Attention Red Raiders: a new parking app has been created. Not only does it show you where you can and cannot park on campus, but it also shows you how many tickets you have (you even have the option to pay for them on your mobile device).
Kwabena Boakye, a senior marketing major, and Ryan Hughes, a junior marketing major said their app was decided on the founding principles of something profound – rock, paper, scissors.
“Honestly yes, that’s how it came about,” said Boakye. “The whole concept in general and idea came from our services marketing professor, Gavin Fox. He said in class if you come up with an app idea, you can create it and see if it goes anywhere. Then we played rock, paper, scissors to make our final decision between our ideas.”
Hughes said the other idea, his idea, was to make an app that would allow anyone to take a picture of their wardrobe and then the app would allow the mixing and matching of different outfits solely based on what is in your closet.
Boakye, left, and Hughes, right. These are the two marketing majors who created the TTU parking app.
Boakye said they decided to focus their app on TTU parking because from what he and Hughes have heard, it’s a fairly common problem for many students on campus.
“I mean, this campus is big,” said Boakye. “Why not try to tackle something everybody has dealt with?”
Hughes said he and Boakye came up with the actual idea and their professor came up with all of the coding and technical details for the app. And according to Boakye, their app has gotten a positive response so far.
“We have to date 360 downloads and that’s just been a combination of different marketing strategies that we’ve used,” said Boakye. “The most effective one has been the Tech Announce. We’re going to sit down and think about some other ways to get it not only to students but to faculty also.”
Hughes said before the app was even created, he and Boakye had to talk to TTU parking services to make sure their app was acceptable to promote in the first place. He said they ended up being fully onboard with the idea.
As far as incentives go, Boakye said creating the app helped he and Hughes get a good grade in the class, and for him personally, he said it help fuel his sense of entrepreneurship. Boakye said by creating the app with Hughes, it’s given them something tangible to take to a business so that they can potentially make real money.
Hughes said they are hoping their parking app will catch on at other colleges, and Boakye said he had never heard of any other campus that has anything like it.
Hughes said in the future he would like to continue making apps and currently has plans for the summer to launch a new one. Boakye said he doesn’t have any app dreams, but he does have big dreams nonetheless. He said he would like to do something with clothing and has other general marketing consulting ventures up his sleeve.
Boakye and Hughes said over the class that required for them to come up with an app in the first place has been beneficial and influential based on getting to see everyone’s marketing strategies and hard work.
“It’s been a large class full of entrepreneurs honestl,” said Boakye. “It’s interesting to go to class and see all of the interesting ideas and see all of the concepts the professor’s been teach to come to life. It’s all a result of that.”
You can download the app on your smart phone! Look for TTU Parking to support Boakye and Hughes and to also avoid getting your 10th ticket…or 20th.
About Lauren Estlinbaum
