Hoosiers are creating apps with college students in mind

It’s not a surprise we use apps basically everyday — and possibly a bit too much. With our top apps being so addictive, you could assume the people behind apps like Yik-Yak, Tinder, and Clash of Clans are masterminds who not only know how to entertain us but also how to create the complex programs behind these apps.

But what if these or any apps aren’t as complex as we think. The app design process has been simplified enough for IU students to pick up, and some have accomplished it and conceive, design, and produce their own apps. Here are a few visionary Hoosiers who have created their own apps and even put them on the market.

Buzzed, designed by Kyle Jennings

 

Having trouble finding those bars within your budget? Want to find out where you can get cheap shots on a Wednesday? Hoosier Kyle Jennings has the answer to these bar and booze questions and many more with his app, Buzzed. Kyle is a junior studying informatics who designed Buzzed to help you find drink specials, cover prices and special events at nearby bars and restaurants.

The app is simple. It shows the locations of local bars registered with the app, their pricing on drinks and food, events being held and a weekly view where each night’s drunk specials are in one place. The app is a must-have for Hoosiers and is an easy way to save money and time for any 21+ college student. Buzzed is currently available for free on the App store and is coming soon to Google Play.

Bakkle, designed by James Kozuch, Vansh Gandhi, and Rameen Mashhoon

Like Tinder but hate Craigslist? Well, Hoosier James Kozuch has the solution for you. James, a freshman Finance major, collaborated with his student colleagues, Vansh Gandhi and Rameen Mashhoon, and created Bakkle. It provides a straightforward way to exchange goods with each other, incorporating a Tinder swipe sort of setup. “Bakkle makes buying and selling quick, easy and painless” explains freshman co-founder Rameen Mashhoon. “Posting an item takes less than 30 seconds…[and] buyers can swipe through hundreds of items in less than a minute.” Mashhoon is a current Computer Science major at Santa Barbara City College who has been working with the team since high school. Mashhoon adds, “Bakkle makes it extremely easy to buy and sell.”

“It will become something to do to kill time,” explains designer Vansh Gandhi. “Instead of only shopping when people have something in mind to buy, they are going to open the app out of either habit or boredom.” Gandhi, a current UCLA freshman studying Computer Science, believes “Bakkle is going to change the way people view shopping.”

After setting up a profile, the picture and price of some item for sale is posted on the feed. Like Tinder, you can swipe right if you want to buy it, swipe left if not, and see more info by tapping the picture. For those who can’t decide on the spot, don’t worry, you can even swipe up to watch the item, where the post is saved and you can check it out later. Swiping down allows users to report the item posted as well. Another addition to Bakkle is how, like Craigslist or Ebay, you can sell your own goods after you setup an account. Everything — from clothing and accessories to random services like lawn mowing — can be posted on Bakkle.

Lastly, a messaging and chat system is available where sellers can talk to buyers interested in their items. Bakkle offers an innovative take on marketing products, combining a swipe system with bartering, users can access a fast new way of buying and selling items. You can also download Bakkle right now for free on the iPhone and Android at www.Bakkle.com.

OpenLot, designed by Alex Estabrook, Alec Breton, Chris Williams, Gregory Venezia, and Anup Prasad

It can be agitating to find the best parking space. Once in a while, we’re lucky enough to find that perfect spot that’s even close to where we want to go. No more taking long walks to and from your parking spot because IU senior Alec Breton and his teammates, Alex Estabrook, Chris Williams, Anup Prasad, and Gregory Venezia have developed OpenLot to reduce your parking woes.

“OpenLot began as a class project that I created as a solution to a problem we all face — parking,” claims co-founder Alex Estabrook. “I proposed we work on what I had initially called ‘Park.it…’ I pitched it to the group, and the gears begin to turn.” Alex is a senior majoring in Graphic Design at IU. He continued: “OpenLot… believes that providing real parking data should be open to the public to conserve resources and mitigate the environmental impact of cars.”

One awesome feature of this app is it let’s you plan where you’re going to park ahead of time. Once you enter your destination into OpenLot, the app calculates the best parking lot available based on spaces available and distance to the destination. OpenLot even gives you a map of the local parking lots around you along with a live capacity feed for each lot.

Collaborator, Marketing and Entrepreneurship major and co-founder Chris Williams says, “OpenLot is poised to disrupt the parking meter market as the complete parking management system of the future.” The IU junior followed up stating, “We provide value to… everyday drivers who seek efficiency and convenience in finding and purchasing available parking and institutional clients, like the City of Bloomington, that need to manage paid parking spaces.” Furthermore, Gregory Venezia, a co-founder and Merrimack College Computer Science grad, adds, “I hope [with] the application… that loading parking lots in your area will be [more] quick and… convenient.” OpenLot will soon be available on the App store and Google Play, so lookout for this essential city-goer app.

Don’t forget to keep an eye out for apps like OpenLot, Buzzed, and Bakkle. It’s better to download and figure them out now while they’re free and don’t have a ton of ads or pop-ups. Plus, you’ll get bragging rights for using these apps before they go big.