DTAth

The app is DTAth. The place is Athens. The purpose is to explore the city in a whole new way! Our goal was to create an app that will become an integral part of downtown Athens. By including a comprehensive guide to the downtown businesses, we hope to create an app that that acts as a decision making tool for its users. To do this, we aimed to simplify the overwhelming options downtown has to offer. Financially, our app provides a way for users to view which businesses are offering specials on any given day to get the most bang for their buck. Our goal was to end the too common scenario “I’m hungry but don’t know where to go…I just know I don’t want to spend a lot of money.” Restaurants are also divided into categories of fast food, casual, and fine dining so users can pick a place to eat based on atmosphere as well as price. We aimed to increase the traffic to downtown shops by increasing awareness and directing users to the shops with a fun and rewarding scavenger hunt. The inclusion of a GPS locator gives users the opportunity to narrow their choices by listing nearby options as well as providing directions for those new to the area. Perhaps the most practical aspect of our app is the complete directory of stores, restaurants, music venues, and bars downtown which can be used for a multitude of reasons.

The DTATh app includes a wide range of features intended to optimize the downtown Athens experience. From the home screen, there is a complete directory of the stores (shop), restaurants (dine), and bars (drink). The bars and shops are listed in alphabetical order and the restaurants are sorted by ambiance–Fast Food, Casual, or Fine Dining. The ‘More’ tab includes an ‘Enjoy’ category that contains the a full list of music venues, a live twitter feed to @AthensTonight and @DowntownAthens which both promote everyday specials and updates about downtown businesses, and a fun scavenger hunt–’AthHunt’–that uses the GPS function of the app to guide users on a step by step scavenger hunt for a Downtown Giftcard. In addition to the main directory, the app allows users to search for specific keywords and items and determine where to find them. Each business is identified on an interactive map relative to their location so users can easily navigate to the business and view other businesses nearby. The GPS location also allows users to be notified via push notifications as to what businesses nearby are currently offering specials. To personalize the app, users can post status updates to Facebook and Twitter about where they visit. DTAth is great way to discover the city and share your adventures with your friends!