the library you can tap the colour that reflects how busy you think it is right now.

“This lets people outside the library know how busy it is without being there. Easy.”

No more waiting for seats

Jack says the app is only in its early stages, but we can expect improvements soon.

He said: “The app will only get more and more reliable, the more downloads we get but for now we’ve managed to get some friends on board to regularly vote and keep things accurate in the early stages.

“The great thing is that the traffic light voting system could be used anywhere from lunch spots around campus (Nile Valley in Edinburgh is a nightmare), to barber shops and the gym.

“So theoretically you could know if the queue for Fruity was crazy busy before you even got there!”

You can download Spaces on the app store now.